To celebrate Black History Month, today you will be writing about this image made by artist and photojournalist Gordon Parks. This image is from a series Parks completed for Life Magazine. Life sent Parks to Alabama in 1956 to document 3 black families during one of the most turbulent times in American history. The project was meant to show how ordinary black families truly lived in the Deep South during 1956, and the images would serve to counter the misinformation spread that a racially segregated society was good for everyone.

From the Gordon Parks Foundation: 

"Gordon Parks was one of the seminal figures of twentieth century photography. A humanitarian with a deep commitment to social justice, he left behind a body of work that documents many of the most important aspects of American culture from the early 1940s up until his death in 2006, with a focus on race relations, poverty, civil rights, and urban life. In addition, Parks was also a celebrated composer, author, and filmmaker who interacted with many of the most prominent people of his era - from politicians and artists to celebrities and athletes."

Complete in class. Four paragraphs minimum; five sentences per paragraph.

Remember, refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

1. Describe specifics.
2. Describe form.
3. Describe the content.
4. Evaluate the image.

Your analysis will be graded on:​

• meeting minimum length requirements  
• depth of organization
• evaluation of the content
• grammar/punctuation

​Good luck!

For this week's critical analysis, you will navigate to the Elements of Design tutorial on the class website, which can be found HERE, or by hovering over Technical/Tutorials at the top of this page.

On this page, you will note several different visual examples (photographs, paintings, sculptures, etc.) for each element of design. Your task is to choose 1 example within each element and write 1 paragraph explaining how the given element is incorporated into the image/painting/sculpture/etc. You will do this for each element of art, making 8 paragraphs total. Your paragraph must be 4 sentences minimum per paragraph. When you are writing, be sure to list the name of the artist whose work you are referencing. 

​Here is an example:

SPACE

This is a photograph by an artist named Stephen Shore. This image uses the design element of space because space is implied within the billboard itself, but also the area around the billboard. The billboard shows a depictions of a mountain range landscape, suggesting infinite space, even though it is enclosed by a rectangular frame. There is also infinite space surrounding the billboard, as the clouds, landscape, and mountain range reach off into the distance. 

Your analyses will be graded on the following criteria:

• grammar/sentence structure
• depth of analysis
• organization of thought (don't ramble)
• meeting minimum length requirement

If you do not finish in class, you must complete this for homework before class on Friday. Do not overthink this—just write about what you see. Good luck!

​Complete in class. 4 paragraphs minimum, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. 
Remember, refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

1. Describe specifics.
2. Describe technique and form.
3. Describe the content.
4. Evaluate the image.

Your analysis will be graded on:​

• meeting minimum length requirements  
• depth of organization
• evaluation of the content
• grammar/punctuation

​Good luck!