Final Project: Response Artwork
Reflect on the artist you are researching this semester. From this artist’s production, choose a particular artwork or body of work that is of genuine interest to you. Consider carefully the concepts, materials, processes, and presentation strategies involved in this particular artwork or body of work.
Using the artwork or body of work you have chosen as a reference, you will design, construct, and present an artwork in response or conversation with this artists work.
Please continue to explore at least one of the processes or techniques we have learned in this class so far in the making of this artwork. Other materials and processes outside of what we have covered in this course are also welcome to be used, however, whatever you decide to make and how you decide to make it should relate in some way to your reference artwork.
Step #1: Choose your Source
Select a particular artwork or body of work by your research artist that you want to make an artwork in response to. Spend some time making sure that you understand the basic ideas behind the work, and the conversations in art in was made in relationship to, as well as any other artists who are frequently referenced in relationship to the work. Make a list to help you concisely collect all the key aspects of the work, such as the conceptual framework, formal aspects, scale, materials and processes involved, presentation strategies, etc.
Step #2: Define your Response
What is your position in relationship to these ideas? How do you disagree or find yourself to be different as an artist? How can you make your own voice heard, while making sure that a clear reference is present to your source?
Refer to the list you made about your artwork and choose 1 or 2 aspects to response to. You do not need to respond to every aspect of the artist’s work. Just think about how much quoting is necessary to help your viewers to recognize your starting point. There is a fine line between response and imitation. This is not an imitation project.
The final artwork should be more about YOU than about your source artwork. Determining specifically what will mimic your original artwork and what will be different is an important thing to define early on.
Your final projects will be critiqued in class on: Wednesday, May 5th, Monday May 7th and Wednesday May 9th. The project is worth 12 points or 12% of your grade for this class.
(The critique schedule will be assigned in a few weeks.)
Image above, from left to right:
This is an artwork by Los Angeles based artist Aaron Curry, seen here next to a work by Picasso. When written about, Curry’s work is sometimes discussed in dialogue with some of the sculpture works by Picasso. You can see a formal relationship in the work here. This is a clear example of an artwork in response to another artwork. However, your response could be more subtle than this overt example. Art history is a story of artists in response to each other.
What do you want to say with your work? What conversations of art are you most interested in engaging with right now? How can you quote an artwork without being derivative? What exactly is “fiber sculpture” and does this definition relate to the interests of your art practice?
