Why Writing Matters

Why Writing Matters in Art

Art is often thought of as non-verbal, but that's a fantasy.  The purpose of art is public display.  Every time an artist prepares an exhibition of his or her work, the curators and general public look for an artist statement. The complete artist is more than just a technician.  To communicate the impact of his or her art on audiences, a responsible artist has to be able to explain his or her thoughts and processes and connect his or her own art to the art of others and the audience.

Artists create art because they want to depict their ideas in an visual form, rather than verbalize them.  Ironically, however, to be responsible artists who can work in a society that is verbally-based, they must be able to do both.

Typical Writing Assignments

Writing assignments in art require writers to look and think about what they see.  The Art Department chooses different writing assignments for the different types of courses it offers:

• General Education and Art Appreciation courses require the most writing.  Assignments typically require students to analyze artwork or report on exhibits.
  Example of analysis assignment:  
  Compare and contrast the images titled "The Death of Marat" by David and      "Grainstack" by Monet; use the following four elements for your analysis:  types of    shapes, color schemes, balance, symbolism.
  Example of report on exhibit:
  Tour a required exposition.  Choose three different works in three different media; discuss why you chose them, then identify their style and content and three elements/principles of design for each. 
  
• Art History courses require research-based writing, to be able to position art within its historical context.  The only way to know if an artistic concept is new is to place it within a historical context and connect it to that context.   
  
• Art Studio courses require participants to analyze and respond to art and artistic processes and relate them to their own type of work and use of materials.

Students whose goal is to graduate with a Bachelors of Fine Arts must meet the additional requirement of positioning their own art in historical perspective and talking and writing about their own work. 

Qualities of Good Writing

Effective writing in art positions the writer within the thinking process of the discipline.  Thus it requires that writers

• Incorporate appropriate art vocabulary and concepts
• Display visual literacy (understanding shapes, colors, lines, textures)
• Demonstrate logical thinking, intelligent reasoning, and critical analysis
• Use organizational structure appropriate for the type of paper
• Provide examples of concepts being discussed
• Avoid distracting errors
• Cite sources appropriately.

Appropriate Types of Evidence & Support

Evidence and support will be tied to the purpose for and type of writing required.  See specific guidelines for each assignment.

Citation Conventions

Modern Language Association (MLA) is the preferred citation style.

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