Assignment: Exploring the Art of Indigenous Cultures

All of the indigenous cultures that we have explored this week were at one time "discovered" by European explorers who often collected traditional art objects to take back with them to Europe as "curiosities." These objets d'art inspired collectors and artists alike and opened the Western world up to new ideas, new cultures, and new art forms.

Imagine that you are one of these intrepid European explorers who has set out to discover and collect the traditional art forms created by the four cultures we have learned about this week:

• India
• China
• Korea
• Japan

As you "travel" and collect two works from each of your four cultures, you need to document some important field notes that will help you to explain what these treasures are upon your return home. These field notes need to include for each work of art:

• Name of the culture that produced the object
• Title or name of the object
• Date of the object
• Medium/materials used to create the object
• Current location

Assignment Instructions

1. Using the textbook and Internet sources, locate 2 traditional works of art from India, China, Japan, and Korea. Copy and paste the 8 objects into your Microsoft Word document and label each one:

a. Name of the culture that produced the object
b. Title of the work
c. Date of the work
d. Medium/materials used to create the work
e. Current location

Offer a citation of your sources for each image and the information you found in the textbook and on the Internet.

2. Use your textbook to find out as much as you can about cultural context for each object. Go online and find some reference sources to provide you with more information.

3. Thoroughly explain and analyze:

a. What each object is?
b. How you think your European friends back home will react to each object, and why?
c. Why it is culturally important?