You best bet for finding relevant objects with good base information would be to use a
website of a museum like the Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org), British
Museum (britishmuseum.org) or the Art Institute of Chicago (artic.edu). You are not limited
to using these sites, but they are good places to start looking.
The assignments consists of THREE parts:
Part 1 (50 points):
Research proposal (minimum 100 words):
a. The object you’ve chosen, including all factual information (i.e. name
of object, location, date, material, and artist or culture if known) and a
link to the museum collection page where it is located.
b. Why you chose it.
AND
Annotated bibliography:
a. List of sources you plan to consult.
b. 5 source minimum with at least 3 BOOKS written after 1980. Your
primary source should be the museum’s website where the object is
located.
c. Each entry should be accompanied by a 100 word statement
summarizing the source and identifying its relevance in your project.
d. MLA formatting is required.
Part 1 is an “all-or-nothing” grade, meaning you either meet the requirements and earn 50
points, or you do not and earn 0. Students must meet this requirement before submitting
any other part of the project, therefore multiple attempts are allowed.
Object Analysis Project
Part 2 (50 points):
Object Analysis Paper (1000-1200 words): A well-written essay and properly
formatted essay that considers your object from each of the following methods:
3. Formal Analysis- “What is it?” This is a detailed visual description of the object.
Your goal here is simply to describe the object and can consider elements and
principles (proportion, color, form, line, space, etc.), materials, and technique.
You are not to interpret or evaluate, simply describe in as much detail as
possible, leaving out any details that rely on research. This is more of a creative
writing exercise than a research exercise.
4. Iconography- “What does it mean?” This is an investigation of the imagery and
subject matter of the object. It should consider what the work represents, and
also the history of the iconography or its origins. This analysis may also discuss
the object’s use or function. Part 4 must include in-text MLA citations.
5. Historical Context- “Why was it made?” The third analysis should explore the
historical context of the work. It should discuss the social, cultural, and political
setting of the work, and how the object relates to, or reflects, that context. Part
5 must include in-text MLA citations.
In many cases, students write a 5 paragraph paper, formatted as follows:
I. Introduction containing all factual information about the object.
II. Formal analysis describing the object.
III. Iconography discussing the use, meaning, and symbolism of the object.
IV. Historical analysis establishing social, religion, and political context of the object.
V. Conclusion summarizing the research and relating to course content.
Part 3 (50 points):
Presentation: The final piece of this project is to create a
presentation of your research, using the online multimedia software Prezi or
YouTube to share the information in an engaging way with your classmates. The
presentation will include images of your object, other relevant materials,
and a description based on your previous analyses. Creativity and audience
engagement are encouraged and rewarded. Shared via the Blackboard
discussion board.
Object Analysis Project
Your presentation must:
a. Share the information about the object gathered during the research
and writing process in a clear and engaging way
b. Provide ample visual aids to illustrate the work, details, and main
points. You may also include images of the artist, other works related
to your object, or anything else that helps to tell the story of the
object.
c. Be made using Prezi or recording a Youtube video presentation, not
simply uploading a PowerPoint
d. Be accompanied by a finalized bibliography in MLA format.
Your presentation must not:
a. Be the entire text of your research paper
b. Include radically new or different information from your paper
c. Contain unnecessary or unrelated information or images
Part 3 will be scored according to the rubric available under “course documents,” and
instead of “grammar” as the final criteria, it will be “use of media.”
Sample Solution