Event Critique – Art

Use the following format for your museum critique; answers must be typed below
the questions and all questions must appear in full on your final copy. You can
use this document as your template. Pay careful attention to the required number
of words for those questions that have them. Failure to follow the instructions
here and on your syllabus will result in a substantially low grade. Minimal
answers poorly written are a D grade or less. Elaboration of points, excellent
arguments, and good writing garner higher grades.

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Name__Stockton Bermingham________________________
Class time period (not section number)___12 PM________________

1) Which museum did you visit? (check one) _X_ Univ. of Utah ___ BYU

2) In 150 words, describe at least one of the broad collections on a theme,

period, geographic region, or topic) within the museum.

• One theme I liked a lot was the modern & contemporary exhibit right when
you walk up the stairs to the second level. It had some great art, right
when you walk in there is an awesome sculpture of a horse made from
drift wood that is huge and instantly catches your eye. It had some more
meaningful pieces in it however that tried to get a point across. One that I
found interesting was a sculpture sitting on the floor of the evolution of
soda. It was painted solid white in a circular formation. One point of the
circle was an old Coke bottle and it steadily escalated to a Big-Gulp and
ended up with what seemed like more than a gallon of soda. It made me
laugh because that’s the way things have become. Another piece,
probably by the same artist, was meant to make a comment on fast food.
It was a projector surrounded by recognizable food packaging all painted
black and on the wall it was playing a video of a girl driving from restaurant
to restaurant. It had an impact on me because I constantly eat away from
my house. All in all, the modern and contemporary exhibit was filled with
pieces that were so broad in their attempts that I’m surprised they were
one exhibit. (222)

3) Give a brief, one paragraph (100 words) description of a special exhibit (ask
the curator what these are; they are usually in one of the first rooms):

• Honestly, the Faculty exhibit, or the special exhibit, was my favorite one.
Hit had a wide variety of techniques and mediums. The first room I walked
had very high ceilings with a very wide-open floor and art lining the walls.
That room had some of my favorite pieces. The artist Lenka Konopasek
 created a theme of disasters that were some of my favorites. Another
artist I like was Martin Novak who combined photography and writing in a
great way. He had these circular landscapes that almost made a kind of
planet or sphere. I’ve seen it done before and tried but had no success so
he knows what he’s doing. (111)

4) What kind of information is provided about the works? Tell me three places
you might find more detailed information that doesn’t include the web {hint:
ask a curator for help with this question}

• The kind of information given with the pieces mainly includes the title,
artist, date created, info about the artist, medium and sometimes even a
description or explanation. When I asked the curator about information
sources she listed brochures, artists, curators the front desk and info
cards.

5) Choose several works that particularly appealed to you. Explain why you
were drawn to these works. Comment on the subject, style, medium, time
period, etc. Who were the artists?) This question must be answered in its
entirety. (This should be at least 500 words)

• If I’m being completely honest with my self, I might be considered an art

snob to some people out there. I really don’t give too many things a
chance. I know within 5 seconds of looking at a piece if I like it or not.
Photography is my favorite medium by far. There weren’t a whole lot of
pictures in the exhibit but the few I did see, I liked. Martin Novak in
particular had a few shots I liked. I wish I had taken a picture of his pieces
because I wasn’t able to find any of his work online so I’ll just go from
memory. He had these two different pieces that were similar enough to
talk about together. He took a simple landscape shot and printed it four or
five times and placed them on top of each other making the piece a few
feet tall. Before each shot he wrote a new little sentence or title. It was
funny to me that every time I read the new title, it gave me a different
feeling or thought about the picture I had just seen two or three times. It
was brilliant to me. He also had the awesome “planets” that I talked about
earlier. As far as sculpting goes, I’m naïve and honestly not a huge fan,
especially with more modern sculpting. One piece I did like was called the
Gathering. I was a stack of logs that were ready for a fire but the logs were
totally fake and not to mention hollow. They were a simple plastic with a
wood-grain pattern on them that were formed in an octagon shape. It was
funny to me because I alone have been to so many bonfires and the
actual fire has nothing to do with the gathering. You could sit around a
teepee of wood that is made out of plastic and have the same night that
you would with the fire going. I had never thought of it like that before. I
think going to events and exhibits like this opens me up to new ideas and
interests. I think it does good to see what I’ve been missing. If I’m being
 totally honest, the older pieces like the European and American exhibits
don’t interest me at all. I walked through them once, didn’t take any
pictures or notes and went right back to the other exhibits. As far as art
goes, that doesn’t interest me. I went back to the Faculty exhibit many
times however. One of my favorite examples of photography was Van
Chu’s. Dropped somewhat of a darker liquid, I’m not sure what, into water
and took gorgeous pictures of the liquids fading into each other. I’m sure
you’ve seen the same with food coloring or something. One of the
simplest art forms I saw in the museum but still one of my favorites. I think
I have an interest in the simpler artwork that is out there. It always seems
to catch my eye. (504)

6) How did the artworks you looked at relate to material we have discussed in
class? {They do relate in many ways, you just need to look for those
relationships} Minimum of 150 words.

• When I think about our class in relation to some of the art I saw, I instantly
thought about the pieces I saw of destruction and despair. The paintings
of burning buildings and aftermath made me think of the wars and battles
we’ve discussed in class, they have an immediate connection. Also the
history alone in the exhibits displaying the different cultures relates to our
class. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve talked about some of the artists or
pieces that were in the museum. The themes alone are an endless
connection. There was a huge exhibit on the great depression, that alone
relates to our class in almost every way. I’m not sure how much we’ve
covered it in class but the themes of marginalized voices and death were
definitely covered. I think that almost every piece in that building
somehow relates to the themes of our class, even if it’s barely noticeable.
We have so many that almost everything can be related. (165)

7) What was your personal reaction to this experience? Would you enjoy
attending this type of event again? Why or why not? {Minimum 100 words}

• After it all, I enjoyed the experience. I’ve always loved drawing and
painting and in return that gives you a love for art. One of my favorite
things to do is find new art so going to a museum is a perfect way to do
that. I love the University of Utah too and hope to go there one day so that
had an affect on my visit too. I would definitely go to an art museum
again, especially as an assignment. Now that I’ve seen the U’s I’m
curious about BYU’s now so maybe I’ll head over there pretty soon. (102)

As always remember that I want to see reflective thinking on your part. Show me
you are aware of your limitations, your biases, etc. Show me that you are thinking
about your own responses and why you respond the way you do.
 Reflective Writing

This assignment, like many of the others in the class, took some planning.

First of all you have to go and find the write critique sheet, figure out a good time

to go to the museum of your choice, and then while you’re there, stay focused on

the assignment at hand. I prefer a thing to be planned ahead, however, that’s

why I liked this class. Assignments and classes like this really bring out critical

thinking. Making you dig deeper like this is very beneficial for the future.

The growth I’ve had with my writing and comprehension alone is

noticeable. I’m sure in the future I will credit this class to many of the skills I will

develop over time. I think this assignment illustrates my growth because it has

topics in it that I personally would have never brought up. Writing in this class is

always something new. Making people try something new can be difficult but it is

almost always worth it.