Thanks Everyone!

Sadly, all good things must end. We have arrived at the end of our class, alas. Thanks for your good will and hard work! My greatest wish for you is that you have found something of value in this experience. This morning shortly after dawn I went out to see this flash of light and spirit on our pond. May this be a reminder of the moment you committed to write about a particular artwork. God speed on your journey!

-Jerry

Tad Gembala's Blog

Norman Rockwell's studio at the Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA.

Tad Gembala has been publishing his latest papers to his own blog "All Things Tad Gembala"
Tad has generously said it is okay to invite the class over to his blog to see what he has been writing. What do you think? Right now you are e-mailing me your papers and I am building folders for each of you. Two issues arise: - In a studio art class, all of the student work is public... students create art in a studio setting. All members of the class benefit from interacting with each other in creating their artwork. Students mentor each other as much as the instructor. When work is sent to me privately, others don't get to benefit and I really think everyone's work improves when each member of the class contributes and helps each other. Why couldn't we do the same with our papers?
-When you take responsibility for posting your own papers, you have more ownership over the process... a good outcome, indeed.

What are your thoughts?

The Home Stretch

Gwen was generous in allowing me to post a recent paper on her visit to the Wadsworth Atheneum. This link will take you to both her paper on Klimt and Karyn's paper on Edward Hopper from the Yale Art Gallery.

I have been pleased with the level of the papers this term... Your visits and experiences are in many ways richer for the format of this online class.... Congratulations! Hang in there... we are nearly at the end.

Cover These Four Points

Hi Everyone,

Listen to this audio post from me regarding the four points I'd like you to cover in your essays on your visits. You can find out the word count of your essay by choosing menu item TOOLS>WORD COUNT. Keep up the good work everyone and remember, Have fun!

-Jerry

Sample Paper

I received Karyn Vai's first paper yesterday. I felt that she hit all of the right notes.... not too formal, not a research paper... but rather she mixed just the right amount of background information on the artist and his work, observations about Yale Art Gallery and especially her own personal perception of the painting by Hopper, Rooms by the Sea.

Karen generously gave me permission to post her paper for everyone's benefit.

Take a look at the paper for some insight on what I am looking for. I put it up on my new domain, jnevins.org... Here

Success Tips for Online Students

Posted to The Instructional Technology Program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, University of Houston.


Success Tips for Online Students

In general the online student should:

• Be open-minded about sharing life, work, and educational experiences as part of the learning process.
• Be able to communicate through writing.
• Be self-motivated and self-disciplined.
• Be willing to speak up if problems arise.
• Be willing and able to commit 6 to 10 hours per week per course.
• Be able to meet the requirements for each course.
• Accept critical thinking and decision making as part of the learning process.
• Have easy access to a computer and a modem..
• Be able to think through ideas before responding.
• Feel that high quality learning can take place without going to a traditional classroom.
• Be excited and enthusiastic about communicating and collaborating with others in a virtual environment.

The online learning process is normally accelerated and requires commitment on the part of the student. Staying up with class and completing all the work on time is vital. Once a student gets behind, it is almost impossible to catch up. This is not a good option for students who are not motivated and need structure to complete activities.

How to Create a Collage in Picasa

Crystal did a great job of creating a collage to share many facets of her visit all in one image. To see more detail, click on her picture and it will open much larger to a new window. Here are the instructions on how to do that from Picasa's help files:

Download Picasa2 for free here.

You can use Picasa to create one–of–a kind photo collages. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. Select photos for your collage. Your selected photos will appear in the Picture Tray in the lower left corner. Hold the "Ctrl" key to select multiple pictures and press the "Hold" button to the right of the Picture Tray when adding photos from multiple albums.
2. Click the "Collage" button at the bottom of the screen.
3. Choose from the "Type" and "Options" drop-down menus to preview your collage.
4. You can change the order of photos by clicking directly on the collage preview. To shift the layout of a Picture Pile collage, hold the "Shift" key while clicking on the collage preview.
4. When you're satisfied, click "Create."

Your collage will be saved to the selected folder. When you create a collage, Picasa makes a copy of your original photos for the collage so your original photos remain untouched. If the "Collage" button is disabled, you will need to first select photos for your collage.

Refresh your Browser

Just a quick note to let you know that you should hit the refresh button in your browser options bar. Here's how your browser software works: In order to load pages quickly, once you access a page, it is stored in a temporary file on your hard drive. The next time you visit, it assumes it hasn't changed so it loads the "cached" or saved version of the page. The see the latest post on the blog, just hit the refresh button when you arrive at this site!

Museum Etiquette

Thanks to Stephanie's great post, I'm reminded that I wanted to put out some guidelines for doing your work in the museums.

-It's true... never use a pen, always a pencil. Conservators can remove pencil should it get onto (heaven forbid) on an artwork.

-The general rule on photography in most museums is that it is permitted but absolutely no flash. The intense light of the flash is damaging to the artwork. It is always a good idea to check with a guard... they will usually say thanks for asking!

-Work that is borrowed from another museum for a special event is never allowed to be photographed.

-Of course, never touch anything directly. It's sometimes hard to resist touching a sculpture. The oils from your skin can be damaging.

-A tripod for your camera is out... it can trip up other patrons.

Enjoy!

The Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art

Over the weekend my husband Dan and I took a trip out to Hartford to The Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art. I had decided to get up to Hartford first thing to avoid traffic and let me tell you, opening is the BEST time to go. We got to Hartford right at 10am and had the whole place to ourselves, it was great! We were also presently surprised to find that students get in for half price. So for those of you who haven’t gone yet defiantly let people know that you are with a class. We did however need to obtain a photo pass from the guard. Oh and bring pencils, NOT PENS for any notes you plan on taking!

The picture that I wanted to share with all of you from my first outing is Claude Monte's Nympeuse Water Lily.

I was so exited to see an original piece. I have loved his work from the time that I was a little girl. When I was growing up, there was a book that my mother used to read about a girl who visits France with her mother and walks through Monet’s gardens. It was called Linnea in Monet’s Garden. If you are a parent and want your children to develope a love for art, this is the book to do it.

I think that I am attracted to the softness of his work. The subtle cool colors have a very relaxing effect on the viewer. Quick fact… The reason Monet has no clear lines in any of his work is because is was severely near-sighted! Did you know that?

Ok Class this weekend I will be close to home. I’m headed to Yale. Stay tuned for more exiting adventures of this art enthusist and her culturally sheltered husband!

How to Post to The Blog

Some of you may still be having trouble posting to the blog. I just created this movie which will guide you through all of the steps. Once you have done it it will seem easy! The file is about 8.4 mb large and you'll need speakers or a pair of headphones to listen to the audio. You can pause, stop, rewind and replay the movie as often as you like until you are comfortable with the process.

http://blip.tv/file/66527

WEEK 2

Hello Class,

Here we are beginning week 2 and it is time to get engaged and get going.

The first thing to do is to dive in and GO to the museum... take your time, take a free tour, use the audio guide if that museum has one. Plan your outing carefully... know when tours are offered, etc. Be open, be amazed. Take pictures, report back on the blog. Organize your thoughts into a paper. Use the questions I posted on the syllabus as well as the help provided at the Wesleyan and Dartmouth writing centers, linked from the syllabus.

The first paper is due on September 5^th. Email me your paper. Include photos in it of the piece you are writing about. Papers will be due each week on a regular basis from that point on. Don’t let it slide and don’t make the mistake of thinking that this class goes to the bottom of the work pile because of its format. Art is a delicate and subtle thing. I don’t want to bludgeon you with a mountain of material.

This class is very different than most! Most classes present a body of material that you have to memorize and learn. Then you take tests and are usually glad when it's over. In this class, about appreciating art, I'm more interested in your open, perceptive, honest discovery of the places and works you encounter. You are the creator of the content of the class, in effect. I will help you tune your papers and help with your images. In thinking about and responding to the questions I asked, you will learn a tremendous amount... and hopefully discover something that will enrich you for the rest of your life.

This is not something that can be pulled together all at the end. Your work and your grade will suffer. This is a process of discovery that must unfold over the course of the 8 weeks.

You already know much more about art than you think you do. It is important to use some of the vocabulary and style of description that this discipline employs. I just want you to keep it honest, real and engaging. You can’t fake that. The entire experience IS the class and the grade. You have to keep up with it. Some of you haven’t posted yet to the blog, or declared your intentions yet… That starts to get me concerned. As adult learners you are doing this because you are more in control of your destiny now and you WANT to do this. This class requires that you become a purposeful, intentional learner. We have an amazingly rich set of museums all over the northeast and in Connecticut. These are treasure houses for what is fine and good about the human condition. Enjoy your outings! Keep us informed!

:-) -Jerry

Sunday Night Thoughts

Burial of Atala (répétition of 1808 original), 1813
Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson (French, 1767–1824)
Oil on canvas; 81 5/16 x 104 1/2 in. (206.5 x 265.4 cm)
Musée Girodet, Montargis


From the Major show on Girodet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art... The show just closed today.


Dear Class,

I just made some small changes to the format on the blog... I added a title bar for you to use and allowed the blog to show messages on the main page for up to 150 days at a time before archiving them.

Debbie, Karyn's and Kristin's posts are a good model for you to follow on the blog. Everyone will benefit in seeing some images from your travels and your general impressions of what you saw.

I took my mother to the Met in NYC last week and among other shows, spent time at this major focus on the work of Girodet. This canvas was monumental in size, at 7' X 9' and depicts the burial of Atala, a romantic character in a novel published in 1801. Girodet is not well know but the show was impressive! He wad a student and protege of David but unlike his mentor, who was almost rigid in his classicism, Girodet foreshadowed romanticism and flights of spirit. His use of light and his consummate painting skills really impressed me!

From the Getty Museum.... ""Whosoever had not known that this young maiden had once enjoyed the light of day would have taken her for a statue of virginity asleep," wrote François René Chateaubriand of Atala in his popular Romantic novel of 1801. Taking inspiration from such poetic lines, the artist, painting in a style similar to Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy Trioson, let the rays of the moon play upon Atala and cast over the whole a dreamlike, mystical, magic light, establishing a decidedly Romantic mood. In this scene, Atala's beloved American Indian lover--looking like a Neoclassical version of a Roman hero--and a missionary lay her to rest after she has committed suicide rather than break the vow of virginity she made to her dying mother."

Kristin saw this painting, The Cycle of Terror and Tragedy: September 11, 2001 at the New Britain Museum of American Art. It was commissiond by the museum to commemorate 911 and was painted by Amherst, MA resident Gaylord Parrish. Tom Haines, a travel writer visited it recently and recorded some beautiful observations... as well as those from 3 visitors to the painting. Take a look and listen here.

The other images Kristin posted are from the museum as well.

Hi everyone my name is April and I am a 31 year old mother of two/ I have nine year old Jalen and a 1 year old (driving me crazy) named Willie/ Both my boys are the loves of my life with the exception of their dad because of all three I have decided to return to school and get that degree I am working so hard for/ I work part time so I am able to be at home, handle school and my family/ I am taking art appreciation because it is a requirement, I have to admit I never truly have been very interested but I do love photography so I am hoping i will find a new love in all I am about to learn/

My name is Steph. I’m close enough to 25 to say I’m 25, married with 2 cats and a house in my home town (Madison).

The Past week or so has been like re-living a past life all over again. I was a day student at AMC from 2000-2002. I had to take a break but here I am back to the grind stone.... I am taking 3 classes this Mod. A science class, a history class and this Art class... can you guess what one is guna be my fave??? LOL

Any way, to start off I thought I would share one of my absolute favorite it pictures for one of my favorite artists. Although you true enthusiast will laugh at me because of his commerciality, I adore Thomas Kinkade. The way that he makes things glow as if full of Christmas lights amazes me. I can stare at any of his work for hours.

I also thought I should show you a pic of me as well. The one I chose is of my sister Kelsey and I . She is 16 and going to be a Jr at Guilford High next year. We are very close

Good luck to all!

Guide to Online Body Language

How do you communicate subtleties of emotion and body language in your online posts and chats? This guide might help!

http://www.fullcirc.com/community/emoticons.htm

To Sum it up, "What do I need to do this week?"

1) Start by reading The Syllabus… take your time… follow the links… This syllabus is much more important than a regular text based syllabus. All of the links are important, especially the ones to the Wesleyan and Dartmouth writing centers. Become familiar with the concept of writing about art. http://jnevins.com/museumsyllabus1

2) Post a hello and introduce yourself on the class blog. It would be really nice to post a picture of yourself…. That’s part of building community and playing “nice”. If you are terribly self conscious about that, you may post a picture of your dog, your favorite travel photo or anything… the point is that posting images will become VITAL to your success in this class. If I don’t see a post with a picture, I will assume you don’t have the skills to do it and you’ll need to straighten that out this week or your grade will suffer. http://themuseumexperience.blogspot.com/ If you haven’t joined the blog yet, you need to respond to the email blogger sent to you and create an account and get going.

3) You have emailed me about your technical readiness for the class and your preferences for which email account you would like me to use to communicate with you.

4) You have made plans for your first outing. Let me know about that either through a personal email or through a post to the group on the blog. You will spend several hours at your outing, take photos of the museum and your chosen artwork, including detail shots. Be sure to ask a guard for permission to photograph if in doubt and remember to TURN OFF YOUR FLASH!

5) Be nice and leave comments on posts others have made to the blog. Click the comment button to do it. You need to be a member of the blog to post anything, including comments.

6) Papers are due each week. Papers will be due by midnight following the week of your visit. Because the first paper falls over Labor Day Week-end, The first paper is due by Midnight, September 5^th. Email me your word .doc files to me.

7) Read my tutorial on how to resize your digital photographs properly for inclusion in your papers. If they are too big, you will have trouble incorporating them in the body of your paper and will be cumbersome to email to me. Most problems arise from using digital images that are too big. http://www.jnevins.com/sizeforweb.htm

8) I will be grading you each week of class on THE BIG PICTURE… that is a composite grade based on my perception of your participation in the blog, your enthusiasm for your visits, your use of images, timely delivery of papers to me, etc.

Please email me or call if you have any questions. I am here for you…. Please ask!

Warm regards,

Jerry

Free Audio Tours!

A really good idea is to use the audio tours to help focus your thoughts of what each museum considers its most important works. At the Yale Art Gallery, they offer free audio tour headsets upstairs in the American Wing. By all means, take advantage of that. Something new has come on the scene. Slate magazine offers free downloadable audio tours for you to play on your mp3 player or iPod of selections from the Modern collection at the Metropolitan Museum. (The Met has it's own Audio Tours for $6 and probably well woth it for you) Check out free audio downloads from The Museum of Modern Art, and more.... follow the links....

From the Slate site:

"Download Slate's unauthorized tours and take them with you. If you happen to be in New York (or plan to be soon), you can start right now with Slate art critic Lee Siegel's tour of what he considers the most overrated and underrated paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern Art Gallery.
Here's how it works: The tour consists of 11 MP3 files, each corresponding to a different painting, and a map of the gallery (PDF format) to help you locate the paintings. We've gathered all the files together in a zipped folder, which you can download here. Or, if you'd like to watch some short excerpts from the tour online, click here for a streaming video "trailer." We chose the Met as our first subject not because there's anything wrong with it or its own $6 audio tour (which is actually somewhat better than average). Quite the opposite. We chose the Met because its collection is so rich there's room for a hundred audio tours—the Met's, ours, and yours too, if you feel like making one. In fact, as we've been developing our audio tours over the last few months we've noticed a few museums and some of their patrons playing around with MP3 tours. The Museum of Modern Art in New York was the subject of a recent class project by students at Marymount Manhattan College, who recorded their own impressionistic and often ribald thoughts about several of the museum's most famous paintings. In an apparent reaction to the students (whose downloadable tour was the subject of a front page New York Times story), MoMA itself now offers portions of its official tour for free download."

Hi Everyone,

We are just getting going. I clicked on Crystal's picture and it opened up to a new window in a much larger size. Welcome to Albertus Crystal! If anyone is having the slighest bit of difficulty or hesitation regarding your digital pictures, either getting them from your camera to your computer or from the computer onto the blog, please email me and I'll be happy to help you out!

Sunday, Aug. 20

Hello Museum Experience Class,

The first week of class begins tomorrow. The class runs for 8 weeks. It's time to launch this class and get going! By now you have read the syllabus and have started making plans for your outings. The first order of business this week is to get you to post an introduction and bio of yourself here on the class blog. Take a look at the first posts that my online digital photography classes I offered during Summer '06 in Mod 5 made on two blogs I created for them, here, and here. The posts are in reverse chronological order so you'll have to scroll down to the beginning. Posting a picture of yourself would be terrific!

To get things started, let me tell you a bit about myself.... I have been teaching full time at Albertus for the past 26 years and am grateful for the opportunity to spend my life working with students who want to learn more about art. I've been married for the past 31 years to my high school sweetheart and have 2 wonderful sons, 23 and 26. My main interest is photography and I earned an M.F.A. in still photography from Rochester Institute of Technology. At Albertus I teach not only Photography but a range of other courses which include Foundation Design (2-D and 3-D), Graphic Design, Ceramics, Intro to Computer Art, and this newly developed course for Gen Ed.

So, welcome! It is my sincerest wish that you will find this class to be enriching and enjoyable. I am here to do everything I can to support your success. The key will be good communication all the way through. Don't ever hesitate to email me and I am available to talk to you on the phone as well.

Sketching and keeping a journal, Greek collection, first floor, south side, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photographed by me during the Museum Experience class last academic year.

Hello everyone! and welcome to the class blog for the Mod 1 class, AH251, The Museum Experience. Here we will post images and comments each week about your adventures on the road as you travel around in your search for the sublime! I will be emailing everyone instructions on how to post on the first day of class. I will also post audio comments to help you as the term progresses.

To get the most out of your online class this Mod, it is important to communicate regularly with other members of the class and with me in this forum..... in fact, it is part of your grade. Post often and post early, to paraphrase a famous statement. I'm looking forward to this experience with you. It is my sincere hope that this class will be a worthwile and enjoyable experience for you.