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Ciao Stephanie September 4, 2009

Posted by leskanturek in Art History, Pinocchio, Student Blog posts, Student Post, Studying abroad.
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Stephanie Tartick is studying abroad in Italy this semester.  She sent this update from Florence (home of Pinocchio author Carlo Collodi).

StephPinokeSpace

Hi Les,

I am in Florence, Italy now! Didn’t start classes yet. We have intensive Italian all week and I start classes next week with Painting, Figure Drawing, Quattrocento (14th century), Italian and Black and White Photography. The past three days I have been exploring the city of Florence as much as I can since my apartment is right in the city. On the street I have been taking to school the past three days there is a toy store with a bunch of Pinocchio toys in it. Carlo Collodi was from Florence! I took two pictures of the store front and thought I’d share them with you and the Illustration department.
My school is very small but reminds me of the illustration department. Only 48 students and all majoring in different things, not just fine art. Most of the students are from the United States, in fact 5 of all my roommates are from San Antonio. Hope the semester started off well.
Best,

Stephanie T

Hi Les,

Studying abroad is a fantastic opportunity. Just traveling to the Toronto International Airport I saw a Richard Serra sculpture. It reminded me of the amazing world of art and the reason why I chose to leave the country for four months. It’s a pretty big decision and an even bigger change. Any place in the rest of the world will be completely different than the young United States. In Florence there is ancient art in any old street corner. Frescoes are on the ceiling of my apartment building and the outside of the building I see out my window. Famous architecture you read in textbooks is located every two blocks in this city. Three thousand students come to study in Florence every semester and five thousand to Rome. If anyone is looking for a small English speaking school in the heart of the city of Florence, contact me about Santa Reparata International School of Art. www.santareparata.org

Posting to the Class Blog/Students April 20, 2009

Posted by leskanturek in Class Assignments, Student Blog posts, Student Post.
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Due dates for your posts are listed in the syllabus. I will do the actually posting so don’t worry about the technical side. I will also be acting as your editor.

Your post should be about something visual. I am not expecting it to be a term paper. Think short, 175-250 words. You can write a longer or shorter post it really depends on your subject and how clear and succinct you can be in your writing.

Subject Matter

  • An artist you think is noteworthy. A neglected/forgotten artist who is relevant today
  • Your take on a visual trend. (Is this really the first time this trend has appeared?)
  • An aspect of art history.
  • A collection of things you’ve seen or have (as long as it has a wider audience).
  • An event. You can report on going to Comic con, MoCCA, etc.
  • Interview an artist, designer, art director etc.on a project they’re working on.
  • An illustrated book, the art of a movie (animated or not).
  • How to create/construct something (talk about this with me first).

Almost everything is fair game. This is a class blog though , not your personal blog, so while I applaud your enthusiasm… keep “…Dudes!, this shit is the bomb, you have to check out…..” to a minimum please.

Do Not

  • Write a post about your own artwork. Something you’re involved in might be okay, (Run it past me).
  • Don’t post about another blog. If you find something interesting somewhere  write about the original source material. Add new information to what is already out there, or a new viewpoint.

Things to Keep in Mind:

  • Lists can be great on a blog, they’re short and to the point, but make sure you also comment on your choices. Why did you select them? What is the common thread? Compare and contrast images and content.
  • Think short sentences. Make your main points as clear as possible.
  • Do some research. I can’t stress this enough. It will lead you to never before uncovered stuff. Be original
  • Come up with a A good title.
  • Provide some links.
  • Respect the copyrights of others. Attribute works to their authors. If a source you’re posting an image from asks you to e-mail for permission, then please do so. Just because another site does not list the artist’s name or title of the piece it doesn’t mean you don’t have to.
  • Explain who or what you are taking about. Don’t assume the reader knows. ex. instead of writing “…his work looks like Thomas Hart Benton’s” Explain who Benton is. ex. “…his work looks similar to 20th century American muralist Thomas Hart Benton”.

Include

  • A list of key words and categories for me to include in the post.
  • Images as examples (we’ll cover the specs in class)
  • Captions with your images, names and dates, some identifying sentence…