Museum Project

Alison Kettering
Initial Publication Date: April 5, 2010

Summary

Arth234 The Italian Renaissance: Florence, Venice, Rome

Museum Assignment

Presentation date:Sat February 20, 2:30-5pm, Minneapolis Institute of Arts (bus leaves Sayles at 1:30pm).

The goal of this project is for you to look carefully and thoughtfully at the Italian paintings at the MIA, 3-5 of which you will emphasize for special attention. You will work in groups; each group will devise a 25-30 min presentation focusing on the following considerations: material/physical aspects of paintings and sculptures; stylistic, iconographic, and functional connections with works studied via slides, readings for the class, websites, and installations in the MIA galleries. While this is a visual research project and not a research project, you will certainly need to do some research. Books on open and closed reserve will help, as will Oxford Art on Line. But the most important aspect of the assignment is your taking time to observe and analyze the art in your group in relation to art studied in class and in books.

Plan:

What ideas hold your selection of works together? For each object, write a museum wall label (no longer than 200 words) which includes basic information yet also includes an articulation of the "big idea," that is, the glue for your selection of paintings. Plan to refer to this (without reading it) and then turn it in afterwards.

Process: Study your artworks on the MIA website and take notes, allowing plenty of time for looking carefully. Using reference tools as necessary, become familiar with each object. Pay attention to where the works are located and the best way to move from work to work. How has the museum's installation of works accommodated or hindered your movement? You will have from 2:30-3pm to rehearse your presentations in light of the placement of the works. A visit to the MIA on the Optional Field trip, Sat January 9 (2-6pm)[this should have been a little later in the term], will allow you to plan your presentation better; it is hoped that several members of each group will attend.

Format: Students will be divided into three groups. The presentation of the material must be divided equally so that each member of the group speaks and participates.

You must prepare this presentation in advance and rehearse it with your group. You should prepare either notes on index cards or a full script. Extemporaneous speaking will not work for this exercise because you won't want to ramble or end up pausing ("Ummmmm.....") for significant minutes because you are not sure what to say next.

Grading of Museum Presentation: Oral presentations will be graded according to:

Content: Do you have something of substance to convey? Have you thoroughly analyzed the MIA paintings in your cluster in relation to examples studied in class? Are you synthesizing and analyzing the information in a thoughtful manner? Are you raising thoughtful questions for consideration?

Organization: Does your presentation have a logical and coherent structure and flow? Is the information presented in a clear manner?

Style: Are you speaking clearly and loudly enough, with poise and confidence? Do you avoid peppering your comments with "like"?

Peer review: Each student in a group will provide me with a short statement within several days after making their group presentation. This statement will comment on their group's performance in the presentation. You will also comment on how well you feel each member of your group performed. Did you each work hard and pull your own weight?

Feedback: I will grade you as a group and provide you with a feedback sheet with my comments. While the peer review comments are essential, I will do the final grading. I will also provide comments for each student's individual work. The comments for the individual student will be private and given only to that particular student. I will make these feedback forms available to you within a few days following your presentation.

Grade weight: counts toward 15% of your final grade

Groups:

In-class:

MIA 1:

MIA 2:

MIA 3:

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Learning Goals

Make connections between works seen in the "flesh" (none of which is major) and the students' study of Italian monuments visible only in books, slides. Examine the physical and material aspects of actual works of art.

Context for Use

Field trip to Museum Assignment

Description and Teaching Materials

Minneapolis Institute of Arts website plus the museum itself.

Teaching Notes and Tips

The assignment worked well as the students were enthusiastic, enjoyed working together (one of the teams held hands as they gave their presentation!), and developed a far greater understanding of the paintings than they would otherwise have done.

Assessment

Content, organization, supporting material, style of presentation. Peer review of the group's performance will also help me evaluate them individually and in terms of their group.

References and Resources

MIA website and Carleton Library databases and book and journal holdings.