Assignment:
History of Photography
In-Class Presentation
On April 2, 7, or 9, each student will provide a short presentation on the work of one photographer. The presentation must be 5 minutes long, provide a brief biography of the artist, and include analysis of the individual's work - particularly the photo assigned to a given photographer. While the photograph you are assigned should certainly be included in your presentation, make sure to discuss more than one work. Perhaps you tackle other images they produced of which the assigned image is a part or maybe you discuss varying types of work the artist has produced. You will have access to the classroom projector and computer and must upload to Canvas your presentation (pdf or PowerPoint). This will allow for the presentation to be downloaded to the class computer and ready for viewing prior to beginning the course period. An aim of this project is for each student to converse thoughtfully about photographs and their history. Please take a careful look at the supplied grading rubric. Need Assignment Help?
Artists and photographs from which to choose:
1) Neal Slavin's International Twins Association, Muncie, Indiana (1976)
2) William Eggleston's Memphis (1969-70)
3) Stephen Shore's New York City, April 1972 (from the series American Surfaces)
4) Mitch Epstein's Madison Avenue, New York City (1973)
5) Chuck Close, Self-Portrait (Daguerreotype) (2004)
6) Joel Meyerowitz's From the Car, New York Thruway (1975)
7) William Christenberry's Coleman's Café, Greensboro, Alabama (1971)
8) Dita Pepe's Self-Portraits (1999-2008)
9) Gillian Wearing's Self-Portrait as My Brother Richard Wearing (2003)
10) Catherine Opie's Self-Portrait/Cutting (1993)
11) Sam Taylor-Wood's Escape Artist (Pink and Red) (2008)
12) Nikki S. Lee's The Yuppie Project (17) (1998)
13) Tina Barney, Family Commission with Snake (2007)
14) Justine Kurland, Golden Field (1998)
15) Carrie Mae Weems, from the Kitchen Table series (1990)
16) Sally Mann, from Battlefields series, Cold Harbor (Battle) (2003)
17) Cig Harvey, Wisteria, Camden, Maine (2021)
18) Andrew Moore, Demopolis Hotel, Demopolis, AL, from the series Blue Alabama (2016)
19) Diana Markosian, from the series Father (2024)
20) Vivian Maier, Grenoble, France (1959)
21) Dawoud Bey, Untitled # 1 (Picket Fence and Farmhouse) from the series Night Coming Tenderly, Black (2017)
22) Larry Sultan, Los Angeles/Early Evening (1986)
23) Richard Misrach, Cargo Ships (November 30, 2021 4:45 pm) (2021)
24) Myriam Boulous, From the Series What's Ours
25) Robert Adams, Colorado (1970-73)
26) Richard Renaldi, Craig and Gabe, Provincetown, MA (2011)
27) Erwin Olaf, Hope, Portrait #5 (2005)
What should you include in your analysis of the photograph(s) you present?
It's important to consider what the photographer is trying/intends to communicate and why you believe the viewer should care. If you don't think the work warrants interest, it is important for you to explain your reasoning. I also encourage you to discuss more than the assigned photograph. You should consider including other photographs in which the series may be a part or consider showing other photographs within the artists overall oeuvre (this is your word of the day)!
Important: On the last slide of your presentation, please cite the sources utilized. This can be done using MLA or Chicago standards.