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