User:Davisallisonr

Midterm Research Project
As we discuss the term “public” this quarter, we will get into a variety of kinds of territory, and a wide variety of kinds of research will be enabled by our discussions. I would like your research to present the results of your own investigations—an offshoot, rather than an amplification, of things we’ve talked about in class.

For instance, if we discuss a particular artist in class, such as Damali Ayo, don’t pick her as your research project. We’ve already talked about her. Rather, do more research on other artists who are doing similar things. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

the law—what are the laws that restrict or enable free expression? federally? in Seattle? are there any individual cases that interest you? an artist—who is an artist who’s doing interesting work in the public sphere? how do they do their work? an interview—do you know an artist who does work in the public? Interview them and give a presentation about their work (I’ve also had students interview street performers at the Pike Street market). work—is there a particular work of public art you’re interested in? What is the story of that piece? (in class, for instance, we'll discuss a giant Monolith that was planted in Magnusen Park in 2001.)

Presentations - Your presentation will be short—5 or 6 minutes. Please use multimedia to the extent that you can (show a short film clip, or some images, or play a short recording to keep things interesting). Be prepared—know what you’re going to say, and how long it will take. If you start to run long, I’ll stop you.

final - Your final project in Humanities I will be a stepping out—you’ll move from the classroom into the public sphere and do something, which you’ll document and present.

We’ve talked about many aspects of public art this quarter, and looked at some artists who work legally, and some who go outside of the law. For this project, I am not requiring that you do anything illegal. There are a myriad of ways one can act in public without doing anything wrong according to the law. That said, some artists also protest the law because they see it as unjustly interfering with their freedom of expression and action as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Use your own compass, as you do in the rest of your life, to decide what to do. Following are a few (legal!) ideas:

Music Perform music somewhere in public where you will be seen. Be aware of the law in terms of decibel levels, amplification, and solicitation. Visual Art Put up some posters or stickers on telephone poles. In Seattle, posting on telephone poles was illegal for about 5 years, but the law prohibiting it was overthrown—these days, putting up posters or stickers on telephone poles is legal in Seattle. Performance Art Stage a performance piece in public--we’ve seen several examples of performance art this quarter that take place in public. Performances don’t need to be long or complicated. It could be as simple as asking a stranger to paint your portrait, or deciding to wear a pink shirt.

Presentations [edit]You must arrange to somehow document your project. This can be done with photos, recordings, or simply writing out the narrative of what happened. In one way or another, you will then present your project to the class—your ideas, why you decided to do what you did, how it worked out, unexpected things that happened, etc.

Presentations will be 5 to 10 minutes long, and should be entertaining as well as informative.

Self-Assessment
Self Assessment [edit]

A self assessment is a critique of yourself. Let it reflect your experience, and not your perception of anyone's expectations of you.

Possible questions [edit]

"What did I learn in this class, and what do I have left to learn?" "What did I do well in this class, and what could I have done better?" "How do I feel prepared, or unprepared, to continue my studies at this point?" "How did I contribute to the experiences of other students in this class?" You are also encouraged to consider any other questions relevant to your experiences. Responses should be at least 200 words, posted to your Wikiversity userspace.

My response

From this class i have learned the importance and beauty of art around us. i have also been able to appreciate the world around us because of this. my favorite thing i liked about this class was that it was so free and we could just simply surround ourselves with art from galleries or even just off the street. i feel more motivated to continue my studies in learning about such things i have listed above. i loved going outside with the class it allowed us to interact more together, stay awake, and gain actual experience. this was by far the best class i have ever had. i really liked the projects to it was fun to come up with something creative and also see some new ideas coming from other students. I have gained a new outlook on art. anything can be art in different ways of how it protays its story to the world. this class has made me think about the artist and i try to put myself in their shoes and ask myself what story am i telling here and why in such a way as this? In a way i have grown an even deeper understand of how beautiful the world is with everyday things around us that we may not even notice, that is just as much of art as a painted canvas.