Museum Exhibition Paper Instructions
For this assignment, you are required to write a five page paper on four photographic works.
Overview of Assignment
Students are required to write a five page museum exhibition paper on any four photographs (not paintings or sculpture) found in a museum. You are looking at virtual works of art, do not visit a museum in person during Covid.
Students may write on:
Any four works in one exhibition
Any four works by same photographer
Any four works by three different photographers
Any four works that are tied by the same “theme”
Any four works from one venue or multiple venues
Museum Choices (Virtual)
LACMA
The Getty
MOPA
CMP (Calif. Museum of Photography)
The Broad
MOCA
SFMOMA
or any other major museum with photography on display
*Fine art galleries or art walks are not acceptable venues
Guidelines and Paper Layout
Paper Specifications
Paper length should be five or more pages in length and should contain an analysis of four works. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, Times Roman font, 12-point, and margins should not be adjusted. Students should provide photographs of chosen artworks at the end of paper and not integrated into the text or body of the paper. Paper must be spell checked and proofread. Cover pages are not required or desired. Simply type your name, course number (33660), course title (ART 108) and date at the top of the page. Do not press return more than once between paragraphs. Simply begin typing your paper.
Summary of Paper Layout
Introduction (be sure to discuss your chosen venue!)
Analysis of four photographs
Closing with informed judgement
Focus of Paper: What Should You Write?
Students should focus discussion on universal themes and artistic concepts learned in class. Students should conclude paper with an informed judgment about selected photographs and/or overall layout of exhibition, etc.
Label Information
Include the name of the photographer, title of photograph, date, and any other pertinent info found on the museum label.
Artist Info
This assignment is a critical analysis of your chosen photographs. Please be reminded that this is not a book report or research paper per se, so if you include biographical info about the artist, it should be brief. Best sources/resources are artist controlled websites and other sites that end in .edu and .gov.
First Impressions
Spend a sentence or two discussing the virtual museum you chose to visit and then begin your first analysis by describing in detail your first impression after studying chosen photograph. Think about why you chose to observe a photograph. If so, describe what you observed and what you felt.
Reading the Photo and Other Technical Aspects
1. Discuss choice of subject matter. Is it a portrait or landscape? Is it a nature scene, street scene, etc.? Did the photographer capture a random moment in time? Is the scene arranged or manipulated in your opinion? What does this mean?
2. Discuss the use of black and white or color film.
3. Discuss the focus. Is it sharp, crisp, or blurry? If blurry, do you think it was purposeful or simply a technical error? What does this mean?
4. Discuss the use of light and exposure. Describe the use of lighting and contrast in the photographs. The lighter the photograph, the higher the exposure. The darker the photograph and the greater amounts of contrast, the lower the exposure. Can you guess what time of day the photograph was taken?
5. Discuss applicable compositional elements. Describe in detail the use of patterns and textures, depth perception (foreground/background), and lines (diagonal/vertical/horizontal) if applicable. How is the photograph cropped? Are the elements in the photograph symmetrical or overcrowded? What does this mean?
6. Be sure to discuss how each photograph reveals what it means to be human.
Closing
In your closing paragraph and if you chose to write on a photo exhibition, you must include your opinion on whether the layout of the exhibition was successful. If you chose to write on random photographs from a virtual exhibit, discuss your overall experience in choosing and writing on specific works. Discuss whether you have a deeper understanding of the importance of photography as a medium in the visual arts and remember to make an informed judgment about the exhibition and/or individual photographs.
