Curator Project Proposal
ntroduction: As you have learned from this course, museums are essential to the study of art. Curators, who work to develop exhibits at museums, play an important role in the art that museum visitors experience. The act of curating is a powerful act. The curator has the power to determine what is made visible and therefore, what knowledge is passed on to the museum viewer. Before you begin your final project, check out this article on how Museums Shape Meaning (Links to an external site.). Also, please review the supplemental resources in the Curator Project module.
Directions: For this assignment, you will “curate a museum exhibition” that includes art from the time periods and regions we have covered in class (Ancient Art – European Gothic Art). Just like a museum curator, you will create an exhibition statement, label your 3 images, and include wall text for each image that is support by academic research. This project develops your research and critical thinking skills by requiring that you develop an exhibition theme, choose and research artworks that correspond to that theme, and create an exhibition statement and “wall labels”.
Project Stages:
Begin by choosing an exhibition theme (narrow topic) that interests you and connects with regions/time periods we have discussed this semester (Ancient Art – Gothic European Art). Watch the Curator Project Video to get some ideas.
Begin searching for your 3 images/artworks. Please note that the images/artworks that you choose do not need to be unknown- you can choose well-known images/artworks if it fits with your exhibition theme. Research your images/artworks so that you can clearly interpret the meaning (think about what you have learned about visual analysis). Make sure the artists/artworks that you research, correspond to the time periods and cultures we discuss in class.
Once you have sufficiently researched your 3 artworks, begin developing an exhibition statement. Think of this statement as an opening paragraph to an expository and reflective essay. Your statement should be approximately 200 words and include: clear explanation of theme, overview of artworks (describe organizing principle), and any significant contextual information.
Include Images of each artwork and labels. Clearly label ALL artworks as best you can (Artist. Title. Date. Media, dimensions.)
Develop wall text for each image/artwork. Each wall text should be concise (4-5 sentences) and include relevant information that would help to educate a viewer if this was in a museum. The wall text should briefly analyze each artwork (based on your research) and clearly describe how it connects with your theme. Consider that the goal of wall text is to succinctly educate the viewer on why the image is included in the exhibit and to provide a short visual analysis to help elucidate the artwork’s meaning.
Develop your works cited page
Edit and review for cohesion and clarity.
Turn your document into a pdf for submission.
Assignment parameters:
Proposal:Links to an external site. Prepare a proposal that includes a short outline of your exhibition statement and a preliminary list of images (artist, title, date only in a list – no images are necessary for the proposal). Please also prepare a preliminary bibliography with at least 1 source. Proposal is due December 11th.
Research Skills: To provide support for your exhibition, you should consult at least two (2) reputable academic sources for your research beyond the use the of your textbook. Museum websites make a good source. Many excellent databases can be accessed through the LAHC library system. You may not use Wikipedia! Follow MLA guidelines for the format of your works cited page. See the many resources in the Research Support module.
Organization: Exhibition Statement, Images, and “Wall Text”: You must submit your final project as a pdf by December 17th. You can convert any document (PP, word, pages, google slides, google docs) into the pdf that you will submit. Your project should begin with your exhibition statement. Then, include High quality, color images of 3 artworks with labels (artist. title. date, medium. dimensions.) Label as much information as is available to you. Wall text must be included for each of the artworks in your exhibition project. The last section of your project should be a works cited page.
Answer preview for Curator Project Proposal
MLA
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