How does art and the discourse surrounding its production and presentation participate in the shaping of identity, whether geopolitical, ethnic, class, gendered, generational, institutional, or personal? How much "fact" and how much "fiction" go into such representations of identity, and how much can we rely on art to tell us the "truth"? How do artistic conventions function as "silent" conveyors of identity? How is identity further colored by the presentation of a fixed assemblage of disparate works of art in an exhibition? And how does the "National Museum of American Art" proclaim itself as "national" and "American" and its holdings as "art"?

To examine ways in which art functions as representation--not as a "reflection" of individual or collective identity but as a vital player in shaping the identity of its maker, subject, and audience.

To explore ways in which an exhibition functions as a narrative "written" by curatorial choices, a narrative that also shapes identity.

To consider how an art collection, such as that assembled on this CD-ROM, not only participates in this same discourse, but may also be used to shape public perception of its institutional home.

Step One (5 minutes) You and your colleagues are curating virtual exhibitions, drawing on the NMAA CD-ROM. After reading through these instructions, work with your partner as paired "curators" to select one an aspect of identity on which to focus your exhibition. Consider:

a. National or "American" identity

b. Regional, Urban or NYC identity

c. Ethnic identity

d. "The Artist" (alternatively, the "folk artist" or the "modernist artist")

e. "The Family"

Step Two (30 minutes) Search the NMAA CD-ROM database for works of art (and audio or video clips) to include in a virtual exhibition of 5-10 objects on your topic. Collect these objects in the "portfolio" or "collect items here" folder appearing on your screen.

You might want to start with the "Director's Choice" section, where selected works are assembled. There are also hyper links to related works. You might not share the director's preferences, but they may spur your thinking.

Use the "Search" feature to locate related groups of artists, for example, by ethnic heritage.

(Search-Category-Artist-Occupation) or by the artist's preferred medium (Search-Category-Artist-Occupation).

The "Glossary," is also useful in assembling groups of works, as there are hyper links both to artist biographies and to individual works of art.

Use the "Browser" to select works that are visually related.

Use the "Maps" to assist you in assembling works for possible regional emphasis or for possible differences in ideas of what "the artist" is.

Use the "Media" section for clips of artists talking about their own works. Frequently they discuss issues of identity or of "creativity."

Step Three (15 minutes) Review the objects you've assembled in your portfolio and consider which ones you would include in your exhibition. Based upon your joint curatorial discussions concerning the selection of objects, sketch the outline of a brief "catalogue essay" that explains what your selections say about that facet of identity you have chosen.

Consider the following in assembling your works:

Upon what structure is the sequence of works in your exhibition based? Chronological? Visual? Some "progression" based upon content? Would the same sequence hold in a physical environment rather than a virtual one? Why, or why not?

To what extent do you think that the physical objects themselves might help shape identity (e.g., via scale, album format, surface textures, "fetish" qualities, etc.) in ways that cannot be communicated by means of multimedia technology? That is, to what extent is meaning conveyed by the physical experience of the work itself . On the other hand, what is gained by a multimedia presentation that a physical encounter with the work might not afford?

Step Four (10 minutes or time remaining) Before meeting with your colleagues, reflect with your partner on the following questions:

What issues arose in curating your exhibition? Any beyond those noted above?

To what extent were your choices in selecting your works of art enhanced/constrained by the curatorial choices made in producing the CD-ROM? Would your choices would have looked radically different had you worked with a database of 750 different works of art?

What is the vision of "America" promoted by the CD-ROM and the NMAA? How does this identity distinguish this museum from, say, the Whitney Museum of American Art? Or the Museum of Modem Art? Is this the same vision of America one would have gotten from the NMAA's promotional literature of 25 years ago?

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (45 minutes total): Meet with other teams working on this resource to share insights, ideas, and exhibitions, and to reflect on your experiences. Be prepared to report to the larger group. Please use the following questions as prompts:

What kinds of exhibitions emerged from different teams? How were the exhibitions similar? Different? What facets of art were highlighted? What did the activity reveal about the values and limitations of virtual representations of art?

What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of this activity? Would the activity, or one like it, be of value to your students? Why or why not? How could you adapt this activity to fit into your own teaching context?

How would you describe the pedagogy behind this activity? What skills or modes of thinking does this activity support? Do the electronic resources engaged suit the assignment's pedagogy and methodological goals? What does this suggest about the kinds of inquiry assignments that work best when using new media resources?

 

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