Installation and Narrative/Storytelling (Issues in Contemporary Canadian Art)

You will compose an essay of 2500 – 3000 words (10-12 double-spaced pages) based on one of the themes below. For this assignment, you will research, analyze and discuss one significant aspect of installation or site-specific art made by an artist living/working in Canada (currently or formerly) or an installation/site specific project realized under the auspices of a Canadian institution.

The theme is Installation and Narrative/Storytelling (Issues in Contemporary Canadian Art). You will formulate a case study to draw examples from by researching and analyzing one or more specific artworks, monuments, exhibitions, interventions, projections, performances, etc.

Term assignment guidelines (*PLEASE READ CAREFULLY*):

1. Your essay (or presentation) must introduce a thesis statement (i.e. one central question or argument). It should be clear in your first paragraph which of the above themes you will be addressing and which issues you will be discussing in your paper.

2. Your discussion should incorporate some of the material and concepts covered in class (from additional uploaded material) in addition to your own arguments and research. It is thus expected that your study will be analytical and interpretive, as well as providing accurate descriptions of your chosen work and its historical and/or theoretical context. Your essay should demonstrate an ability to connect your observations to some of the concepts and ideas presented in the uploaded content. Your work should not include a biography of the artist.

3. You may compose your text in the first person and you are free to express your own opinions and judgments in your discussion.

4. You must include at least three (3) images (plates) in your paper. These may be inserted within the main text on a separate page (1 image per page) and be fully labeled [Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.] Please include the following information unless it is unavailable: artist or curator, title, date, location, medium, source of image (book page or URL).

5. You must also hand in a 1-page bibliography of books and articles that you have researched and cited in your essay. Your text must draw principally upon scholarly sources and you must incorporate at least five (5) sources into your study (excluding the uploaded content).

6. You must correctly footnote all of your sources, not only direct quotes but also any paraphrasing of ideas and facts that you have drawn from your research. This includes online/electronic sources and encyclopedias (but please avoid the latter unless the material is absolutely essential to your discussion).

7. Sources may be referenced using Chicago or MLA style, i.e. numbered footnotes at the bottom of each page. Endnotes or author/date citation formats are not acceptable. The Chicago citation guide is available online: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html (footnotes and bibliography).

Your work will be evaluated on the following:

-the relevance of your thesis statement
-the accuracy and thoroughness of your description, analysis and use of examples
-the clarity, coherence and concision of your arguments
-the quality of your research and your use of books, journals and other scholarly sources -the originality of your approach to your topic and of your own personal reflections.