I Am for an ArtAuthor(s): Bradford R. CollinsSource: Art Journal, Vol. 54, No. 3, Rethinking the Introductory Art History Survey(Autumn, 1995), p. 89Published by: College Art AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/777600 .

Accessed: 14/06/2014 19:59

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

College Art Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Art Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 62.122.76.48 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:59:44 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

assignmentslh

This last section contains a brief sampling of innovative course assignments (arranged alphabetically by author). -Ed.

The Slide versus the Artwork BRADFORD R. COLLINS

n the first day of class, show a slide of an artwork in

a local museum or public collection. Ask the stu-

dents to note the differences between what they see on the screen and what they see when they confront the

original. Instruct them simply to list the differences in a series of short declarative sentences. I give them a little over a week to finish the exercise, so I can show the slide at the

beginning of class on at least two more occasions. For the exercise to be meaningful, the results of their comparisons must be discussed in class.

IAm for an Art BRADFORD R. COLLINS

n 1962 Claes Oldenburg wrote "I am for an Art... ," which consists simply of a series of declarative sen- tences listing his values, all of which begin with either

"I am for an art of/that . . . " or "I am for the artist who ... "

(reprinted in John Russell and Suzi Gablik, eds., Pop Art

Redefined [New York: Praeger, 1969]). Using Oldenburg's statement as their model, students are asked to write such a statement for one of the artists or architects (named or anony- mous) who belong to the time frame of the course. In short, students are to pretend to be the artist or architect, to imagine what she/he would have written if asked to do the assignment. Before they write, encourage them to look carefully at as

many works by their artist or from their period as they can find. They should be creative, imaginative, and most impor- tantly, specific. I also recommend posting the papers.

Short Architectural Description and Analysis

BETSY FAHLMAN

elect a local public building (not a residential one), and in a three-page essay devoted to the exterior,

thoroughly describe it. The building you choose may be a "noble" example of architecture (such as an old state

building) or a more vernacular structure (such as a Taco Bell,

fig. 1). Is it old or new? How can you tell? What condition is it

in? Does it need restoration? How many stories is it? What

construction materials were used? What is/are its chief ele-

ment(s)? Describe its door(s). Describe how it is landscaped. What else is included on the property? Describe the build-

ings and/or landscapes around it. How does it relate to its

environment, both natural and architectural? What is the

building's function? How appropriate do you think its forms

and landscape are to that function? 4

FIG. 1 Taco Bell. Courtesy franchisee of Taco Bell, Columbia, S.C.

ART JOURNAL

89

This content downloaded from 62.122.76.48 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 19:59:44 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions