Select an artifact or work of art in a museum. The artifact must have a significant relationship with Philadelphia's creative cultures. It should be unfamiliar to you and not covered substantially in this course. Visit and experience your artifact. Collect information from observation, research and reflection. Digest what you've learned and produce a report in essay form for this essay presented in four clearly identified sections.
Your Artifact: Title or ID, Maker, Date and its Museum.
Observation. Approach your artifact like a detective. Develop an outline for a detailed description of the object and its setting. Help your reader visualize the object in detail. Avoid assumptions. This section requires close direct experience, not research. Include at least four observations.
Context. An outline of the facts: actual & historical. Approach your artifact as a researcher and develop an outline about the who, what where, when and why. Consult reliable, authoritative sources (books, articles, websites, interviews, etc.) to enable you to judge what is relevant, interesting and essential to know. Include at least four contextual facts that related to your observations and will help you develop an analysis.
Analysis. What is the cultural significance of your artifact. This is the culmination of your PEX Report and can only be completed after the other observation and context sections are done. Interpret meaning and expression. Suggest why the artifact is the way it is, what it reveals and how it accomplishes that. Include at least three points of cultural significance.
Bibliography. Developing and using a good bibliography will help you achieve otherwise unattainable clarity and depth. List of at least FOUR substantial, relevant, reliable and varied sources: books, encyclopedias (hard copy and/or online), scholarly articles, exhibition catalogues, robust museum websites, etc. Wikipedia, tourism websites, many news stories and most online dictionaries and are not substantial or reliable. Citing class lectures or assigned readings is not acceptable. Include at least FOUR bibliographical sources.