Playing an influential art aritic.
Total two journal.
Each journal write 250-300 words.
Journal Entry #1—construct your character for BIAS COUNTS. Be fully prepared to play your character at next class meeting. GUIDELINES ON handout
here is link to images:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yEw57IEf0oBXYmc4itFzagawJdh3-08CWWFezQ3lblI/edit

Journal Entry #2: describe your response to your BIAS COUNTS experience: what did you like? What surprised you? What disturbed you? What did you think was missing? Elaborate on these and any other observations, reflections. Pick one word or phrase you heard and elaborate on why it jumps out.

BIAS COUNTS

This is a class event designed to help you understand the real politick in which so many emerging artists find themselves. SET UP: The US government annually grants $250,000 to one Emerging Artist who is a US citizen. An EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE is formed to choose the grant recipient. What does each committee member’s taste or preferences in art have to do with determining who gets the grant? What does politics have to do with it?

To experience how an executive committee might make such a decision, you will first create and play the role of a SUB-COMMITTEE MEMBER. If your character is appointed CHAIRPERSON of a Sub-committee, your character will also sit on the EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. There are ten sub-committees. Each sub-committee has five members who are the following characters:

WORLD-FAMOUS ARTIST (not an Emerging Artist!)

INFLUENTIAL ART CRITIC

DIRECTOR OF MAJOR ART MUSEUM

WEALTHY ART PATRON

HEAVYWEIGHT GOVERNMENT BUREAUCRAT

As a SUB-committee member, your character is a powerful stakeholder in the process. The character you create and play depends on the class roster: professor will announce which character group you belong to.

HOMEWORK BEFORE the day we are doing bias counts event is the following:

1. Dream up an identity for your STAKEHOLDER CHARACTER using no less than six criteria—gender, sexual identity, economic class, ethnicity, religious and political affiliations. You can search online for well-known folks in these positions for inspiration and/or use characters from CRADLE WILL ROCK. Record your character identity in your journal and bring it to class.

2. When you have constructed your character, become your character and look at the SIX works of art. See BLACKBOARD class documents WEBLINK for all six images. As your character, put the six works of art in order of preference, based on what your character values and would want out of the deal. *****IMPORTANT BIT: I will be sending secret information that only your character knows AND that is knowledge that automatically limits the POV of your character. The game rules do not permit sharing of this secret information!!

For each artwork, your character considers the following elements:

· titles

· content

· meaning and social relevance

· the fact that $250,000 in taxpayer dollars is going to an artist who makes THIS kind of art.

· the fact that your choice undoubtedly leads to public exhibition of this work, and very likely advances its sale to private investors and collectors as a result—very good news for any Emerging Artist.

· the strong possibility that your choice of a certain kind of art, by association, can help other artists who work in a similar vein.

· the certainty that your choice impacts the prestige of each member of the entire committee, as well as the committee itself, which is a national government organization.

· that strong possibility that your choice can impact the current president’s reputation.

Write your character’s preferences in order in your journal. Bring list to class. Prepare to vigorously defend your choices. Your goal is to convince everyone else that your choice of emerging artist is the best choice.

DAY OF bias counts event:

YOU BECOME YOUR CHARACTER FOR THE DURATION OF THE GAME. As your character, you sit on a sub-committee with stakeholders from each category (e.g., 1 critic, 1 patron, 1 bureaucrat, 1 famous artist, 1 museum director).

Each sub-committee:

· chooses one artwork to put forward to the Executive Committee, who makes the final decision. Start with introductions. (This means you introduce yourself using all ID information you have created, except your secret information. Remember, your character comes to the table with strong opinions about is the best way forward. Vigorously advocate for your choice.

· is guided by a Chairperson, appointed by the professor, but anyone can lobby to get themselves appointed. Chairpersons lead the discussion about pros and cons of each artwork. Factors involved in may include: intellectual concept, aesthetic value, appropriate use of public funds, and potential impact on prestige of the Federal government and the current administration.

· As a sub-committee member, question authority! Make sure the chairperson is not glossing or skipping any part of the agenda, which might effectively downplay the virtues of one artist while highlighting those of another. Defend your choice as best you can!

Sub-committee makes a firm decision before 50 minutes are up. Chairperson puts six images in order of sub-committee preference and goes to executive committee meeting.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING.

· Introductions

· Appoint chairperson

· Debate pros and cons of each work, conducted by chairperson of exec committee.

· Note the Executive Committee is under no obligation to follow a democratic process. Note that all secret information still applies.

· There will be three rounds of debate with two minutes of consultation time between rounds. Sub-committee members observe the process and coach their member on the exec. Committee during consultation time.

Execs reach a decision within 30 minutes.