Dallas Museum of Art visit and paper assignment

Spring 2018 – Sections (83007, 83009, 83013)

Assignment Description:

The museum visit and paper assignments form a major component of this Art

Appreciation course. All of the following components must be completed to earn full credit.

Each of the five components are each worth 100 points.

Step 1 – Sign up and visit the museum: A vital component to this course will be a visit to the

Dallas Museum of Art. Once at the museum, you will interact in a small group with your

instructor and approximately 4 to 6 other students from your class. There will be a sign-up sheet

during the first few days of class. The small group visits should provide for a more enjoyable

visit, 18 students at once would be a bit overwhelming! You need to be able to commit to a two

hour long visit on the time that you sign up. It is absolutely critical that you show up at the

museum promptly on time for the slot that you sign up for.

Be sure to review both the How to Visit the Dallas Museum of Art and Anatomy of an Art

Museum Label documents in Blackboard!

While you are at the museum, you will select the work of art in which you will write about and

take photographs of both the work of art and the label text on the wall. Your instructor will

facilitate a tour of the galleries and assist you with the assignment.

Here are a few reminders to make your visit enjoyable:

 Arrive on TIME! We will meet right inside the main lobby, take the elevators from the parking garage and exit to the right into the lobby. If you plan on parking in the garage

(recommended) its $12.00 cash / credit / debit.

 No food, gum or ink pens allowed in the museum. We will meet in the DMA cafe where the class will meet briefly at the conclusion of our tour where we will work as a group on

the individual assignments.

 Please bring your class handouts and a pencil with you.

 Photography is allowed and encouraged in the galleries! Feel free to share your photos with the hash tag #DMAFaves when sharing on Instagram or Twitter.

 PLEASE leave all selfie sticks at home as they could potentially damage a work of art.

 The museum features complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the museum. Feel free to bring a tablet or other device, but please refrain from making voice telephone calls in the

galleries.

 Leave heavy backpacks and bulky items either at home or in the trunk of your car, if you must bring these items a free locker room is available.

Step 2 – Select a work of art: During your museum visit, you’ll need to be actively looking for

a work of art in the collection to write and research about. You should pick a work of art that you

find appealing, attractive or interesting. You might consider selecting a work of art created by an

artist whom also appears in your textbook. Your instructor can guide and assist you in the

selection of a work art.

Step 3 – Secure photos: Once you have chosen your work of art, you will need to take a non-

flash photograph with a digital camera/smart phone. You will also need to take a second

photograph of the label copy card next to the work of art.

Step 4 – Oxford Art Online: In this step you will locate a biographical sketch of your artist in

the Oxford Art Online database. For specific step by step instructions on this component, please

refer to the Oxford Art Online assignment posted in the handouts section. A how to FAQ video

can also be found online.

Step 5 – Completed Art Analysis/Inquiry Worksheets: To obtain copies of these worksheets,

please refer to the handout section in the Dallas Museum of Art folder. You will use the guided

questions to help you analyze and write about the work of art you selected. I will check your

progress on this step in class throughout the semester.

Step 6 – Final typed paper: The final typed paper should be a minimum of 2 to 3 pages in

length. Your document must be typed on a Microsoft Word processor and the file must be saved

with a .docx file extension. Format your paper using 1” margins, set to Times New Roman, 12

point font. You should properly cite the Oxford Art Online article and any other material that

you reference. Refer to the How to cite a work of art FAQ which can be found under the Course

Information tab in Blackboard. For final submission guidelines and a breakdown of how your

grade will be determined see the Museum Assignment Final Submission tab in the Dallas

Museum of Art folder.