Studentname:

OliviaZ

Project#:(pleaseusetheproject#thatyouvebeenusingforthisprojectthroughoutthis
process)
2

Workingversionofprojecttitle(trytobecreativewhilesomewhatdescriptiveinyour
projecttitle)
ProjectICanMakeThat:Astudyincombatingbiasinart.NotbiasINartbiasTOWARD
art

****Rationale:In12sentences,describewhyyoumadethedecisiontopursuethisproject
andshelvetheotherone.
Thisprojecthasmoredirectionsofinvestigation,theresultswillbemoremeaningfuland
usefultoboththeartworldandthepublic,andhasfewerpitfalls.

ResearchProposalFINALdraft

1.

Statetheessentialquestion

Howcanageneralpubliclearntoappreciateartthat,onfirstglance,theymaydismiss?good
2.

Statetheprimaryresearchquestion

Howcanoneteachappreciationofartthatmightbedismissedinitiallybyencouraging
viewerstointerpretandrecreatetheseworksofart?goodbutseenoteunder#3abouttheuse
ofthetermrecreate.
3.

Statethesecondaryresearchquestionsyouhave(makesurethesearefairly
comprehensiveandextensive).

Whataspectsoffineartmakeitmorevaluabletosomepeople(talent,effort,creativity,
etc.)?
Howdoesthevalueofartdifferfromthemindsofthoseeducatedinarttothose
uneducatedinarttoartdealerstoartcollectors?Thisquestionisawkwardly
worded...reword.Firstofall,whatkindofvalue?Monetaryvalue?Aestheticvalue?
Areyoutalkingabouttasteorvalue?

 Doesthemajorityofthegeneralpublicpreferthemorecomplexorrepresentational
stylesofart?Againwording.Complexstylesarewhat?Representationalcanbe
complex.Minimalartisnotcomplexbutitishighlyintellectual.Soyourtermsmatter
herebecauseifuncorrected/unedited,theywillyieldimpreciseinformation.
Inamuseumexhibit,whichpiecesgetthemostandleastattention?Usetheterms
worksofartinsteadofpieces.
Whatcausesaviewertowalkpastapieceinanexhibitbuttostandandlookatanother
one?AndhereyouaregoingtowanttolookattheGettyMuseumstudyfromabout
20yearsagoabouthowlong(onaverage)viewersstandsinfrontofaworkofart.
Howdoesthebackground(age,gender,culture,artexperience)ofapersonaffect
his/herappreciationofthedifferentstylesofart?
Canone'sopinionofaworkofartbechanged?
Howcanoneinterpretabstractorunconventional(whatisunconventional?Isntallart
unconventionalonsomelevel?)artwork?Istherearightorwrongway?
Isiteasiertointerpretrealistic,representationalartthanabstractart?
Whatisthesignificanceofspecificartmovementsthatchallengetheartistic
convention?Whoa!Whatisartisticconvention?
Whentheviewerofanartworkderisivelymakesthejudgementthathe/shecouldmake
theparticularworkhim/herself,canhe/sheactuallyrecreateit?Againtermsaregoing
tomatterhere.Areyourecreating?Imitating?
Isitpossibletocreateatrulynewstyleoffineartonethatisnotderivativeofany
otherartistswork?

4.

Descriptionofwhatthefinalproductwilllooklike.(Besurethatyouarevery
thoroughhere.Takeusthroughtheentireprocessfromnowuntilthefinal
product.Ifitwouldbehelpfultoyou,numberthestepsandproceedthrough
themthroughandincludingyourfinalproduct.Inshort:youMUSTdescribethe
processhere.Thisisvitaltotheapprovalprocessonyourresearchproposal.)

Wk Weekof
#

WhatIamplanningtoaccomplishduringthatweek

11/3/14

Researchsurveytechniquestodeterminebiasanddesignsurvey.Inquire
aboutlocationsfortheworkshop.

11/10/14

Testrunsurveyonasmallgroupofpeople,editsurvey,andplanhowI
shoulddistributethesurvey.

11/17/14

Distributesurvey,collectandanalyzeresults.

11/24/14
(Thanksgiv

Createinterviewquestionsandinterviewavarietyofpeopleaboutcertain
works.Conductobservationinmuseum.

ingweek)
5

12/1/14

Interpret/analyzedata,andorganizeitintoaninfographic.Beginresearch
onartbiasandartmovements.

12/8/14

Doresearchonspecificworksandprepareinterviewquestions.Interview
artexpertaboutimportantyetcommonlydismissedartworks.

12/15/14

Researchmethodsofteachingartappreciation.InterviewaVTSexpert
fromIsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum.*interviewshouldgetdone
beforetheholidaybreakMs.Freemanalsohassomeoneyoushould
interviewattheMFAyoushouldtalktoeitherSarahOLearyorSuzi
Fonda,boththeMFAsEducationdepartment.

12/22/14
Decbreak

Continueresearchonartmovements/artists/stylesthataredismissedby
manypeople.Writeupaminilessononthesignificanceofeach.
[determinetheaudienceforthislesson]

12/29/14
Decbreak

Continueresearchonteachingartappreciation.Testoutdifferentteaching
methodsonfamilyandfriends.Reviewandrateteachingmethodsand
compilethebestcharacteristicsofeach.

10

1/5/15

Designdiscussionsonafewspecificworksthatarecommonlydismissed.

11

1/12/15

term2endson1/16/15Researchworksthatareglorifiedbythepublic
andwhytheyaremoreappreciatedthanothers.

12

1/19/15

Testrundiscussionsandeditplans.Findparticipantsfortheworkshopby
thispoint.

13

1/26/15

Identifyaworkofartthatdeceptivelylookseasytocreate.Attemptto
recreateitmyself.Determinewhyitseemseasytocreate/whyisisnot
easytocreate.

14

2/2/15

Testrunrecreationactivityandplandiscussionaboutactivity.

15

2/9/15

Researchhowartistsaffecteachotherandthesignificanceof
revolutionaryartists.Planadiscussionfortheworkshop.

16

2/16/15
Febbreak

Designandtestrunanactivityaboutoriginalitytryingtocreateartwork
entirelyoriginal/neverdonebefore.

17

2/23/15

Finishplanningouttheworkshop.Visittheworkshoplocation.

18

3/2/15

Testrunentireworkshopandedit.Designpostworkshopsurvey.Hostthe
workshopontheweekend.

19

3/9/15

Collectandreviewresultsoftheworkshop,recordobservationsand
analysis

20

3/16/15

CompilematerialforphotobookandeditThought:woulditbeworth
showingtheworkscreatedintheworkshopsomewhere(aswell)?

21

3/23/15

Finisheditingandprintphotobook

23

3/30/15

DEADLINEFORFINALPROJECT
term3endson4/2/15

5.

Statehowthisresearchwilladvancethefrontiersofknowledgeand/ormatter
andbesignificantinameaningfulway.

ForthisprojectIwillhostaworkshopfordiversegroupofpeopleandtrytoteachthemto
appreciateworksofarttheymayinitiallydismiss.AspartoftheworkshopIwilldeterminethe
generalpreferenceorbiasofthegroupbyaskingtheiropinionsofvariousartworks,andIwill
teachashortlessonaboutthesignificanceofthestylesofartthattheyappreciatetheleast
(havingresearchedtheseindependently).Iwillthenshowthemhowtointerprettheworksof
artwhichtheyfindhardtounderstandandIwillaskthemtorecreateaworkofartthatthey
claimtobeabletodothemselvestoseeiftheyactuallycan,todeterminehowmucheffortand
talentgoesintoartthatseemstorequireverylittle.
.buthaveyoutalkedabouthowthiswillbesignificantinameaningfulway?
6.

Stateanticipatedpotentialpitfallsorproblemsofthisresearcheffort

OnepitfallthatImayencounterinitiallyhastodowithidentifyingthebias.Thegeneral
preferencewhenitcomestoartmaynotbeasprevalentordefinedasIhadthought,andfrom
thereitwouldbemoredifficulttotargetthebias.
Itmaybehardtofindparticipantsfortheworkshop.Theremaynotbealotofpeoplewho
areunderappreciativeofartwhowanttoparticipateinaworkshopaboutart.ThosewhoIdo
findmightnotbediverseenoughformyresultstoseemuniversallyapplicable.
Duringtheworkshop,itmaybehardtoengagetheparticipants.IfIamexpectingquiteafew
peoplewhodonotknowmuchaboutart,theymayfeeluncomfortablediscussingtheartworks
welookatintheworkshop,acrucialpartoftheresearch.
Apossiblepitfallintheworkshopistheparticipantslackofexperience.Thosewhohave
neverworkedwiththeartsupplieswewillbeusingintheactivitiesmayfreezeupandfeel
uncomfortableparticipating,thusdrawingbackfromthemeaningfulnessoftheresultsofthe
activities.

7.

Stateyouratentativeplantolocateandreviewtheliteraturerelatedtoyour
project.Thisincludesprinted/publishedsourcesandonlinesources.[The

researchstrategy,part#1]
Iwilllocatemostofmyliteratureonlinethroughwebsitesandscholarlydatabases,andatthe
libraryforprintedinformation.Mostofthesesourceswillberelatedtoartcriticismandart
educationtechniques,soIwillresearchindividualartcriticsorresearchteamswhodealwith
thepsychologyofart.ToreviewtheliteratureIwillreadtheimportantpartsofeachworkand
writeasummaryoftheinformationaswellasashortaanalysispaper.Wheneverpossible,I
willalsocomparethesourcesthroughwritingaswell,addinginmyownhypothesesorideas.
Thesewriteupswillbeusefulincompilingmyphotobook.
good
8.

Stateatentativeplanforresearchanddatacollection.(Datacollectioncantake
multipleformssurveys,testgroups,interviews,observations,etcetc.Thiswill
differfromprojecttoproject.[Theresearchstrategy,part#2]

Iwilldesignsurveystoidentifythebiasinitially,andtoreviewtheparticipantsofthe
workshopabouthowtheiropinionschangedafterwards.Iwilldefinitelytestoutthesesurveys
insmallgroupsfirsttorefinethequestions.
Iwillusetestgroups,probablycomposedofmyclosefriendsorpeopleIfeelcomfortable
around,totestouttheactivitiesIplanonfacilitatinginmyworkshopsoIcangaugewhich
onewillwork/notworkandhowIwillhavetogoaboutexecutingthemsothattheywillrun
assmoothlyaspossibleandengagethepeopleasmuchaspossible.
IwilluseinterviewstocollectbackgroundinformationaboutthetypesofartthatIhave
foundareeasilydismissedbymany,andIwillalsoasktheinterviewees,expertsoncertain
genresofart,aboutwhytheythinkthesestylesareunderappreciated.Iwillalsoconductsome
personalinterviewswithrandompeople/viewersofartworktosupplementmyinitialsurveys,
togetsomemoreindepthinformationstohelpmefigureoutwhycertainworksaredismissed.
Imayalsouseobservationtoidentifythebiasbygoingtoamuseumandsittinginaroom
withavarietyofartisticstylesinit[awkwardwording],andobservingwhichworksgetthe
mostattentionandwhichonesgettheleast.
good
9.

Stateatentativeplanforresearchanddataanalysisandinterpretation.[The
researchstrategy,part#3]

ThesurveysIconduct,thoughIamnotcertainyetofwhattheywilllooklike,shouldbe
fairlyeasytoreadthroughandevaluatethedata.Iwillreviewthemlookingforatrend
intheresponsesthatindicatespreferenceforsomeartoverothers,andIwillrelatethat
tobroaderstylesorgenres.Supplementingthiswithpersonalinterviewswithsome
viewers,Iwillwritedownorvoicerecord(withtheirpermission)theirresponsestothe
differentworksofartIshowthem,andiwillbeabletoanalyzetheirwordsandtoneto
getadeeperunderstandingofhowtheyfeelaboutthevariousartstyles.My

observationinmuseumswillalsoaddtoidentifyingthebias.Icanrecordhowmany
secondsonaverageapersonlooksatworkofartxversusworkofarty,andcreatean
infographictohelpvisualizethisdata.Withallofthesesourcesofinformation,Iwill
hopefullybeabletorelatetheresultstoadefinedbias.
OnceIknowthebias,andhavingpreparedmybackgroundresearchandworkshopplans,
mytestrunswithsmallgroupswillhelpmedeterminehowtoteachtheworkshop.I
willplayofftheresponsesofmyfriendstotheactivitiesIpresenttothemandtohowI
goaboutfacilitatingthem,bothobservingtheirbehavior,andaskingtheiropinions
outright.Theywillbeabighelpformetopreparefortheworkshop.
Finally,aftertheworkshopisover,thesurveyIdistributeabouthowtheiropinionshave
changedwillbeopenresponse,probably,andIwillreadalloftheirresponsesandkeep
atallyofthewaysitaffectedthem.Iwillsupplementthiswithmyobservationsof
theirbehaviorintheworkshop,bylookingforchangesintheirattitudetowardthe
artworkevidentthroughhowtheyparticipateindiscussions/activities.
verygood
9.

Listthetoolsyouwillneedtocompletethiseffort.Identify(withanasterisk*)
toolsthatmightcurrentlybeunavailabletoyou

Iwillneedacomputerforresearch,whichIhave.Fortheworkshop,Iwillneedaprojector
andcamera,whichIhaveaccessto.Intheend,Iwillneedawaytoproducemyphotobook,
andIhaveheardgoodthingsaboutShutterfly.Iwillalsoneedartsuppliesfortheworkshop
forsomeoftheactivities.IamstillunsureaboutexactlywhatartmaterialsIwillneedbecause
Ihavenotdonemyresearchyet.AsIdeterminethebiasandzeroinonspecificworkstobase
mypaintingactivitieson,IwillknowexactlywhattypesofpaintandsurfacesIneedandhow
much.Theartwinghasalotofmaterialsalready,someofwhichImaybeabletouse.Iwill
probablynotneedtobuybrushesastheyarereusableandthereareplentyatschool.Theart
supplieslistedinthetablebelowareestimates.
good
10.

Budget:whatmaterialsdoyouanticipateneedingforyourproject?Please
providealistwithquantitiesandanapproximatecostperitem,alongabrief
descriptionofwhyyouneedthisforyourproject.
Dosomeresearchandfindouttheactualcostoftheitemsyouneed.Beasspecificasyou
can.Pleaseaddcells/rowsifyouneedthem.Thesearethebudgetswewilluseto
determinetheallocationoffunds,sotaketimetobethoroughandspecificaboutthis.
Soyouthinkthatitwouldbebesttomakethepaintingsfromacrylic,notoil?
item
(pleasebe
specificbrand,if

quantity
ofthis
item

costperitem

retailerwhereyou
wanttopurchasethis
(andthesourceof

whyyouneedthisitemfor
yourproject

relevant,anditem#

yourprice)

Shutterfly10x10
PhotoBooks

$44.99

Shutterfly

Thiswillbethefinalproductof
myproject.

37mlWinsorand
Newtonoilpainttubes

$7.19

Blick

Thesepaintswillbeusedinthe
paintingactivitiesinmy
workshop.

12x16BlickStudio
GalleryCanvas

10

$12.34

Blick

Thesecanvasseswillbeusedin
thepaintingactivitiesinmy
workshop.

11.

Bibliographyearlydraft.Thisbibliographymustincludeatleast5books,5
scholarlyjournalarticles,5websites,andleastonepotentialsourcewhoyou
mightinterview.Useproperbibliographiccitation(MLAorAPAformatyour
choice).YouarewelcometouseEasyBiborrefertotheformattingtemplate
createdbyPurdueUniversity:https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/Explainwhy
youanticipate(atthispoint)thatthesesourceswouldberelevant.
Pleasebesurethatyourentirebibliographyisreadableinthisboxsomeofyourearlier
versionswerecutoff.
Books
Funch,BjarneSode.ThePsychologyofArtAppreciation.Copenhagen:MuseumTusculanum,
1997.Print.
(goesintohowartaffectsthemind,informationthatIcanusetodeterminethebias)
Chave,Anna.MarkRothko:SubjectsinAbstraction.NewHaven:YaleUP,1989.Print.
(indepthstudyofRothko,anexampleIcoulduseintheworkshoporonthesurveys)
Banaji,MahzarinR.,andAnthonyG.Greenwald.Blindspot:HiddenBiasesofGoodPeople.
NewYork:Delacorte,2013.Print.
(abouttheimplicitassociationtest,amethodIcouldusetofindthebiasinthiscase)
Hickman,RichardD.WhyWeMakeArtandWhyItIsTaught.Bristol,UK:Intellect,2005.
Print.
(thiswillhelpmeexplainwhymyprojectmattersintheworldtoday)
Judovitz,Dalia,andMarcelDuchamp.DrawingonArt:DuchampandCompany.
Minneapolis:UofMinnesota,2010.Print.
(looksatsomeartistsImayuseasexamplesandalsoexamineshowartistsinfluenceeach
otherandhowartistshavecomeupwithacompletelynewideabyactuallyderivingtheir
work)
Yenawine,Philip.VisualThinkingStrategies:UsingArttoDeepenLearningacrossSchool
Disciplines.Cambridge,MA:HarvardEducation,2013.Print.
(describeshowtoapproachaworkofart,VTS)
Yenawine,Philip.HowtoLookatModernArt.NewYork:H.N.Abrams,1991.Print.

(Howtoapproachaworkofart,mayhavesectionsspecifictotheartIamfocussingon)

ScholarlyJournalArticles
Ahmad,PaulineJ."VisualArtPreferenceStudies:AReviewofContradictions."VisualArts
Research11.2(1985):10007.JSTOR.Web.20Oct.2014.
(astudyofwhysomeartispreferredoverothers,informationIcanusetoidentifywhythe
biasexists)
Foss,SonjaK."THEAESTHETICRESPONSETONONREPRESENTATIONALART:A
SUGGESTEDMODEL."ReviewofResearchinVisualArtsEducation6.2(1980):
4049.JSTOR.Web.20Oct.2014.
(abouthowweperceivenonrepresentationalart,usefulforfindingoutwhypeoplemay
dismissthistypeofartsoIcanfigureouthowtocombatthebias)
Burchenal,Margaret."ThinkingthroughArt:TransformingMuseumCurriculum."TheJournal
ofMuseumEducation32.2,CriticalThinkingSkillsintheMuseum(2007):11122.JSTOR.
Web.20Oct.2014.
(anexaminationoftheVTSteachingmethod,atechniqueIcouldusetoengagetheworkshop
participants)
Smith,Terry."TheStateofArtHistory:ContemporaryArt."TheArtBulletin92.4(2010):
36683.JSTOR.Web.20Oct.2014.
(astudyofhowcontemporaryartisperceivedtodayusefulforidentifyingthebiasand
explainingthesignificanceoftheartmovementsthataredismissed)
Coomaraswamy,Ananda."TheAppreciationofArt."TheArtBulletin6.2(1923):6164.
JSTOR.Web.20Oct.2014.
(anoutdatedreviewofhowartshouldbeappreciated,Icancompareittomoremodernideas
aboutartappreciationandcompareittothemindsetsofpeopletoday)

Websites
"ARTCRITICISMANDFORMALANALYSISOUTLINE."ARTCRITICISMAND
FORMALANALYSISOUTLINE.UniversityofWisconsinGreenBay,n.d.Web.20Oct.
2014.
(anapproachtointerpreting/appreciatingaworkofartthatIcouldincorporateintomy
workshop)
"HomeVisualThinkingStrategies."VisualThinkingStrategies.N.p.,n.d.Web.20Oct.
2014.<http://www.vtshome.org/>.
(themainwebsiteforVTS,ateachingmethodIcoulduseintheworkshop)
"PietMondrian:TheEvolutionofPureAbstractPaintings."EmptyEasel.N.p.,n.d.Web.20
Oct.2014.
(backgroundinfoandhistoricalsignificanceofMondrian,anartistIcoulduseasanexample)
"TheArtStory:MovementsandStylesinModernArt."TheArtStory.N.p.,n.d.Web.20Oct.
2014.
(lotsofinformationabouthowmodernartmovementsdevelopedandwhytheywere
significant)
"LearnHowtoAppreciateArtinaFewMinutes."Lifehack.N.p.,n.d.Web.20Oct.2014.
(containsaninfographicthatIcouldbuildoffof,beinspiredby,orpossiblycriticize)


People
Mergel,Jen.BealSeniorCuratorofContemporaryArtattheMuseumofFineArts,Boston,
MA.
(closebyandknowsalotaboutmakingmodern,avantgardeartstylesinterestingand
engagingforviewers)
Burchenal,Peggy.EstherStilesEastmanCuratorofEducationandPublicProgramsatIsabella
StewartGardnerMuseum,Boston,MA.
(ExpertinVTS)
Excellentbibliography