Write an essay about someone who inspires your work.

Select a visual artist, photographer, illustrator, or designer who has made a cultural impact in history, even if it is someone contemporary.

Research their life with regard to education and background in relation to their work.

FOR INSPIRATION visit these posts:

Deadlines

There are several deadlines that will help you develop your paper (read below the details).

  1. by Sunday October 4th, 1pm, a list with 3 artists who inspire you.
  2. by Sunday October 11th, 1pm, send a written paragraph about the artist we decided to develop with a list of your documentation.
  3. by Sunday October 18th, 1pm, send a first draft of about 2 pages.
  4. by Sunday October 25th, 1pm, final paper with text, photos, links and a list of all your references.
  5. Final Deadline on your ePortfolio, Tuesday December 8th

Step 1 due Sunday October 4th, 1pm.

Come up with 3 artists who inspire you and write a short paragraph for each one.

Your goal: I want to be intrigued by your choices. You really need to convince me about the high quality of their achievements and the impact of their work in the society. We will decide together which one seems the most exciting to pick.

Ask yourself these questions below:

  • what type of art this artist does?
    For example, if it is a photographer, what type of photos he or she does, portraits, fashion, journalistic ….
  • what era and style this artist has?
    For example, if it is a photographer is it B&W, digital or print, for advertising or magazines or galleries.
  • why I am inspired by their work?
    For example, if it is a portrait photographer, I love taking photographs with people, being able to connect with them. I am inspired by the intimate way this photographer is working with his or her models. I want to be able to create the same type of atmosphere when I take portraits.
  • highlight what will be your sources for your research.

Step 2 due Sunday October 11th, 1pm

Write a synopsis (meaning a brief summary) about the artist you decided to develop with a detailed list of your documentation.

Step 3 due Sunday October 18th, 1pm

Send a first draft of about 2 pages. I will send you a detailed review to help you finalize it.

Structure your paper with these elements, each should represent a paragraph with one line space between each:

  • Introduction: present your choice and explain why you picked this specific artist. Make your paper personal, I am interested in your point of view more than the artist biography.
  • Artist impact: Discuss the artist’s creative process and how his work has influenced other artists, created or was part of cultural movements or trends.
  • Brief biography: a brief history of the artist life, where is from, studies, family and early career.
  • Achievements: describe the important professional events that the artist participated in. Successful works, interviews, films, books, exhibits and well-known clients, as well as any award received.
  • Conclusion: finish your paper with a brief paragraph reinstating your interest in the artist work. Explain what are you have learnt and why this person is making you a better artist yourself.

Need help with writing your essay? Read the post “To Write”

Step 4 by Sunday October 25th, 1pm

Your final paper with your corrected text, photos, hyperlinks and a list of all your references.

  • Visuals: The paper must include a portrait and images of the artist major work and one piece that you particularly where inspired by. Briefly describe the reason why you picked this specific art. The paper should be nicely presented, with a good design, looking like a professional article.
  • Resources: references from other provenances, citations, quotes, videos and images should be credited with hyperlinks.
  • Your paper should be about 1,000 words long with clear breaks and paragraphs.

A Few Things To Follow

  • DEADLINES: Please respect them. Delayed handed work will affect the time I spend on it and if necessary, the time that we can work together to make sure it is really good. Therefor late homework will affect your grade.
  • HANDING CONVENTION: Homework will ultimately be uploaded to your OpenLab portfolio. The work in progress can be emailed to me.
  • NAMING CONVENTION: title all your files with your first and last name. I need to see to whom the file belongs to without opening it. Write something like your first and last name + project name.
    Example: valeriatrucchia-searchpaper
  • BACKUPS: Be sure to backup all your work on a drive or a cloud such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
  • GRADE COMMUNICATION: Grades will be communicated on the OpenLab. You can find them on the sidebar on the right. You should check them regularly. This semester, per the college’s academic calendar, midterm grades must be posted by October 29th. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions about them.
  • FEEDBACK: every time I receive your work at all stages, I will give you a personal feedback by email. At the more final stage of your visual work I will create slideshows with all the stages and do a group comment for everyone to watch. We all learn from each other.