Art 468/668

Class Participation and Reading Responses Guidelines

DUE DATE and QUESTIONS

January 19th

Shelby: Which of Shelby's reasons for stereotypes seems most plausible and why? Have you ever been the victim of these reasons (not only with regards to Appalachian stereotypes, but ANY stereotypes)? The perpetrator? What does she mean when she writes, "We live in a real place that other people see as a symbol. And in the wide gap between the reality and the symbol--we have to live there, too"? What does she see as the "real" fear that perpetuates stereotypes? NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES

Newcomb: Graduate students may combine the Shelby and Newcomb responses. How do Shelby's reasons for stereotypes differ from Newcomb's theories about hillbillies on popular television shows such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dukes of Hazard, and The Waltons? Do you think there can be both negative and positive stereotypes? Are they both harmful? NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES

January 21

Giardina: What differences does Giardina find between the "reality" of her family and the "symbol" of Appalachia? What sorts of people throughout history distorted the image of Appalachia, according to Giardina? NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES

Fox: Graduate students may combine the Giardina and Fox responses: What stereotypes do you recognize from Fox' essay? What does Giardina see as some of the reasons for representing/depicting the people of the region as symbol (i.e. what was going on historically that helped create the "symbol" of Appalachia? NO MORE THAN TWO PAGES

February 4 (GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY)

Wilson: What is the main presise of Wilson's essay with regards to the functions served by weaving in the Appalachian region? How does she feel stereotypes/images of mountain people has influenced the perceptions of Apppalachian weaving and its history? Do you find her comparison of the historical "place" of mountain weaving vs. the work of Anni Albers at Black Mountain College helpful? Why or why not? What role does class--financial means and social status--seem to have played in the diversity of weaving in the Appalachian region?

February 11 (BOTH UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES)

Johnson: Discuss some of the characteristics of Blue Ridge quilting outlined by Johnson. What were the economic and social factors that determined in part what type of quilt was made by an individual--"Plain" or "Fancy"? How did quilters go about learning and developing their technique and skill in piecing and quilting? From class discusssion and the article, what have you learned about how the sources for patterns changed over time? How has the "quilting revival" and the outside market for quilts impacted the region's quilting practices? How did what you learned in class and from the reading intersect with Bet Ison's presentation? What similarities and differences did you note between her work and that described in the article?

February 18 (BOTH UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES)

Martin: What similarities in "ethics" do you find between Irvin and Orville Messer, featured in Martin's article, and Dewey Thompson of the "Chairmaker" video we watched in class? What explanation does Martin give for these artists' self-imposed price constraints? How did industrialization affect these values? How do you feel about this change? What changes in traditional technique did Irvin Messer make in order to meet the demands of the new market? How would Brian Boggs feel about Messer's statement: "I can still use my chain saw and makd my rockers look the same way they did back then [in 1937]"? How has Boggs addressed the demands of making a living as a chair maker? Would Messer "approve"? Which aspect do YOU find most important in a handmade object--tradition, durability, or price? Writing about the change in buyers for Irvin Messer's chairs, what does Martin mean when he states: "These customers buy not only the chair, but also all the yeoman, pre-industrial images which surround it"? Would this statement hold true for Warren May's furniture as well? How does Martin feel prfit margin impacts experimentation for the chairmakers?

March 25 (BOTH UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES)

Discuss the varied concepts of "folk art," incorporating the discussion from class on March 5 generated from our review of publications on folk art, Adrian Swain's presentation at the Kentucky Folk Art Center on March 9, and Larry Hackley's presentation on March 11. What are some of the more frequent definitions of folk art employed today in the U.S.? Does all of this work have anything in common? Which definition that Swain described would most likely fit the work of the basket makers, chair makers, and potters we have viewed in class recently? Which definition describes the work you viewed in the Kentucky Folk Art Center? Does the KFAC view of folk art overlap with the terms "visionary art"," naive art", or "outsider atr," as described in the Rawvision on-line article, "What is folk art?" (see the folk art section of your course website--it is in the links there). Are there any works you viewed at the KFAC that raise questions for you? Are there any that seem to challenge the definitions you were given? Are there any ideas about Appalachia, its people, or its arts that would lead those outside the region to think "Appalachian art" is synonymous with "folk art"? What, in your opinion, makes folk art appealing to collectors and the general public? How do you feel about the concept of folk art?

April 27 (BOTH UNDERGRADUATES AND GRADUATES)

Referring to Charles Alan Watkins article, "Why Have There Been No Great Appalachian Photographers?" and taking into consideration our class discussions of the photos of Doris Ulmann, Bayard Wooten, W.R. Trivett, Earl Dotter, and Shelby Lee Adams, as well as the class photographers panel (Dean Hill, Tim Holbrook, and Carol Shutt), answer the following (no more than two pages): Watkins discusses the power relationships between photographer and sitter. What differences does he see between the picturemen, such as T. R. Phelps (and W. R. Trivett)and professional photographers such as Doris Ulmann and Bayard Wooten? In terms of the power relationships he describes between photographer and subject, which category would you place Shelby Lee Adam's work in--that of picturemen or professional photographer? Earl Dotter's work? (And why) Do you agree with Watkins, that Appalachian scholars must "establish their own critical standards" and that traditional forms of criticism of art history must be left by the wayside when examining Appalachian photography? (Why or why not?)What are two most interesting things you learned from Hill, Holbrook, and Shutt?