Questions 3, 4 and 5

3. Contemporary Art: Criticism is difficult because there are many definitions of what art is and many kinds of standards for quality. But even though it is difficult to define what art is, it is not so difficult to define the contexts of art such as galleries, museums, etc.  We have chosen to focus on a certain kind of art in this class that is best defined by the contexts where we find it. The art we are studying in this class is defined by what contexts?  

4. Postmodern Curriculum: Olivia Gude

What are Olivia Gude’s criticism of elements and principles of design?  How would you argue against her and defend an  approach to art education that places emphasis on formalist principles of design?

What does she suggest as possible alternative elements of a post-modern art education? (Refer to both articles)

5. Media Arts and Visual Culture

What is media arts literacy?  What is critical pedagogy?  Why are they important?

Patan, an old city next to Kathmandu

1. Refugee Project

I met with a small group of graphic design students who are doing an art education project with refugee students in Salt Lake.  The only problem is that they do not have a clue about art education.  We are looking for a few art education students who can help us with this project.  It is a great opportunity to have some direct experience with refugees in Utah. The number  of refugee youth will be roughly 15 plus their mentors, making the total 30 people. Age range could possibly be 6-18 years old.

Saturday, November 12 from 1-4pm is when we will be doing our workshop at 2121 S State St, SLC.

2. Blog Posts: Outside or Chaco Canyon, Your Art21 Presentation and Artwork, a post about the two guest artists next week. 

Final Test Question 1.

 Color Theory: Post your abstract expressionist paintings and skin color paintings to your blog, carefully crop and curate, your images.  Then talk about abstraction, modernism, and color theory. How might a modernist view these images?   Mention postmodernism and how a postmodern artist might view these images (or think about color theory). Ask 3 questions about your images that you might pose to your students.

chaco canyon

Pear Snacking Cake

Pear Snacking Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

INGREDIENTS  FOR THE CAKE:

·       1 cup/227 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature, more to grease the pan

·       1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

·       ½ cup/100 grams dark brown sugar

·       1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

·       1 teaspoon fine sea salt

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

·       ⅛ teaspoon ground clove

·       ½ teaspoon baking soda

·       4 large eggs, at room temperature

·       4 large pears (2 1/4 pounds/1 kilogram), peeled, cored and shredded or finely chopped (to yield 2 1/2 cups)

·       2 ¾ cups/350 grams all-purpose flour

·       ¾ cup/75 grams rolled oats

·       ½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

FOR THE BROWN BUTTER GLAZE:

·       5 tablespoons/70 grams unsalted butter

·       2 tablespoons/25 grams dark brown sugar

·       1 cup/125 grams confectioners’ sugar

·       3 tablespoons/45 milliliters heavy cream or milk, more as needed

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·        Pinch of salt

PREPARATION

1.     Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-2-inch square or 9-inch-round pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

2.     Using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugars, baking powder, salt, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves and baking soda and beat for 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

3.     With the mixer on low, beat in half the pears, and then beat in the flour until smooth. Beat in remaining pears, then the oats, beating until well incorporated. Beat in nuts.

4.     Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed in the center of the cake, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5.     Prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, melt butter, then let it simmer until the foam on top falls to the bottom of the pot and turns brown, about 3 minutes. It will smell nutty and rich when it’s ready.

6.     Whisk in brown sugar until it dissolves. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla and salt until you’ve got a thick glaze with the texture of hot fudge sauce. Spread this over the cooled cake. Let the glaze set for at least 2 hours before serving.