Open Topic Discussion #2: What to Do When a New Work Perplexes You Sometimes we experience a work that we don't quite understand how to respond to. The e.e. cummings poem "1(a" might remind you of that experience. Or the Mondrian painting Broadway Boogie-Wooogie and the Rothko painting Earth Greens might have hit you that way as well. So imagine that you have encountered some work in the humanities that befuddles you. You can't even tell if you like it or not. For this Discussion Topic, based on what you have learned in the course thus far, describe some steps you can take for a work in any of the humanities outside of painting to approach a work that at first just flat out perplexes you. (To get started before writing your response, try brainstorming a list of ideas of things you could do.) Some sculptures from chapter 5 that might fit in here would be Jean Arp's Growth ( 97) [for which there is also one done in the medium of bronze] or perhaps give a good look at Frank Stella's Giufa,the Moon, the Thieves, and the Guards (100) or even Auguste Rodin's Danaide (107) or for good measure, Alexander Calder's Five Swords (108). Scoring Rubric: 40 points, with 20 points based first on range of approaches and then 20 points based on application of your methodology to the work you select to demonstrate your approach with clarity of your explanation as the measure there. Shoot for listing four or five steps you could use to get started dealing with a new work that you just at first do not understand. Open Topic Discussion #3: Appalachian State Outdoor Sculpture Competition This is one of my favorite exercises n the course. It is time to expose you to one prominent way artists can make their reputations in the art world. Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, has one such way: a renowned outdoor, large-sized sculpture contest every year called the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibit. Entries come in from around the nation, with ten finalists selected to set their sculptures on display for several months at the university. You can view the most recent exhibit plus archives of past exhibits by going to the link below. Click on the "Current Exhibit" link in the menu bar of the main page and explore the most recent exhibit and any past year's exhibits that might garner your interest. Now imagine that you are a judge. From any of the exhibits from any year select your own first place winner. In a solid paragraph or two of at least 150-200, words explain your criteria for choosing the sculpture that you did. http://www.rosensculpture.org/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Links to an external site.Rubric: Meeting required number of words = 35 points; application of subject, form, and content to criteria for decision = up to 40 points.