Assignment #4: Report on an Exhibition / Bibliography
• Select one of the exhibitions from the list provided (see next page)
• Research your exhibition in terms of:
– content (which and how many artists, what works are in the show)
– stated curatorial goals/argument (what does it try to accomplish?)
– how was the show organized (thematic? groupings/sections? chronological?)
– reception of the exhibition (what kind of critical response did the exhibition generate?)
– venue/s (where is it shown?, does it travel to other venues?, is the reception different from venue to venue?)
• In addition to the catalogue of the exhibition, develop a bibliography on the chosen exhibition with a minimum of 8 entries of substantive writings. (Wikepedia entry does not count, nor does press releases.) You will likely have to review much more than 8 texts to get a full understanding of some of the artists in the show as well as the profile of the curator(s). Your bibliography, however, should be specific to the exhibition.
• Read all items on your bibliography to become familiar with the exhibition and its reception.
• Based on your research write a report (approx. 1200-2000 words) on your research material, which should be organized as follows:
I. Description of the exhibition (include basic facts: when, where, what, who, etc.)
II. Summary of the arguments or goals of the curators
III. Identify three of the strongest and different critical evaluations of the exhibition among your bibliography entries and re-state the author’s views in your words. (You can approach this like an annotated bibliography.)
IV. Considering the main points raised by various critics in response to the exhibition, what is considered successful and what is considered a failure or a shortcoming of the exhibition? Is there a consensus? Are there differences of opinion?
