What is Hyperallergic? What is a Risograph and Why Do Artists Love Them?

 Today we're going to learn about a website that is crucial for young artists and designers to follow: Hyperallergic. This art blog features serious art journalism that's written for general readers, not specialists. It's perfect for where you are currently in your art education. It was founded in Brooklyn in 2009 and has continued to grow. They are notable for paying their writers. That's not the case everywhere. 

You should bookmark this site, or better yet, sign up for its email newsletter. Is it required? No. Should you do it anyway? Yes. 

Today we're going to look into a new article that describes the Risograph process. It's fair to say that none of you have heard of this technology before this very moment. Read "The Democratic Power of the Risograph" by Nancy Zastudil. It was published yesterday, November 13, 2023. Fresh! 

For your AWL paragraph today, write one paragraph (or two if you need more room for your ideas) that accomplishes the following three things:

1) Describes what a risograph is.

2) Provides three great reasons why artists have embraced this technology. 

3) Gives your personal thoughts and opinions on it. Should DCAD invest in a risograph printer? Why or why not?

Make sure your writing is smart and crisp. Be as specific as you can. You probably will want to use direct quotations from Zastudil's article. I think 10-15 sentences is a good guideline. Copyedit your paragraph carefully before uploading it to our Populi discussion board. 

Critique the Critique

You might or might not know about the controversy swirling around the new exhibition in DCAD's Young Gallery. The artist, Alim Smith (a/k/a yesterdaynite) makes his case in writing on his website. Click here. 

What do you think about the issue itself? What do you think about how yesterdaynite articulated his position in writing? Are his strategies effective? Why or why not? Write one great paragraph and post it on our class discussion board. Try to have at least eight sentences in your paragraph. Revise it, edit it, and post it. You have about 25 minutes before our critique and debate will begin. 

Writing and Social Change

 

What is the relationship between art (including writing) and social change? Should artists actively advocate for change? Why or why not? 

For your paragraph today, choose one of the ten ways that this article lists. Do you agree? Why? Give a specific example from your life.

Proofread carefully before uploading to our Populi Discussion board. We're all going to upload at the same time, so hold on if you finish earlier than your classmates. 

FYE Photography Paragraphs

 

Here's the Populi Link

Help! I'm a run-on sentence and I need your help

Help! I'm a run-on sentence that doesn't know how to end in the right way. It's because all of my ideas seem connected. Even though my writing doesn't have any punctuation or even any capital letters, I think I will see if my students can fix this piece of writing. This isn't really an essay or anything particular. It just feels like my brain is a faucet that I can't turn off. I really hate it when this happens, because it's so frustrating to me when other people don't seem to struggle too much knowing how to avoid run-on sentences. Don't even get me started on sentence fragments, because our minds think in fragments not in complete thoughts. This makes me want to distrust writing. Do you know what I mean?

Be careful of "grammar aid" websites...

 www.englishgrammar.org 

 

This is one of the better free grammar-help websites. There are dozens of them, and most of them are scams. Be careful about giving up your personal data and never pay money for their services. 

Week Six: Nuts & Bolts

 

Today in class we're going to tackle the 30 most common "little" mistakes that writers in English habitually make. They are common because they are genuinely tricky. Click here to find the list with explanations. How many do you struggle with? How many are a complete and total mystery? How many do you have solid control over?

We're going to make a giant drawing on a long roll of paper that charts our learning. I promise it will be fun & useful.