American Art Project – Assignment Instructions

It is important to remember, represent, and honor a collective
past, but it is equally important to understand a deeper significance to visual
records. In this assignment, you will examine works of art available through
the website of the Architect of the Capitol. The purpose is to emphasize how
art can be used to portray historical events and convey a message when viewed
in the context of the age in which it was created.

This assignment has 2 parts. In Part 1, you will view the
historical paintings that surround the interior space of the Capitol Rotunda
and read a short description and history of the artwork. In Part 2, you will
view sculptures of some famous Americans who have been enshrined by their state
in Statuary Hall. Read through all of the instructions for both parts before
you begin. You will submit both completed parts to Blackboard in a single Microsoft
Word or PowerPoint document.

Part 1

• Click
  on this link:http://aoc.gov/paintings-0
• The
  page should open for the Capitol’s Historic Rotunda Paintings.
• Click
  on the individual images for each of the 8 paintings to see them in more
  detail and see some information on the piece.
• Read
  the short article on each of the webpages for these paintings.
• Once
  you have viewed the images and read the information, choose 4 and write a paragraph for your presentation that
  addresses each of the following topics:
• Presentation
  Questions

1. What is the author trying to
   communicate in the image? Is there a mood or emotion that is being evoked?

2. When was the image
   commissioned and hung? What is the historical context of this painting? What
   events were occurring when the painting was created that could have contributed
   to its content? How are those connections between content and context most
   clearly presented?

3. Is the artist successful in
   communicating contextual influences? Is the message too difficult to understand
   for a modern viewer?

• The
  questions should be answered in essay form, in a narrative style, not as a
  list of direct answers to the queries. You should include the image, its
  title, and the artist as a header to each section.
• You
  will need to include properly formatted Turabian footnotes/endnotes for
  each source that you use in the presentation. You will be using the images
  from the website, so you must cite those pages as sources.
• If
  the assignment is submitted in a Word document, each paragraph should be 200–300
  words in length, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font with 1-inch
  borders. The Word document will require properly formatted footnotes for
  the sources used.
• If
  the assignment is submitted as a PowerPoint presentation, each paragraph
  should be on a separate slide with the images and artist information on a
  preceding slide. The word count applies to PowerPoint assignments and
  citations should be included using properly formatted Turabian endnotes.
• Be
  sure to write your paragraph in your own words and that you proofread your work to
  eliminate spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Be sure to review
  the Writing Tips document to avoid common errors in academic work. After
  you have written your paragraphs for each of your 4 choices, proceed to
  Part 2.

Part 2

• Click on this link:http://aoc.gov/capitol-hill/national-statuary-hall-collection/about-national-statuary-hall-collection

• The page should open to the
  page for the National Statuary Hall Collection. Once you have read the
  short overview and description of the collection, search to find the 2 statues that represent your state.

• Copy the image for each
  representative of your state into the presentation. (If you are not a
  resident of the United States or do not claim a “home state” for any
  reason, you are free to adopt any of the 50 states as your own for the
  purposes of this assignment.)

• After the image, include the
  individual’s name and the state he or she represents.

• In a 200–250 word paragraph
  for each image:
• give a short summary of the
  individual’s historic significance and
• an evaluation of whether
  this individual is a good choice to represent your state.
• You
  will need to include properly formatted Turabian footnotes/endnotes for
  each source that you use in the presentation. You will be using the images
  from the website, so you must cite those pages as sources.
• Be
  sure to write your paragraphs in your own words and that you proofread your work to
  eliminate spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors. Be sure to review
  the Writing Tips document to avoid common errors in academic work.
  These paragraphs will be submitted in the same document as Part 1.