Posted: April 11th, 2015

Artist presentation paper “Kathryn Findlen”

Artist presentation paper “Kathryn Findlen”

Length: 300 to 500 words typed (1-2 paged, double spaced, 12 pt. type size)

Below are examples of the types of questions you might ask. I do not want you to specifically answer each question in your remarks. Please use this as your reference.

Part I – Description
Who presented? What was the presentation about?
• Who is the artist/presenter?
• What kind of work? (painting, sculpture, photograph, public art, performance?) • When was the work created?
• Do you have any information about the artist/presenter personally? Why he or

she created the work? Anything that influenced him or her in creating the work?

Part II- Your interpretation

This part asks for a personal, but educated and in-depth, interpretation of the talk– what the presentation and the work say or mean to you. Here are some examples of the types of questions that you might consider:
• What drew me to this artwork?

• What adjectives would I use to describe my response to the artwork, e.g. disturbing, confusing, joyful, etc. Why?
• What is my personal response to the content of the work?
  • Is there aesthetic value (beauty in a broad sense) to this work? In what way?
  • Did the artwork remind me of something in my personal life? How did this affect

my experience of the presentation or the work?
• How did the artist work affect me emotionally, i.e., what does it make me feel?
• How did the artist work affect me intellectually, i.e., what does it make me think?

Part III- Evaluate the work

Judgment, the final step, is often the first statement that is expressed about an artwork before it has really been examined. Judgment in that case is neither informed nor critical but simply an opinion. This goes well beyond a first reaction of, “I like/hate it.”

• What kind of value does this work have? What’s its purpose? What are emotional and expressional values? To whom is this valuable?
• What do you think about the work? Don’t be afraid to express your opinion.