The document provides instructions for writing a report about an artwork from the Google Arts & Culture website. It involves 4 steps: 1) selecting a museum and artwork on the site, 2) analyzing the subject matter, form and materials of the artwork, 3) analyzing the historical/cultural context and theme, and 4) discussing how the artwork is installed at the museum. The report should be 1000 words long and include citations from at least two sources using MLA style formatting. Questions are provided under each section to guide the analysis and discussion in the report.

1. STEP 1: VISIT >
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en
.
Browse through the partner museums and select one that has a
"Museum View" or "Street View"
(typically if you scroll to the bottom, it will appear above the
map).
It is important to make sure your selected museum has a
"Museum View"
or
"Street View"
of inside the galleries of the museum - not all do. Please
confirm this before moving to step two. For example, the
National Museum of Art in Washington DC doesn’t have a
Museum View so you can’t pick it but MoMA or the Tokyo Fuji
Art Museum does!
Please also make sure to pick an art museum, as you’ll need to
write about a work of art. So, sadly, no history museums like
the Anne Frank House, NASA, or Smithsonian National History
Museum.
STEP 2: Select a work of art from your museum within the
Museum/Street View or collections page.
You’ll want to pick a work here so that you can analyze where
it’s located, what’s next to it and what kind of frame it has. It
will look like this or if you found it by looking through that
museum’s collection, it will look like the second image.
STEP 3: When you’ve found your artwork, click on the entry to
learn more about your individual artwork. Spend some time
clicking around the room it's in, seeing what’s next to it and
what the architecture of the space is like.

2. STEP 4: Time to answer some questions!
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER IN YOUR REPORT
Font & Spacing
: 12pt, Times or Arial; Single or double-spaced is fine.
Length
: 1000 words (ok to go over).
Style
: Write in complete sentences and with college-level spelling
and grammar. Answer each question in the next section with
about 150-200 words of text in a paragraph (not bullet points).
Underlining
: Please underline any art or art history specific vocabulary.
Format
: You can format your paper either with headings for each
question OR as an essay with paragraphs for each question.
Sources
: you need at least two sources (cannot include Wikipedia) and
to include Works Cited that is correctly formatted in MLA style.
You should also use in-text citations when referring to
information that is taken from your sources. This lets the reader
know what are your ideas and words vs. those that are from
someone else.
You’ll include citations if you paraphrase, directly quote, or
refer to information and concepts that come from other people.

3. Remember that what you list in your Works Cited page are
sources that you actually cite in your report. This is not a
bibliography so it's not sources that you used for research.
The artwork alone and by itself is not considered a source. If
there was an essay that accompanied it, then yes, you can list
that as one of your sources.
Visit and artwork information
The name of the art museum
Artist name, title (in
italics
), date, and medium of your artwork (what your artwork is made
from)
The movement or time period your artwork is a part of.
Example: Northern Renaissance, Modern, Impressionism,
Ancient Egypt, etc.
Use ‘Contemporary’ for anything generally made since 1980.
Link to artwork’s entry page
Image of your selected artwork if you can

4. Google Arts & Culture doesn’t allow downloads, so you may
need to Google the work to find a jpeg. You can also take a
screenshot. BUT if this is beyond your tech capabilities, no
stress, just include a link to the artwork entry and I’ll see it that
way.
Analysis of Subject Matter, Form, and Material:
Describe the work’s subject matter and/or form (Formal
Analysis). Include what the work if made from (its medium).
What is being depicted in your artwork?
You’ll also think about why the artist selected what they did to
make the work from.
Describe the work as if the reader does not have a copy of the
artwork to look at. What forms, objects, people, setting, etc. are
being depicted? Ex: People of various ages and nationalities are
sitting in a tight circle talking in an animated fashion. Or if
abstract: Angular geometric shapes are spinning wildly out of
control. What is your work made from and why do you think
your artist chose this material? Why do you think your artist
chose to make a 2D or 3D work of art instead of the opposite?
Is the material malleable or hard.
In this same section, work in the vocabulary we’ve been
learning and using in class as well as the more universal
principals of art and the elements of design
(pattern, contrast, emphasis, balance, scale/proportion,

5. harmony, rhythm/movement; line, shape, form, color, texture,
space, value). Use your book as a resource and make sure to
underline the words when you use them. Ex: The paint is
applied in thick, short strokes. Or Ex: the surface of the
sculpture is smooth and polished. Ex: A dim blue light creates a
somber mood. Do you think the artist expected the viewer to see
the work from all angles or would they have preferred the
viewer to stand in one location? Does anything about the work
make you think the artist considered what kind of lightening
would surround the work? Do you have a favorite viewpoint?
Why? If the artist made a mistake do you think it would be easy
to correct it with this material?
Analysis of History/Culture and Theme:
What is the historical and/or cultural context of the work? What
is the work’s content and purpose?
Here you’ll think about how the time and place the artwork was
created in influence the piece.
Describe the content (meaning) of the work as the artist
intended AND as you see it.
Include historical information that helps to explain the context
in which the work was created. Remember - this isn’t the time
period being depicted in the artwork, more the time and place
the artist was living in. You most likely will need to do some
research to be able to answer this question. If you do so, make
sure to cite your sources. You most likely will need to do some
research to be able to answer what the artist intended this work
to be about if it is not clearly stated at the museum. If you do
so, make sure to cite your sources.

6. You don’t need to answer all these questions but these will help
guide you:
What do you think about what is taking place in the time period
when this work was made? Was it a certain era of Ancient
Greece or during World War II in Germany? Did something
happen in the artist’s life that influenced the work such as was
this made after a wonderful or traumatic event in their life?
Where was the work meant to be seen and experienced - was it
for a church, home, outdoors, or indoors? How does that
influence the work (ex. maybe it’s made of something particular
to help with it being outside)?
You don’t need to answer all these questions but these will help
guide you:
Does your work related to a community issue, embody religious
or spiritual beliefs? Does it reference the cycle of life (births,
family, aging, death, etc.) or is it related to science or
technology? Is it referencing a ruler or leader? Episodes of war
or times of conflict? Concern for a societal issue? Is the body
depicted or identity or gender? How does the title of the work
help you reach that conclusion? What is the artist trying to
communicate? Sometimes this is left open and the artist wants
the viewer to create their own meaning. Was this work criticism
of something or created in praise and celebration? Was it to
commemorate an event or for worship and ritual? Was it for
self-expression or delight? Is there anything symbolic in the
work (what we call iconography)? What emotions do you see
and feel in the work? How does it speak to you personally? You
don’t need to answer all these questions but these will help
guide you.
Installation of the artwork:
Why is it where it is?

7. This is where you’ll think about how the artwork is installed.
You don’t need to answer all these questions but these will help
guide you:
What is the room like? Is your work exhibited with pieces by
other artists that are similar in style? Was your work of art
placed near other objects from the same era? Are works
organized by culture or time? What else is in the room? What is
the frame like, wall color, lighting? Is it inviting or not? Is
there a bench to allow you to (virtually) sit and contemplate the
work more?
The Museum:
What was your museum like?
This is where you’ll think about what the museum’s purpose
was and how that’s translated in the viewer’s experience.
You don’t need to answer all these questions but these will help
guide you:
When was your museum founded and by who? What kind of
collection does it have? What style is the museum built in?
Does the style of the building relate to the type of art on display
inside? How does light and space in your museum affect your
perception of the works of art?

8. Research:
How does some research help your interpretation of the artwork
and museum in general?
After doing a bit of research on the artwork and/or artist, what
did you find of interest to you and what helped you to
appreciate the work more?
Some of this may be biographical; other information might be
personal (such as this was painted during a time the artist lived
in a small seaside town). Can you make any connections to
works we’ve studied in class? Look for any wall labels or
information at the museum that can help you with this. You
most likely will need to do some research to be able to answer
this question so make sure to cite your sources.
Personal Reflection:
What was your take on the work and your virtual visit to the
museum?
This is your personal reflection section.

9. You don’t need to answer all these questions but these will help
guide you:
Why did you end up picking this work and what about it was
intriguing to you? Is there a personal story that you’d like to
share that relates to this artwork? In what way did seeing it in
the museum (virtually) enhance your experience? Did you
notice new or different things over time when you zoomed in?
Did you have expectations about what you were going to see or
what the museum was going to be like? How did you experience
reinforce or challenge your previous ideas about museums? Why
would you encourage your reader to go or not?
Works Cited
This is where you’ll include your sources
(at least two, neither can be from Wikipedia). You’ll use MLA
style for this but it does not have to be on its own page.
You should also use in-text citations when referring to
information that is taken from your sources. This lets the reader
know what are your ideas and words vs. those that are from
someone else.
You’ll include citations if you paraphrase, directly quote, or
refer to information and concepts that come from other people.
Remember that what you list in your Works Cited page are
sources that you actually cite in your report. This is not a
bibliography so it's not sources that you used for research.

10. The artwork alone and by itself is not considered a source. If
there was an essay that accompanied it, then yes, you can list
that as one of your sources.