The document discusses the final assignment for the class, which is to rewrite the artist statement and is due on December 4. It then reviews the difference between interpretation and thematic content in art, noting that interpretation refers to what the artist hopes the viewer takes away from the work, such as a deeper understanding, emotion, experience, realization, appreciation, exposure to new ideas, desire to learn more, or aesthetic experience. It provides examples of artworks and their thematic subjects and interpretations. Students are then instructed to post in one sentence the subject matter and intended interpretation of their own artwork on the class blog.

1. TODAY
• Final Assignment
• Review Interpretation vs. Thematic Content
• Review Assignment 13
• Respond to question on class blog

2. FINAL ASSIGNMENT
• Final Assignment– due by December 4 at 9:00 a.m.
• Final Rewrite of all components of your Artist Statement
• Worth 10 points
• Final Assignment will be posted on Friday of this week (Nov 20) to both
Moodle and WordPress
• You can submit any time after receiving your grade and comments for
Assignment 13

3. INTERPRETATION

4. WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
• Subject matter
• Thematic concerns
• Intention of the artist
• Interpretation by the
viewer
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
TWO QUESTIONS VIEWERS OF ART ASK

5. INTERPRETATION
What you hope the viewer will get out of your
art work; what they will take away from their
viewing experience.

6. THIS COULD BE
• a deeper understanding
• an emotion/a feeling
• an experience (interactive work, social practice, performance)
• a new realization
• a new or renewed appreciation
• exposure to new ideas and world views
• the desire to learn more, or to act upon what they learned from the work
• an aesthetic experience

7. THEMATIC CONTENT
VS.
INTERPRETATION
Subject Matter /Thematic Interpretation
The Environment Exposure to new ideas/learning
experience
Immigration Compassion and Empathy
(emotions)
Light as a material for art Feelings of beauty, wonder, a new
aesthetic experience
The city of the future Imagining different ways of living/a
realization

8. Oasis No. 7 (1972)
Haus-Rucker-Co
Design collective founded in 1967
in Austria
Look towards the future with their
designs - how technology could
bring about a better city, a better
urban living experience.
They wanted citizens to reimagine
urban space and their relationship
to it – a new way of thinking

10. MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ
The Artist Is Present
(March – May 2010 - MoMA)
a 736-hour and 30-minute
static, silent piece, in which
she sat immobile in the
museum's atrium while
spectators were invited to take
turns sitting opposite
Subject – the nature of
extended performance
art/endurance performance
Experience: a deeper
engagement with art/artwork

11. CARL LEE
MYOPTIC (2019)
Examined the working class “telescope
houses” of Buffalo NY – vernacular
architecture.
feelings of nostalgia + community loss

12. PAD THAI
RIRKRIT TIRAVANIJA (1990-
1992)
The artist cooked a meal that the
guest/gallery visitors ate together.
Experiences of community, sharing,
encounters with others

13. JORDAN WOLFSON
MANIC LOVE (2016)
• Interactive sculpture of “Chucky” from
the horror film series
• Recognizes when people are viewing
it and moves towards them
• Subject: exploration of new facial
recognition technology
• Feelings of unease, creepiness,
discomfort

14. ACTIVITY ON THE CLASS BLOG
In one sentence state the thematic concern/subject matter of the artwork you
are writing about in your artist statement. Then, without going into to detail,
identify what you want your viewer to take away from their interaction with
your work:
• a deeper understanding
• an emotion/a feeling
• an experience (interactive work, social practice, performance)
• a new realization
• a new or renewed appreciation
• exposure to new ideas and world views
• the desire to learn more, or to act upon what they learned from the work
• an aesthetic experience
• something else? tell us what!