Assignment:
Written Narrative
Directions for Narrative Paper
Write at least 450-600 words in length (you are welcome to write much more), using at least 12-pt font, a personal narrative that conveys a sense of who you are. You may want to focus on your academic background, your interest in the arts - films, books, music - and also your experience with the visual arts. You can also talk about significant experiences in your life and your professional goals for the future. Tell us about yourself in this narrative. In addition, be sure to explain how you created your artwork (your process, use of materials, etc) and how it represents who you are. It's important that there is a connection between your artwork and writing. This can be achieved by explaining your artwork and your ideas in your narrative.
As this is a general education course, intended as an introduction to the visual arts for the non-art major, it is not expected that you are fluent in the language of visual arts. Everyone who is enrolled in this class will have different experiences with art and varying levels of expertise. The intent is to broaden your understanding of the visual arts and allow you the freedom to explore your creativity with critical discourse surrounding the work. Note that this is the only assignment where you will not be asked to utilize course vocabulary in your discussion; all other assignments have this as a requirement.
Additional Tips
1. Please closely read the assignment guidelines. Basically, you are writing a paper about yourself to tell us who you are, your interests, goals, accomplishments. In addition, you are producing an artwork that is also a reflection of you or your interests. This can be a literal or a more symbolic approach. You can use any mediums you like, such as painting, drawing, photography or collage. You can also combine one or more of these in the same artwork. Please dedicate a lot of thought and time to your piece. It should not be something that was previously created, you must produce it specifically for this assignment. We recommend that if you are using the collage medium, avoid utilizing images from the Internet. Instead, look for them in magazines, newspapers, old books, etc. Think about how you are using images to describe you. Including words in your artwork can often be an overstatement. Images, shapes, colors, textures can be a more creative approach. Think about your presentation - how you photograph your work. If you have any space behind your artwork, it is best that you crop it. That way all of the attention falls on your artwork rather than space behind/around it.
2. It is important that you give a lot of thought to your piece and explain it in your paper. We would like to know your thought process behind your artwork, so it is crucial that you explain it in your narrative.
3. Follow the intro, body, and conclusion format to organize your writing. Tips on structuring your narrative can be found in the Course Orientation under "Creating an Outline".
4. Please include your narrative's word count at the end of your paper (ex: Word Count: 567 words).
5. Finally, thoughtfully select a title for your assignment.
Please carefully read the assignment guidelines. The purpose of this assignment is for you to introduce yourself to us through artwork and writing. It is worth 20 points and is meant to be a fun exercise that will prepare you for more in-depth upcoming assignments. You can talk about your background, interests, future plans, experience with art, and anything else you would like to share. You should also explain the concept behind the artwork you created, the process, materials, how it reflects who you are or your interests. When writing your narrative you can follow an intro, body, conclusion format.