WP3: Final Draft

Author's Note:

In the third writing project of the semester we were asked to analyze sculptures in the Sheldon Art Museum’s Sculpture Garden. This was different from our previous two writing assignments because instead of a picture, we were examining a three dimensional art object. I felt like this made the assignment much more challenging. It was easy to pick out the rhetorical elements that the sculpture had because of the practice from writing project one and two. However, deciding on an argument that these elements supported was not. I found it rather frustrating when I didn’t have a clear direction of where I was going to go with my paper after the second day of writing about our sculptures. I decided to go over all my notes I had written about Arietta II during class time as well as the pre-writing exercises I had completed. There was one word that stuck out to me in the section I had written about the composition: teamwork. I had not initially meant anything important by this observation, but I realized it not only was a key element in the composition of the sculpture, but also an important aspect in today’s society. This was exactly what I decided to argue in my final writing project, the importance of teamwork.

I made a few changes form my first draft to my final submission of writing project three. The first and probably most significant change a made was moving my second to last paragraph up to the position after the introduction paragraph. Instead of an introduction to the closing, the paragraph “Arietta is an Italian word that means a relatively uncomplicated aria…” was instead, a bridge between my introduction and my body. I felt like this change helped the flow of my essay. It was also a better use of the paragraph because I had just introduced the sculpture and its name, Arietta II, so it made more sense for the paragraph explaining the name’s meaning to be located here. This meant I had to change the transitions in this paragraph and the one that fallowed. I added the last sentence in the title meaning paragraph to: “In the same manor that notes compose a song, every individual bird works together to create a structure that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.” My next paragraph dealt with the structure of Arietta II so I felt like this sentence would be a good transition.

I also added a video into my essay, Starling in Otmoor, I thought this video was a perfect example of teamwork and also incorporated birds, which is what the sculpture is made of. The video told the viewer that the birds behave in this manor to protect themselves against predators, thus showing the teamwork amongst them. This was the first time I had ever included a form of multimedia other than pictures. I had always wanted to include a video but I never found one that I felt added much to the piece of writing like this one did so I was very happy with that.

The final change I made was in my conclusion. I added the sentences, “Think about all the championship games that have been won, all the magnificent buildings and skyscrapers that have been built and all the ideas that have been turned into realities. Where would the world be without teamwork? I think it is safe to say it would be a totally different place, and one that I don't think I would care to live in.” I think this helped answer the what if? question better and brought the essay to more of a clear end.

This third writing project was more challenging because of the genre of art we had to analyze. There were more things to take into consideration like the location and the material that it was made of that we did not have to consider in the previous writing assignments. Despite these challenges, I think I was still able to compose good argumentive piece that still left my audience with the freedom to form their own opinion.

Links:

First Rough Draft
Statement of Purpose

Final Draft:
Teamwork is concept I was introduced to at a young age. Whether it was picking up toys with my sisters or playing a round of kickball with the neighborhood kids, some form of teamwork was there. As time went on and I got older, I was faced with new circumstances and challenges, but teamwork was one aspect that remained the same. I was on sports teams, dance team and in different organizations. Each one of these activities required me to work with the other members of my group to reach an end goal. Now that I am in college I still have to use these skills when collaborating efforts for a group project or presentation or at my job. As I was looking at the sculpture, Arietta II, designed by Catherine Ferguson, it continuously reminded me of this idea of teamwork. As I thought about the piece of art and the rhetorical elements that it possesses, I recalled the saying, “You’re only as strong as your weakest player.” Observing this sculpture through an aesthetic point of view, the materials that provide the structure of the sculpture, the visual hierarchy in the composition of its individual parts and its location on UNL City Campus all provide evidence that support the importance of teamwork and this commonly used statement. Along with these key rhetorical elements, the name of the art object also ties in with this argument.

Arietta is an Italian word that means a relatively uncomplicated aria. An aria is an elaborate song for a solo voice (thefreedictionary.com). In other words, an arietta is an uncomplicated song that is meant to be sung by one single person. This may not seem like it has much to do with teamwork, but if you consider what makes up a song it actually does. A song is comprised of different notes. Each note has its role in producing the piece of music. If a note is left out, there could be a break in the song or it could cause problems with the balance or harmony in the musical composition. Like the title suggests, this sculpture could be thought of as its own musical piece. Each bird could symbolize a note. Just as a single note in a song, without one of them, the piece could not be considered whole. In the same manor that notes compose a song, every individual bird works together to create a structure that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

The material that the structure of Arietta II is comprised of is painted black steel. The steel was used to cut out individual abstract bird shapes. These birds were then welded together in an overlapping pattern. The figure is in the shape of a vase so some of the bird’s bodies or wings had to be bent in order to achieve that shape. If you examine the sculpture up close, you can see the exact places where the each bird piece was fused to the other. I think this is an important aspect in the structure of this piece. Although it looks like one unified object from a distance, up close you can still distinguish between each bird. This is a lot like a team. There are individual players, members or co-workers that make up the group, but when it comes to accomplishing tasks it is a team effort. It was windy on the last day I was out studying my art object. If you watched the sculpture closely you could see it swaying slightly from the force of the wind. The vase shape that Arietta II was molded to required that the smaller, partial birds be located at the bottom and support the rest of the pieces as they gradually expand outward towards the top. Therefore, the bottom is less structurally sound and it would be easy for the wind to move it. If the sculpture was instead flipped, becoming a pyramid, I don’t think this would be as likely to occur. This characteristic demonstrates how the sculpture, like a team or group, is only as strong as its weakest element.

The composition of Arietta II is another aspect to consider. Visual hierarchy is evident in this piece of art. Like I mentioned in the paragraph above, the sculpture is constructed in the shape of a vase. The visual hierarchy is controlled by the different sizes of birds used in the composition. The pieces at the bottom are smaller and do not represent a complete bird. It is easily observed that the birds get larger and more complete the closer their location is to the top. When observing this from a distance, it makes it seem like the birds located in the middle to top region are more important because they are more distinguishable. However, if the small partial birds at the base of the sculpture were not present, the sculpture would not have its bottom to top visual hierarchy. The vase shape that the welded birds create takes your eyes from the base to top. Although the smaller pieces may seem unimportant, they are in fact crucial to the composition even though they do not demand much attention from the viewer.

This sculpture is located just north of the Sheldon Art Museum on a small area of grass. There is a variety of buildings that surround the piece of art. The College of Business Administration is directly east of it and Hamilton, the college of arts and sciences, is to the south. Business, arts and sciences are all very different from each other. History is also incorporated into this mix because of the Sheldon Art Museum which is also another whole area of studies. If you walk around the sculpture monitoring the buildings you will notice that they are all different in structure as well. This is reflected in the figure because each bird that Arietta II is made of is different and serves its own individual purpose in the composition of the piece of art. It takes people from all professions to make the world what it is and it is the teamwork of those individuals that makes a difference. Similarly, each bird is needed to make this art object what it is. If one of the birds were missing it would change the structure dramatically, leaving a hole where it once was and disrupting the aesthetic appeal.

A mind blowing example of actual living birds that work together to create a visual masterpiece are the starlings. This youtube video, Starlings on Otmoor, shows how these birds come together every night and create this mass of motion that is absolutely beautiful. At one point in this video the man who is filming says that one of the reasons these birds do this is to protect themselves against predators. I think it shows how extreme this teamwork amongst these starlings really is. This video can be compared to the sculpture Aietta II. Each bird in both of these has a role and a position of importance in the art objects. Without their attribution to the whole composition it would alter the appearance dramatically. It may seem like one bird out of all of the starlings flying in the sky wouldn’t matter, but think about what would happen if two of them would collide. It might spur a reaction that would throw off the whole operation. This can also be said for Arietta II. Catherine Ferguson picked the arrangement of each of the birds on purpose. The whole composition would change if one of the birds were changed to a different position, and possibly this change would make the sculpture less aesthetically appealing.

Teamwork is an important aspect that is put into action every day. Whether you are a team member at the bottom of the structure, mainly serving as support, or a member towards the top, more easily recognized by others for your efforts, each is important. Like the birds in the sculpture, when efforts are put together what can result is often profound and pleasing to the eye. Think about all the championship games that have been won, all the magnificent buildings and skyscrapers that have been built and all the ideas that have been turned into realities. Where would the world be without teamwork? I think it is safe to say it would be a totally different place, and one that I don't think I would care to live in.


Works Cited:

"Arietta." The Free Dictionary . 2009. Farlex Inc, Web. 7 Dec 2009. .

WP3: First Rough Draft

Teamwork is concept I was introduced to at a young age. Whether it was picking up toys with my sisters or playing a round of kickball with the neighborhood kids, some form of teamwork was there. As time went on and I got older, I was faced with new circumstances and challenges, but teamwork was one aspect that remained the same. I was on sports teams, dance team and in different organizations. Each one of these activities required me to work with the other members of my group to reach an end goal. Now that I am in college I still have to use these skills when collaborating efforts for a group project or presentation or at my job. As I was looking at the sculpture, Arietta II, designed by Catherine Ferguson, it continuously reminded me of this idea of teamwork. As I thought about the piece of art and the rhetorical elements that it possesses, I recalled the saying, “You’re only as strong as your weakest player.” Observing this sculpture through an aesthetic point of view, the materials that provide the structure of the sculpture, the visual hierarchy in the composition of its individual parts and its location on UNL City Campus all provide evidence that support the importance of teamwork and this commonly used statement. Along with these key rhetorical elements, the name of the art object also ties in with this argument.

The material that Arietta II is comprised of is painted black steel. The steel was used to cut out individual abstract bird shapes. These birds were then welded together in an overlapping pattern. The figure is in the shape of a vase so some of the bird’s bodies or wings had to be bent in order to achieve that shape. If you examine the sculpture up close, you can see the exact places where the each bird piece was fused to the other. I think this is an important aspect in the structure of this piece. Although it looks like one unified object from a distance, up close you can still distinguish between each bird. This is a lot like a team. There are individual players, members or co-workers that make up the group, but when it comes to accomplishing tasks it is a team effort. It was windy on the last day I was out studying my art object. If you watched the sculpture closely you could see it swaying slightly from the force of the wind. The vase shape that Arietta II was molded to required that the smaller, partial birds be located at the bottom and support the rest of the pieces as they gradually expand outward towards the top. Therefore, the bottom is less structurally sound and it would be easy for the wind to move it. If the sculpture was instead flipped, becoming a pyramid, I don’t think this would be as likely to occur. This characteristic demonstrates how the sculpture, like a team or group, is only as strong as its weakest element.

The composition of Arietta II is another aspect to consider. Visual hierarchy is evident in this piece of art. Like I mentioned in the paragraph above, the sculpture is constructed in the shape of a vase. The visual hierarchy is controlled by the different sizes of birds used in the composition. The pieces at the bottom are smaller and do not represent a complete bird. It is easily observed that the birds get larger and more complete the closer their location is to the top. When observing this from a distance, it makes it seem like the birds located in the middle to top region are more important because they are more distinguishable. However, if the small partial birds at the base of the sculpture were not present, the sculpture would not have its bottom to top visual hierarchy. The vase shape that the welded birds create takes your eyes from the base to top. Although the smaller pieces may seem unimportant, they are in fact crucial to the composition even though they do not demand much attention from the viewer.

This sculpture is located just north of the Sheldon Art Museum on a small area of grass. There is a variety of buildings that surround the piece of art. The College of Business Administration is directly east of it and Hamilton, the college of arts and sciences, is to the south. Business, arts and sciences are all very different from each other. History is also incorporated into this mix because of the Sheldon Art Museum which is also another whole area of studies. If you walk around the sculpture monitoring the buildings you will notice that they are all different in structure as well. This is reflected in the figure because each bird that Arietta II is made of is different and serves its own individual purpose in the composition of the piece of art. It takes people from all professions to make the world what it is and it is the teamwork of those individuals that makes a difference. Similarly, each bird is needed to make this art object what it is. If one of the birds were missing it would change the structure dramatically leaving a hole where it once was and disrupting the aesthetic appeal.

Arietta is an Italian word that means a relatively uncomplicated aria. An aria is an elaborate song for a solo voice (thefreedictionary.com). In other words, an arietta is an uncomplicated song that is meant to be sung by one single person. This may not seem like it has much to do with teamwork, but if you consider what makes up a song it actually does. A song is comprised of different notes. Each note has its role in producing the piece of music. If a note is left out, there could be a break in the song or it could cause problems with the balance or harmony in the musical composition. Like the title suggests, this sculpture could be thought of as its own musical piece. Each bird could symbolize a note. Without one of them, the piece could not be considered whole.

Teamwork is an important aspect that is put into action every day. Whether you are a team member at the bottom of the structure mainly serving as support or a member more easily recognized by others for your efforts, each is important. Like the birds in the sculpture, when efforts are put together, what can result is often profound and pleasing to the eye.

Works Cited:

"Arietta." The Free Dictionary . 2009. Farlex Inc, Web. 7 Dec 2009. .

WP3: Statement of Purpose

The third writing project of this semester requires us to analyze a sculpture in the Sheldon Art Museum Sculpture Garden. This is similar to the two previous writing assignments we have already completed. However, because the piece of art we are examining is a sculpture instead of a picture, there are significant differences that set this writing assignment apart from the others. This changes my requirements I have to fulfill as a writer. My purpose for this third writing project is to present the argument I feel Catherine Ferguson, the creator of Arietta II, intended to express when she designed and built this art object. I will do this by outlining and describing in detail the specific rhetorical elements that my sculpture possesses and how they were used to effectively present the argument.

I will be using the initial observations and inferences I have made during my first pre-write exercise. Some of these rhetorical appeals include: visual hierarchy, abstraction and symbolism. Incorporating these elements into my essay will serve as the evidence to support the argument that I will be presenting. Along with expanding off of my initial inferences, I will be using the information I found while researching for the second pre-write exercise, the portion of the project where we do a historical analysis. I will be looking at how my sculpture and the rhetorical elements it exhibits call your attention to specific parts of the art object, which in turn helps to present the argument at hand. The fact that this art object is three dimensional is another important part of this writing project that was not a factor in the previous two assignments. I will also need to incorporate how this influences and dictates the message and thoughts that my statue provokes.

In this piece of writing I will be viewing my art object through an aesthetic perspective. There are many important elements you can observe while looking at this sculpture. You can also walk around the piece and examine it from multiple angles and views. This is what sets analyzing sculptures apart from analyzing pictures. Not only is this difference important to my argument, but it is also important when considering my audience for this piece of writing. It is important that I have an obvious context where my ideas are coming from in order to establish a strong argument.

In this writing project my audience consists of anyone who reads my blog, specifically though, this mainly includes my classmates and my professor. This writing assignment is graded so I need to consider the guidelines that were posted on the blog by my professor. Although this is an academic piece of writing, it is posted on the internet, therefore anyone can read it. This is also an important aspect to consider. I need to write in a style that can be appreciated by a wide variety of readers. In order to establish ethos through my writing I will need to use a language that my audience can relate to and understand. Another thing to think about in this writing assignment is how the style of Catherine Ferguson’s sculpture can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways because the pieces she uses to construct the sculpture are abstract. This means I will have to present my argument clearly with effective evidence. I will also be able to use multimedia to help explain my argument in ways that words might not be able to communicate. In addition to covering my points in a way that is convincing I also want to leave my audience with something to think about and take away with them after they finish reading. I believe I can compose a successful piece of writing if I am able to complete all the goals I have outlined above.

WP#: Historical Research

My art piece is called Arietta II and was built in 1998. The sculpture was designed by Catherine Ferguson. She is an artist from Omaha, Nebraska. She has a wide variety of work ranging from drawings to sculptures to opera settings. Her work is featured, not only at the Sheldon Art Museum, but also at the University of Nebraska Omaha, the Museum of Nebraska Art, the Landmark Building, the Omaha Public Library and the Qwest Center in Omaha among others. Outside of these public art works she also has some private pieces. According to her biography on her website, her installations usually have a mythical and idealistic quality to them. These pieces are what she is most well known for. In addition to her work as an artist she also serves as a board member for Bemis Center for Contemporary’s Arts and held a board member position for six years on the Nebraska Arts Council (catherineferguson.com).

I looked through pictures of some of her other pieces of art work which can be found on her website. Her drawings were all in black and white and the medium of choice was ink on paper. These drawings consisted of crosshatched lines that depicted one single object or a group of two or three similar objects. The titles of these drawings were simple whatever the name of the object was followed by a number if there was more than one representation of that particular object. Al-Khemia is the title of an installation that is located inside of Sheldon Art Museum.

There was a variety of different sculptures that she featured. Her sculpture was made of painted cast bronze or steel. These sculptures were all what I would classify as abstract. Most of them had some sort of connection with nature and she incorporated stick or twig-like shapes into many of them. All of the public sculptures I viewed incorporated some sort of animal or element from nature. There was also a similar sculpture to Arietta II in the private collection section that was titled Bird Bowl. It appeared to have the same concept, a unified composition of black painted steel birds. I found a quote from the documentary Is It Art? By Joel Geyer from Catherine Ferguson regarding her use of animals in her work that helps to explain why she likes to incorporate them: "By putting the animals in there, I am trying to add an archetypal element to it -- Carl Jung's idea of animals being part of our deepest selves in our dreams, the part that we maybe know the least. Well, as westerners we have a real separation and we have a conflict with nature and are always wanting to be superior to nature and dominate it. I'm more comfortable with a balance with it, but I think it's something we all just have to continue to examine. Way back I think I decided that the farther we get away from nature the more psychotic we're going to be. (netnebraska.org)" I think this quote will help me to see her sculpture Arietta II more in the way she intended when she designed it and I believe this will be important when it comes to writing my third writing project.

Works Cited:

Ferguson, Catherine. "Bio." Catherine Ferguson. 2007. Web. 30 Nov 2009.


Geyer, Joel. "Catherine Ferguson-Installation Artist." State Wide Interactive. 30 Aug 1993. Web. 30 Nov 2009. .

WP#: Third Pre-Write

On Thursday during class I experienced a new form of music composed by Wayne Coyne which he calls Zaireeka. I found it to be extremely interesting and unlike anything I have ever been a part of. It enabled me to see music as more than just what it is and changed my perception of it as well. It introduced me to a whole new way of thinking, one that I feel like I still cannot quite completely grasp on to. The thought of taking one element and joining it with other elements of its kind the way Wayne Coyne did with his 4 individual CD’s is a task that seems a rather mind boggling to me. You would not have thought that the bizarre and diverse sounds, lyrics and melodies that were coming from the four different sets of speakers would blend together to make a single song that is actually pleasing to listen to. However, when the tracks were in unison or at least playing somewhat in the manor they were intended to, the musical composition that resulted was amazing and intriguing. It was almost something that I can’t even put into words. This concept of taking something and considering it for more than what it is can be applied to my sculpture for the third writing assignment.

An initial response towards Arietta II by any random person who passes by might just simply be an attitude of recognition and appreciation for the piece of art. This would be what I would consider to be taking the object for what it is, nothing more, nothing less. This person could identify that the sculpture is indeed made up of individual steel cut-outs of birds welded together to make the shape of a vase. If this were the case, this person could still take a deeper look at the sculpture to realize there is more to it than that. Listening to and experiencing Zaireeka has given me a greater understanding of how to tap into the idea of conceptualizing a sculpture for more than just a sculpture.

I think my sculpture, as an art object, adds to its natural environment that surrounds it in an important way. The sculpture is located outside of Sheldon Art Museum. It is in the center of a pad of grass that is surrounded by a few trees and some bushes. Although a steel sculpture is not something I would normally consider natural, I feel like its location and the fact that it is made up of birds helps the object become part of its natural surroundings. Birds are commonly seen outside and obviously they live in trees. The birds that make up this sculpture are larger than what would normally be seen on city campus. I think this is something interesting to consider and also an intensification of the natural environment that surrounds Arietta II. Without the sculpture there would be nothing that really sets this specific area on campus apart from other areas. The art object creates interest. The shadow of the sculpture is an art object in itself which brings interest into the surrounding environment. It creates movement because of the individual placement of each bird. It provokes thought and question and inspires imagination. I don’t feel like this area would posses these things if the sculpture wasn’t there.