Art Review/Art in the time of COVID-19
**NOTE: I have picked the exhibit entitled “Ministry of Truth: 1984/2020” and the artwork entitled “The End Hate Doors” by V.L. Cox. This work can be located in this URL: https://artatatimelikethis.com/ministry-of-truth-1984/2020

Your assignment is to visit an exhibition of contemporary art online OR in-person and to write a review of that exhibition. A review has two important functions: 1) it allows readers to become more familiar with the exhibition in question and 2) it provides a critical evaluation of the exhibition.

As I discussed in a forum post last week, the contemporary art scene has been forced to adapt its programming in the wake of the pandemic — either by reopening with different protocol, or by pivoting to online programming. You will consider how successfully the gallery you visit (in person OR online) has adapted their programming to meet their audience’s needs (that’s you!) during the pandemic.

For more background, read the excerpt provided from Sylvan Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing About Art. You’ll find it posted to Moodle.

Select one of the galleries or online exhibitions listed on Moodle (or another gallery, if you prefer), and pick ONE exhibition at that gallery to review. The exhibition MUST focus on contemporary art. Some galleries (such as Esker Foundation or the SAAG) will have multiple exhibitions on at once. This assignment will be much more manageable if you pick ONE exhibition to focus on.

Try to spend a considerable amount of time with the exhibition – you want to have a good grasp of the exhibition, its overall theme, and the artist’s chosen materials and methods before you leave the gallery. Be sure to locate any brochures or pamphlets about the exhibition to take with you before you leave. The same applies to online viewing rooms.

Draft your review as a word document and then upload it to Moodle.

If you consult, quote, or paraphrase any external sources for this assignment, you must cite them in a recognized academic format (MLA, Chicago, etc).

Your review should contain the following:

1. Introduction & background. (1 paragraph) Assume that your reader has not seen the exhibition that you are reviewing and provide some useful context.

a. What exhibition are you reviewing? Who is the artist? Who is the curator?

b. What gallery are you visiting (in person or online)?

c. Your introduction should also provide readers a sense of your overall thesis or argument regarding the exhibition.

2. Description. Basically you need to answer the question: What are you looking at? Begin with a basic overview and then move on to more detail. (2-3 paragraphs)

a. What is the exhibition about? What is its overall theme?

b. What materials and methods does the artist use? Painting? Sculpture? Textile?

3. Analysis & Evaluation. (3-4 paragraphs) Analyze how the exhibition comes together, and evaluate if it was successful or not.

a. What were the exhibition’s strengths, if any? What were its weaknesses, if any? To address this big question, you may wish to consider the following:

i. Was the exhibition’s theme successfully communicated? Why or why not? What works? What falls through the cracks?

ii. How do the artist’s chosen materials and methods impact how you read the work?

b. How did the gallery adapt the exhibition for the pandemic (if applicable)? If you are visiting an online exhibition, does it translate successfully to an online format?

4. Conclusion. (1 paragraph) Summarize what you have written above – revisit your thesis from your 1st paragraph.