The document outlines the guidelines for writing an art museum report for the course Art 100/110, emphasizing the analysis of one original painting personally viewed at a museum. It covers content and technical specifics, including the need for detailed formal analysis, proper formatting, and submission requirements. It also stresses the importance of avoiding plagiarism and using appropriate sources, along with a checklist of common errors in submission.

1. ART 100/110
Fundamentals of Art
MUSEUM REPORT GUIDELINES
Instructor: Heather Walker
Recommended Text: Writing About Art, by Sylvan Barnet
I. Scope
A.
Analyze one original painting from a museum or gallery. Do not
write on a sculpture, photo, print, etc. The painting must have
been personally viewed this semester. Be sure to get a receipt
for your visit. If they do not automatically issue a receipt, just
ask for one at the information desk. Museums and galleries are
used to students requiring proof of a visit. Receipts from
parking, gift stores, brochures, maps, etc. are not valid and do
not count. You must also include an image of the work
(postcard, photograph, etc.) attached to your paper. Most
museums allow you to take photos of their permanent collection
– without a flash! However, some do not. If you are not able to
take a photo at the museum you still have to submit an image
(e.g. off the Internet, etc. – however, be very careful if you pull
an image from the internet. Artist’s often have multiple works
of art that are given the same title. Make sure the image you
supply is the correct and accurate image). You must also
include the Museum Paper Critique page with questions 1-6
completely filled in stapled to your paper.
B. Recommended museums include (but are not limited to):
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Broad Gallery

2. Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA)
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Norton Simon Museum of Art
The Getty Center
The Getty Villa
Huntington Library and Gardens
Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA)
The Hammer Museum/ UCLA

3. Long Beach Museum of Art (LBMA)
University Art Museum, CSULB
CSUF Grand Central Art Gallery
II. Content Specifics
A.
Analyze the work in terms of its formal qualities: line, shape,
color, texture, space, Principles of Design, etc. Be specific and
go into depth. You must address the five basic formal elements
of line, shape, color, texture and space in detail in order to get
full credit. Even if you do not see one of the formal elements
(e.g. space, texture) you must still acknowledge it (e.g. “There
is no sense of space in this work. It is completely flat and two-
dimensional” or “There is visual/implied texture in this work,
but no actual texture”). Discuss only the Principles of Design
that apply.
B.
Use an opening paragraph to identify your work (see paragraph
D) and then give a general description of the scene. What is it a
scene of? What is going on in it? Is it a representational piece?
Abstract? Non-representational? Who or what is in the scene?
How are things arranged? What are people doing?, etc.
C.
Besides analyzing the visual elements, you can discuss the work
in other areas such as: the time period, the artist’s life and
personality, their materials, the influence of other artists, their
moods, etc. You need not cover all these areas, only those
which you perceive to have aspecific bearing on the work being
discussed. Also, besure to address the issue of content for each
work. What do you think the artist is trying to say with this
work? Is it a political piece? Religious? A portrait? Historical

4. document?, etc. Interpret the information you get, make
assumptions, draw conclusions.
Note: If you do include information that you found through
research (that includes lectures, interviews with artist, museum
plaques – any source at all) you must include Parenthetical
Reference Notations and a Works Cited page. NO INTERNET
SOURCES MAY BE USED! If an Internet source it used it will
result in a FAILING grade. See me as to what is considered an
appropriate source.
D. Make sure you identify the work completely (title, artist,
date, size, media/materials, and style/movement.) Always
underline or italicize titles. Note: Movement refers to the
artistic movement the artist is associated with – such as
Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Rococo, Italian
Renaissance, Pop Art, etc. If the work is dated after 1990 then it
is considered Contemporary art. If you don’t know what
movement the work falls into – ask me!
E. After fully identifying the work and describing the image
then go into a detailed formal analysis discussing the lines
(what kinds/what do they do?), shapes (organic/geometric?),
color (specific scheme/palette?), texture (what kind?) and space
(if there is a sense of space how is it created?). Also discuss the
Principles of Design that apply.
III. Technical Specifics
A.
Length: Two (full) to three double-spaced typewritten pages
with margins no greater than one inch. Use 12-pointTimes New
Roman font. Confirm that your name, date, etc. is single spaced
and the rest of the paper is double spaced. Also, be careful that
your computer is set for double spacing only between
paragraphs. Many computers today are set to add an additional
space between paragraphs. Failure to follow correct formatting
procedures will result in a loss of points.
B.
Do not place a cover on your paper. Simply staple the report in
the

5. upper left-hand corner BEFORE COMING TO CLASS! Do not
come to
class and ask me for a stapler. Do not use paperclips or fold
over the pages
if you do not have a stapler. This will result in a loss of points,
since I will
not accept the paper and it will be considered late then..
Questions
1-6 of
Museum Paper Critique must be filled in completely. Do not
leave a
question blank, or write “none.” If you are not certain how to
fill out a
question, ask me. Failure to fill out questions 1-6 and/or
submitting an
unstapled paper will result in a loss of points.
C.
It is a good idea to keep a copy of your paper when submitting
the original to the instructor.
D.
Be sure to proofread your paper for spelling, grammatical and
typographical errors.

6. E.
Make sure to take the Museum Paper Critique with you to the
museum. Make sure to take a pencil (not a pen) with you and
fill out questions 1-6 while you are there. Questions 1-6 must be
filled out completely and you must staple it, the image and the
museum receipt, to the back of your paper.
F.
Plagiarism(copying a source word for word without quotation
marks and reference noting and/or using ideas and information
from another source, even if put in your own words, without
reference noting) will result in an F on the paper.
MUSEUM REPORT GRADING CRITERIA
Quality of Content
1.
Demonstration of critical thinking, the ability to analyze and
interpret the information given in the sources (lectures, text,
etc) as compared to your own observations.
2.
Avoidance of generalities and use of details and specifics to
demonstrate depth of knowledge.
3.
Logical organization of thought leading to a specific end result
or point.
Technical Quality
1.
Presentation is important! Be neat!
2.
No spelling, grammatical or typographical errors.

7. 3.
Prompt submission of paper. Late papers will be graded down.
Check
the syllabus for due dates.
Things that I most often grade down for (this list is the most
common errors I find and does not include quality of content or
technical quality). Note: this is not a complete list, nor is it
listed in order of most points to fewest points. Use this however
as a checklist before submitting your paper to make certain your
paper follows the instructions fully).
1. Failing to follow directions
2. Unacceptable sources (especially the Internet)
3. Not citing sources (such as not using a parenthetical notation
and/or quotation marks
for a direct quote)
4. Not including sources used on the Works Cited page
5. Incorrect formatting (including the Works Cited page)
6. Use of slang and/or unprofessional or unscholarly terms
7. The paper reading like a text message or email. Remember
to indent paragraphs. Do
not use abbreviations or symbols for words or terms (e.g. @
for “at,” u for “you,” etc.)
8. Not capitalizing correctly. Names of artistic movements and
cultures need to be
capitalized, e.g. Romans, Greeks, Christians, Impressionism,

8. Renaissance. You need to
also capitalize the beginning of any sentence and also “I”
when used to describe
yourself or when writing in first person.
9. Not stapling your paper before you turn it in (and do not ask
me for a stapler).
10. Not including all parts of the assignment when turned in
(paper, proof of museum
visit/receipt, image, Museum Paper Critique with questions
1-6 filled out completely)
11. Too short and/or using “filler” to waste space. It’s fine to
speak in first person and to
describe your experiences while at the museum, but I don’t
want an entire page (or
more) that is purely describing the museum, and the traffic
you ran into and who you
went with and what all you saw and where you went and
what you had for lunch, etc.
12. While I generally do not grade down for minor spelling and
grammatical errors
though I may correct them) if your spelling and/or
grammar has enough errors to
interfere with my understanding of what you are trying to
say you may lose points.
13. Using an image in the paper itself to make up the minimum
page requirements

9. Note: While I realize this seems like a lot of details and rules,
keep in mind that these are standard rules for any college-level
course.
Your First and Last Name
Course Title and Number
Instructor’s Name
Date
FORMAT
In order to receive full credit for written work, it should be
properly formatted. The final copy to any formal assignment
must be typed on 8 ½ x 11 inch, non-erasable white paper with a
one-inch margin at the top, bottom, and both sides of the paper.
Use 12 point Times New Roman Font and double-space the
entire paper. (Use this instruction sheet as a resource.) In
addition, give a title to all assignments. A good title will name,
limit, and give direction to the topic, and it will attract the
attention of the reader.
On page two, and each successive page of your assignment, type
only your last name and the page number (i.e., Name 2) at the
upper left-hand margin.
If in your assignment you are giving facts or opinions that are
not your own, citing statistics or directly quoting a source, you
must acknowledge your source by placing a citation in
parenthesis at the end of the borrowed material. This is called a
Parenthetical Notation. Cite the author’s last name and the page
number of the source (Gibaldi and Achert 10). At the end of
your paper include a “Works Cited” page. If you do not use

10. additional sources then you do not need to include parenthetical
notations or a “Works Cited” page. For more information about
in-text citations and “Works Cited” entries, see next page. Note
that your name, course title, etc. are single spaced in the upper
left hand side. The rest of the document is double spaced. Be
careful of added spaces between paragraphs. Many writing
programs (such as Word) are set to automatically add an
additional space between paragraphs (three spaces total). If this
occurs you need to adjust the settings so that no more than two
spaces are between paragraphs.
Parenthetical Reference Notation
The purpose of a parenthetical reference is to document a
source briefly, clearly, and accurately. To do this, cite the
author’s last name and page number(s) of the source in
parentheses at the end of the sentence but before the final
period. (Notice that there is no punctuation mark between the
author’s name and the page citation).
Example: Artists today are trying to create rites of their own to
compensate for the lack of meaningful rituals in our westernized
societies (Highwater 44).
Works Cited Page
Although in-text references (like the one above) are brief, they
will not be clear or accurate unless they refer readers to a
specific and complete citation listed in the Works Cited page.
The citation starts with the author’s name (last name first)
followed by a period. The then title of the work underlined
followed by a period. The city the work was published in
followed by a colon. The title of the publisher followed by a
comma and then the date the work was published followed by a

11. period. The Works Cited page must be alphabetized according
to the author’s last name. The citation looks like this:
Works Cited
Highwater, Jamake. The Primal Mind. New York: Nal Penguin
Inc., 1981.
Tuchman, Barbara W. The March of Folly: From Troy to
Vietnam. New York: Knopf,
1984.Museum Paper Critique
TAKE THIS FORM WITH YOU TO THE MUSEUM
(STAPLE THIS WORKSHEET TO THE BACK OF YOUR
FINAL PAPER BEFORE YOU TURN IT IN)
FILL IN THE ITEMS 1-6 LISTED BELOW:
1. Name of the artist:
_____________________________________________________
___
2. Title of the work of art:
____________________________________________________
3. Date the work was made:
___________________________________________________
4. Material the work is made of:
_______________________________________________
5. Size/ Dimensions of the work:
______________________________________________
6. Artistic Movement:

12. _____________________________________________________
__
For your paper you will want to include the above information
(in sentence format) in the first paragraph of your essay. As
you compose the body of your essay, address the ideas listed
below (as appropriate). Use this sheet to make notes.
-Discuss the subject matter of the artwork you have selected
-Discuss what is being shown. Ex.: Is it a portrait? A
landscape? Are there people in it? What are they doing? How
are they dressed? Is the scene realistic or abstract?
-Discuss the style of the work
-Discuss how the artist depicted the scene
-Discuss how it is composed
-Discuss the texture and process. Is the process of creation
visible? Ex.: Do you see brushstrokes?
-Discuss the use of color
-Discuss your overall interpretation of the work
-Discuss how the artwork makes you feel
-Consider how, or if, you identify with what the artist has done
-Discuss what is curious or compelling about the work you have
selected
-Consider what aspects of the work seem at odds with what the
artist is saying

13. -Discuss what aspects of the work powerfully support what the
artist seems to be saying
-Discuss how does the work seems to be in dialog with other
works in the exhibition