There will be three steps to be presented in class, as follows:
PHASE 1: PROJECT PROPOSALS:
Each group is to design a project that involves quantity production of a SYMBOLIC OBJECT and it's distribution to (or through) an institution or community outside of our class. Your proposal will need to describe what "community" (or communities) you are addressing with your proposed project, and consider how your project fulfills needs of the community (or communities) that receive it. The proposal should also consider how community support might be engaged in order to facilitate the project, and how you might raise any extra funds needed for all of its aspects.The project should be designed to be practically produced within our budget of $150 for each group. The projects are for final review at the end of the semester. The important caveat: the project has to make sense as a presentation in an ART MUSEUM. To complete the project, a narrative report must be made describing the story of the project: how it was done, how it went, how others responded, what it all meant. AND, finally, each particpant must make a final report on the personal meaning he or she found in doing the project, and how it related to your own work (art, architecture, etc.)
Proposals need to include:
• A description of the object to be produced
• Diagrams of how the object might look
• Diagrams of how and where a report on the final project might be presented and demonstrated visually in a public "display"
• A description of the production methods to be used to produce the object
• A description of how the budget will be spent
• A description of what "community" (or communities) you are addressing with your proposed project
• A description of how your project benefits or fulfills needs of the community (or communities) that receive it (i.e., "meaning")
• A description of how community support might be engaged in order to facilitate the project
• A list of possible institutions or groups to approach for involvement
• A description of a public relations plan (i.e., how to make the project known)
• A description of how your workgroup plans to delegate the tasks amongst itself
Present Project Status Report (Due April 5th): Project Status Reports are to be presented on Tuesday, April 5th during class. These written status reports should outline initial thinking behind the project including initial ideas you are considering, any research produced, task allocation (within your team), and what problems you've run into so far. Team-members are expected to work together to produce their report. The presentations are an opportunity to get feedback from the rest of the class.
Present Project Proposals (Due April 12th):Both groups will present their Project Proposals on Tuesday, April 12th during class.
Submit Finalized Proposal (Due April 19th): A finalized project proposal must be submitted to Allan. This version should include changes resulting from class feedback and any additional research conducted.
PHASE 2: PRODUCTION
Conduct additional research and produce the symbolic object as outlined in the assignment description and defined by your project proposal. If special arrangements need to be made for the eventual display of your work (within a particular community or at an off-campus location) then these should be done simultaneous to production.
PHASE 3: DISPLAY AND DOCUMENTATION
Once the final projects are completed, we will install two displays to present them to the public, to be completed during Final Exam Period.
Final Presentations (May 9th, 5-7 pm): We will make final presentations to the other, on the final site of the display; if passers-by join in, all-the-better.
Written Project Report (due May 15th): These reports should outline the scope of the project, the successes and failures, tell stories about the interactions that took place, discuss the destiny of the project, answer questions, etc. This report should then be given to me in written form for a "permanent record." I would like to post the final project descriptions online, in the form of a website; digital photos would be great.
Written Personal Statements (due May 15th): Everything we do in some way recapitulates personal drama. Write a one page (at least) PERSONAL STATEMENT testifying on how the group project you participated in traversed areas and issues in your own life history, i.e., what meanings do you find in the project? We can discuss these after the "public" presentation.
