Arts/Cultural Blog Post #2: Palmer Museum Visit

Due Wednesday, 9/12 by 9pm


For your second journal prompt, you will visit the Palmer Museum of Art.

Your goal for this journal is to find a piece of art in the Palmer's collection that is interesting to you. Wander around for a bit, upstairs and down, and look closely at the paintings, sculptures, sketches, and other artistic pieces, paying attention to what draws you in. Maybe it's the color or the scale or the material choices. Maybe it's the subject matter and how it's being depicted. Maybe it's something else entirely. Once you settle on a piece, do the following:

1. Write down the title, the artist, the materials and the year in which it was made.

2. Spend some time writing a thorough description of the piece so that a reader will be able to visualize it outside of the museum. If you have access to an iPhone or similar device, take a picture of it.

3. Now, write a blog post in which you include the above information and answer the following questions about the piece:

     * What is the rhetorical situation of the piece? That is, what can you tell us about the place/time in which it was created? Is there a particular cultural or historical moment to which it belongs? Does the piece seem to be in conversation with that moment? Does it seem to be making a political/social comment of any kind?

     * How does the piece work on your emotions? (pathos) What does it make you feel? How does it connect to your values?

     * How does the piece/artist create credibility? You may need to investigate a little more about the artist to answer this. Who is she/he? What are her other contributions to the world of art?

      * What claim do you think the piece is making? Is it making more than one claim? Does that claim seem persuasive to you?

       * Finally, reflect on your overall experience at the Palmer. Are you a museum-goer? Is this your first time here? Can you imagine going back? Why or why not? Tell me what you think!


Answer the above in 500-750 words and post to your own blog by 9pm on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Include photos in your post if you took them.