Studio Research I Spring 2026: Christopher Cruz

DUE THURSDAY 4/15

READ: Tips and Tricks to Write Your Art Proposal https://artsartistsartwork.com/tips-and-tricks-to-write-your-art-proposal/

Begin drafting your project proposal. What is the next project or series you will be working on. Take this opportunity to make the plan!

>>>DUE THURSDAY 4/23 <<<

!! everyone must post their final presentation to the blog by 4/23

FINAL PRESENTATIONS ~10-15 slides total

*with your proposal for a future project (possibly your BFA project)

Part 1 Artist Portfolio Presentation ~7-10 slides:

Portfolio, Statement + Bio

Looking back to your influences, historical connections, contemporary context and art examples that you have researched throughout the course, create a short presentation about YOUR WORK that includes your artist statement, bio and 3-4 portfolio examples with explanation for each project. This should be neat, concise and have a clear visual presentation of your work. Include website information and contact information as well.

Part 2 Proposal ~3-5 slides:

Propose a project to be installed in an empty space in your community. This can be a storefront, a public place or a gallery. You can imagine it as part of a group exhibition or alone. Think about the main themes of your work that you have expressed in your projects thus far and throughout your portfolio. Plan your next series or body of work. This can be something you have already begun planning or a brand new idea. Dive into the issue you have chosen to focus on and research process, socio-political context and art historical connections. As you dive into the research create a detailed plan for your project. Be specific in the methods, materials, techniques, timelines, budget, scale, audience and exhibition. Sketch out as many details as possible. This is an important exercise as many projects must first be proposed for commissions, awards or client approval.

Consider how this work fits into your larger body of work/portfolio. Take this opportunity to sketch out your future project (possibly your BFA or connected to it). Although the exhibition of this work might be theoretical, think about how you might realize this project. You must present your artist presentation and proposals in one final presentation “pitch” to the class. (If you have already completed your BFA project, this should be your plan for the next project you will complete in summer 2026.)

WRITTEN POST compose a short written post on the blog that summarizes your presentation with some description and images.

~200 words + images from your presentation

-Final presentation slides must be linked from a post on the class blog make sure these slides are public or shared with both professors.

-Presentations must be only 6-8 minutes - Practice your presentation so you can present confidently, clearly and quickly.

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DUE THURSDAY 4/9

ART HISTORY POST
Which movement(s) from art/design history do you feel the most akin to and why? Review this timeline carefully: https://www.theartstory.org/section-movements-timeline.htm

Think about the historical movements you have studied in art history courses and seen in your art explorations. Consider the places and times of art movements and historical events. Choose one art period that specifically moves you in some way. Write 2+ paragraphs about this movement/time period including specific examples that connect or influence your work. Include an image of your work next to an image of an artwork from the movement you are referring to, and reference them in your post. Explain why you feel drawn to the movement and the work.

Additional resource for exploration: https://smarthistory.org/

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DUE THURSDAY 3/26

READ:
Art Talk with Filmmaker Sky Hopinka / By Rebecca Sutton / Nov 16, 2018 / National Endowment for the Arts
Link: <https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2018/art-talk-filmmaker-sky-hopinka>

WATCH:
Sky Hopinka, Mnemonics of Shape and Reason, 2021 / ICA Miami
Link: <https://icamiami.org/video/sky-hopinka-mnemonics-of-shape-and-reason-2021/>

POST: In a short response on the blog post your response to the article and the video as you think about how the artist's inspirations inform his creative process. Choose two quotes or ideas that stood out to you. Answer the following questions:

How does Sky Hopinka use his medium of choice?

What inspired him to use video?
What material/medium/process do you use and how?

What inspired you to make your work that way?

KEEP EDITING your ARTIST STATEMENT. See the video we started watching in class:
Start an Artist Statement with Me | Art Prof

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KeJv_NX_GU

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Have a safe Spring Break - No class 3/12

Due THURSDAY 3/19

[FIRST DRAFT] Please write a ~400 word Artist Statement and a short ~100 word Bio
Be sure to have at least 2 people read and give feedback on your statement and Bio.
Please create a first draft of your artist statement and bio. See the instructions below to help you with your first draft. We will work to edit and expand your writing in the following weeks.

Artist Statement: Write & Post a 400-word artist statement with the guidance below.
Take time to think about your answers to our previous course assignments.
Brainstorm before writing in full paragraphs.
What. Make sure to state what medium you work in (paintings, sculptures, installation, non-narrative video, durational performance, etc.). What are some facts about your work? Using language, how do you describe your work? Name your stylistic, process, and thematic influences to help the readers visualize.
Why. Try not to overthink this one. Look back at your brainstorms and your casual conversations. You make this work because you’re excited about it. What, exactly, are you excited about? Here is where you can also bring up your influences and inspirations. — What is the meaning, idea, message of your work? What is a problem that your work plans to solve?
How. If you have a truly unique process that’s important to understand—or one that images can’t accurately convey—briefly describe how you make your work. What is the solution to a problem you see in the world? How do you communicate this visually? How do you want your audience to feel? How do you imagine the work will be received? What does the work accomplish?
Read more about artist statements:
https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-write-an-artist-statement/
https://artspartner.org/files/all/artists_statement_bio_info.pdf
Example: <https://deitch.com/new-york/exhibitions/tyler-ballon-flying-high>

Short Bio: Write & Post a short 100 word bio. See other artist examples to find a style you want to use.
An artist bio is a concise, informative, and engaging summary of an artist's life, career, and work, typically written in the third person. It provides a brief introduction to the artist and their work, often including details about their background, artistic journey, influences, and key accomplishments. This is different from the artist statement.
A short and effective artist bio for a student artist should introduce them, their medium, and their artistic style or themes. It can also include a brief background, any relevant awards or recognition, and a glimpse into their current work.
5 points to concentrate on:
Where you are currently based, where you were born.
Your art education, background or where you grew up, if it informs your work.
Your art medium(s) and techniques
Inspiration and what you are passionate about (be brief and to the point)
Your achievements. This is a list of participation in projects, awards, clients you’ve worked for, gallery shows, workshops, residencies.
GO SEE SOME ART!!

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DUE THURSDAY 2/26
*Prof. Doris Cacoilo's class will meet in B08

*Prof Jin Jung's class will meet in B25

MIDTERM PRESENTATIONS: INFLUENCE and MESSAGE due 2/26 on the blog

as PDFs or linked to a google presentation (make sure it is public or shared with Prof.)

+ practice a 3min presentation for the class of your slides

Look through your investigations into your influences and the messages of your work thus far. Explore the videos and reading and questions we have explored in the written posts for class and use these to create a slide presentation (10+ slides) explaining your art influences and the message/mission of your work. Push into your objectives and hopes for your work as much as the reflection on what you have created already. Think about your art influences and new artists you may be discovering. Research various art movements, artists and curated exhibitions and find inspiration and connection to your own practice. Include five artists that you feel inspire your own studio practice at the moment in your presentation. How might these connect and shape your existing portfolio/body of work or work you are aspiring to create? Be sure to take note of material, medium, process, messaging, formal and functional connections, techniques, context and content, exhibition strategies and implementation of the inspiring artists work.

Next focus on the message/mission of your work. Including various examples of your work explain your processes of making work as well as the messages and intentions you have for the things you make. Consider how your existing portfolio may be influenced or connects to these messages as well as how these messages may drive future work.

Your slide presentation should address these two main inquiries but ultimately should present your work and your ideas to the class. You must practice presenting your slides to the class in a clear and concise 3 minute presentation. The class will have a chance to give you some feedback (and high fives) after you present.

10 SLIDES linked from the blog - make sure it is available *PUBLIC of SHARED* from google slides or another web based software. We cannot present from a pen drive.

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DUE THURSDAY 2/19

++ADD A FEW IMAGES TO YOUR POST 2 (examples of your artist inspirations and/or your own work too)

READ:

Interview: Le’Andra LeSeur by Ksenia M. Soboleva / BOMB Magazine <https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2023/09/18/leandra-leseur-interviewed/>

Take notes as you think about how you bring meaning to your work through your creative decisions.

POST 4 CREATING MEANING
Choose 2 quotes from the interview and write a short response for each quote. Then answer the two questions below.

What inspired LeSeur? Compare what motivates you to create meaning in your work.

How does your choice of material, process, aesthetic, content, etc. reinforce your message?

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DUE THURSDAY 2/12 (Post 2 extended to 2/12)

POST 3 EXHIBITION AS AUDIENCE due 2/12

HOME HERE

Please visit the Exhibition in Visual Arts Gallery and write a 2-3 paragraph review of the exhibition. Choose two artworks in particular to describe in detail that are inspiring or interesting to you. Take photos of the works and the gallery and include the photos in your post. In our review please note the artist, title, and a description of the artworks and a few sentences about your response to the works. Why have you chosen these works to review? How might they connect to your own artwork?

HOME HERE is a site-specific installation that combines the work of 11 artists identifying as women living in Jersey City. Curated by alumna Lucy Rovetto (1991 BFA), the show will explore themes of history and memory. The installation will be designed as a continuous flow where works will overlap, interact, and sometimes have no clear boundaries.
The featured artists include Laia Cabrera, Nicole DeMaio, Isabelle Duverger, Jaz Graf, Katelyn Halpern, Jin Jung, Pat Lay, Tina Maneca, Cheryl R. Riley, Jennifer Roberts. The exhibition also honors the work of Ward Mount, a painter, sculptor, educator, and former chair of the Art Department at NJCU (then Jersey City State Teacher’s College) in the 1940s. Historian Martin Pierce will illuminate Ward Mount's contributions through his research.
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DUE THURSDAY ~~2/5~~ (extended to 2/12)

POST 2 INFLUENCES IN ART PRACTICE

GO TO: https://www.youtube.com/@art21org

CHOOSE AT LEAST 5 VIDEOS TO WATCH. Use these interviews to help reflect on your own art practice. You may choose from the videos we have suggested below or select others from the art21 channel (or elsewhere) that you find. Use the search function to search the art21 videos for a specific medium or subject(s) that interest you most - ceramic, design, activism, feminism, street art etc. The important thing is to slow down and watch AT LEAST 5 videos with complete attention. Have a piece of paper or sketchbook next to you. Put away other distractions.

Take notes on each of the artists. Jot down things that compel you. Moments and phrases that stand out to you. While watching, think about your own art practice. What is it that you already love to make? What do you wish you could do with more confidence? What processes scare you? How do you set about starting your own work? What inspires you? What does your art say to an audience? Watch carefully and with attention and think about your own work.

After watching at least 5 of the videos and taking notes/sketching/reflecting, answer the following questions and post your answers in one Post.

1-Who are the 5 artists you chose?
2-What were the themes the artists addressed about making work?
3-What were the challenges the artists faced in making their work?
4-What were the inspirations you drew from the artists?
5-What were the things you would like to incorporate into your own work after watching these videos?

Some Art21 video suggestions if needed:

Cao Fei | Art21 "Fantasy"

https://youtu.be/dHlRliJf4t4?si=KfR15ORfckETo8x8

Wangechi Mutu: Between the Earth and the Sky | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaL8zDealmU&t=428s&ab_channel=Art21

Guadalupe Maravilla & the Sound of Healing | Art21 "New York Close Up"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OQeUMZ3jNk&t=157s&ab_channel=Art21

Michael Rakowitz: Haunting the West | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y5-KGIMN9o&t=354s&ab_channel=Art21

Firelei Báez: An Open Horizon (or) the Stillness of a Wound | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RjY0hiJ5Sw&t=2s&ab_channel=Art21

Theaster Gates: Collecting | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Byin7zoiiUU&ab_channel=Art21

Sarah Sze: Designing a Subway Station | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oivCLEc_jfU&ab_channel=Art21

Barry McGee: Tagging | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5byVU2nhBQ4&ab_channel=Art21

Julie Mehretu: "Mural" | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4F9scZ3idM&ab_channel=Art21

Joan Jonas: New York Performances | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6wI33GTnf0&ab_channel=Art21

Jordan Casteel Stays in the Moment | Art21 "New York Close Up"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar2s-s86tyA&ab_channel=Art21

Gabriel Orozco: "Spanish Lessons" | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWC2abuzkQU&ab_channel=Art21

Zanele Muholi: Mobile Studios | Art21 "Extended Play"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5MMcjZ6nsQ&ab_channel=Art21

Tanya Aguiñiga in "Borderlands" - Extended Segment | Art21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bDvgPOl4J4&ab_channel=Art21

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DUE THURSDAY 1/29

READ: Why art history isn’t like math | by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker at Smart History

https://smarthistory.org/why-art-history-doesnt-explain-art/?tl=why-art-history-doesnt-explain-art&sidebar=the-basics-of-art-history

POST 1 INTRODUCTION to the CLASS
Who are you? What do you make? What artwork influences your art practice?

In a short post on the class blog please include the following:

1-Choose two quotes from the Smart History article, Why art history isn’t like math, that stuck out to you and post these to the blog with a short response to each of these quotes.

2-Choose at least one artist that influences your artwork and include that inspiration in your introduction post. Have you looked to art and art history in your art education and art practice? What artists or genres would you like to explore further?

3-Post 5+ images of your artwork that shows your artistic style and interests. Add captions for the 5 images that explain the works (include titles and materials/medium)

4-Write 2-3 paragraphs about yourself, the artist(s) who influence you, describe some of your artwork and what motivates you to make work and explore the creative process. Please include any social issues that you are passionate about, and how you were inspired by the artist(s) you chose. Some questions to consider: What are you studying? What artwork do you make? What topics or issues inspire your artwork or storytelling?

VIDEOS and RESOURCES

Why We Study Art: Crash Course Art History

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LINK TO SYLLABUS

Studio Research I Spring 2026

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Christopher Cruz - Artist Proposal

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