This document provides instructions for a research project in an Introduction to Art History course. Students will be assigned a piece of art at random to research, using at least 6 credible sources excluding Internet sources. They will then reinterpret the original artwork in a new medium of their choosing, such as changing a painting to a song. Students must submit a 4-5 page research paper discussing the original artwork and their reinterpretation, following MLA style guidelines. The artistic and written components of the project are due on April 22nd.

1. INTRODUCTION TO ART HISTORY I
ARH2050, Section 1 • Professor Will Adams • Prof.Will.Adams@Gmail.com
Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:00 PM • Office hours: Tuesdays, 4:30 – 5:30 PM
Ocala Campus, Building 4, Room 207
Course Blog: ArtHistoryI.Blogspot.com
RESEARCH PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS
!
For your research assignment, you will be tasked with researching a piece of art, and then
reinterpreting it in your own creative way.
!
The following will guide you through the basic process you will use to create your
reinterpretation:
1.
You will choose your piece of art by drawing a topic, at random, from a hat.
2. Once you’ve chosen your piece of art, perform research on it.
3. For a 4-5-page research project, you should use no fewer than 6 credible sources.
i.
With the exception of the databases available through the College’s libraries,
none of your sources may come from the Internet.
4. After you’ve completed your research and have a good understanding of the piece of
art, use what you’ve learned to create your own interpretation of it.
i.
You may, and in fact are encouraged to, change the medium from the original
work of art to your own.
ii.
For instance, if you choose a painting, you may reinterpret that as a painting, a
song, a film, etc.
iii. Be sure the medium you choose caters to your own abilities and interests, not the
original artist’s.
iv. Possible media to consider for your interpretation include photography, fashion
design, painting, dance, sculpture, modeling, film, or poetry.
v. Be creative and “think outside the box”!
5. Finally, craft a research paper that first discusses the original artwork, as you understand
it from your research.
i.
This section should make up the bulk of your paper’s length – at least 3 – 4
pages.

2. ii.
In addition, you should not use first or second person point-of-view when writing
this section of your paper.
iii. After discussing the original artwork, then discuss your own interpretation. Be
sure to explain your own perspective and artistic choices. This is the only section
of your paper in which you are allowed to use first-person point-of-view (i.e.
“After completing my research on Michelangelo, I concluded that…”).
iv. Collectively, the written component of your project should total 4-5 full pages.
v. Your text should be double-spaced, set in Times New Roman size 12 font, and
have standard 1” margins.
vi. Use proper MLA style citation for in-text citations, the Works Cited page, and the
cover page (refer to attached MLA style guide for help).
6. Both the artistic and the written components of your project are due in class on
Tuesday, April 22nd.
7. One draft may be turned in for feedback on April 8th – this must be done via email to
Prof.Will.Adams@Gmail.com.
!
In conclusion: Have as much fun as you can with this! This assignment isn’t meant as a
punishment, but rather as an opportunity for you to synthesize academic skills with personal
expression. The more passionate you are about your chosen topic, that less “work” this
assignment will be.