I’ve been talking to you about Sol Lewitt’s Sentences and you realize by now that most of what we do is concept driven. The artifact we make is a textual piece frequently residing in the middle of a triptych-like investigative assignment (prompt paper, artifact, rationale paper). You also know by now that we (you & I) collaborate in a major way, perhaps somewhat reflective of Sol Lewitt providing instructions for a piece to be realized. This semester began with you providing instructions for each other regarding the origin of an everyday object. I gave you instructions to make some obnoxious substrate out of yarn on which to respond to your origins assignment. It’s cool that some of them made it into the Woodmere Art Museum, but I also wanted to prep you for the collaborative, video conferencing exchange with the Philadelphia Museum of Art & the artist, Ben Volta. We gave instructions back and forth leading to your Adobe Illustrator pieces and eventually to the piece on canvas you just completed.
Now, as I explained yesterday, you are to objectify two of Sol Lewitt’s Sentences on Conceptual Art. You can pretty much do what you wish, but each piece will be accompanied by a rationale “paper” (no prompt paper this time). Remember that the key to this experience will reside in the rationale. You can quote, you can comment, you can illustrate, you can disagree. I think Brian’s comment in 4th period yesterday was brilliant. He said a person could construct one artifact and rationalize it 35 different ways using each of Lewitt’s 35 sentences. (Holla, Brian!) I suggest you also read Lewitt’s Paragraphs on Conceptual Art.
We’ll reflect on these pieces during the district art show. Don’t sit around trying to get an idea. Your ideas will come once you are working. Remember Full Contact Thinking was the logo on one of our art class tee shirts a few years ago. The art show is in about 2 weeks so no idle time will be tolerated.
Assistant executing Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #65.
