Art Is Good

What have you this year that is
AWESOME…OR PRETTY SWELL?

Artwork will be accepted in the following categories:

Painting
Drawing
Mixed Media
Print Making
Three Dimensional
Photography (unmanipulated)
New Media Art  (manipulated photos, gifs or movies in a presentation format)
Upcycled/Recycled Art

Prizes will be awarded in each category in the following manner:
First Prize: $50.00
Second Prize: $30.00
Third Prize: $20.00
and one Best in Show will win $75

That is almost $1000–a thousand dollars in total prize money!

*students may enter multiple categories, but can only win one prize per category.  All student participants are members of Cleveland County.

Click to Enlarge Picture

Must Artists Make Their Own Art?

Research Takashi Murakami–Find 10-12 new facts about him.  No copy/paste.
Include links to where you found your info. What materials does he use? Does he use paint? photoshop? plastic?

Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami is famous for creating brightly colored characters. Murakami designs his characters, but he does not actually make his artwork. The artist oversees a team of assistants who actually make the art.

Murakami owes a lot of his success to his assistants. Without them, he would not be able to produce nearly as much work. The assistants benefit too—they get to learn about the art world from a major artist. However, some people think that artists should not use assistants. They think artists should make their own artwork.

1. What do you think?  Should artists make all of their own work? Defend your answer.

2. Dig deeper: Is this a new debate?  Andy Warhol’s work gave rise to the same question.

3. Should a gallery owner explain this to a client/buyer or is it the buyers responsibility?
Challenge: Create a work in the style of Takashi Murakami–but completely original to you.  Use your own original drawings and Photoshop, Pixlr, MugTug or your choice of image manipulation software.

Post on your blog before you leave.

***If you finish early, studio time should be used to catch up on missing/late assignments or work on your portfolio.

Classroom Resource: Scholastic Art Magazine

Part 4

After completing and posting “Learn about Dafen, China”

Read this quick Article from The Local, Germany’s News in English: Robot Artist Debate.

Answer the questions below. Your responses should demonstrate that you have thought about the topic.

1. Is the painting a work of art? Why or Why not?
2. Is the machine a work of art? Why or Why not?
3. Is the man who created the machine an artist? Why or why not?
4. Where do the “source images” come from?
5. How much do you think think a painting from this machine should cost? Where did this figure come from? Explain your answer.
6. Which aspects of an artist/artwork are omitted (left out) by Robot painting?

Use your word powerfully: In 10 words or less, what are your opinions of Robot painting.

Part 5

Compare and Contrast

1. How much do you think a painting from Dafen China should cost? Where did this figure come from? Explain your answer.
2. Do you think most people would prefer a painting by this machine or by a Dafen reproduction artist? Why? Explain your answer.
3. Would YOU prefer a painting by this machine or by a Dafen reproduction artist? Why? Explain your answer.
4. Which do you think is more ethical-Dafen reproduction paintings or Robot paintings? Explain your answer.
5. If machines painted all reproduction works, how would that affect the lives of Dafen reproduction painters?  Think through your answer–try to think of multiple outcomes.