ESSAY QUESTION 2008

Visit Parks Library and study the Grant Wood murals "When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Follow" and "Breaking the Prairie Sod." Select one of these murals as the subject of your essay (note that each mural consists of multiple panels), and respond to the following question:

What is the significance of this mural to art and design, in both local (ISU, state) and national contexts?

Develop an argument, supported by research and your own analysis. Focus on a particular social or cultural issue of the mural that interests you. Provide a short summary of the mural and its context(s), along with a clearly structured argument that responds in a specific way to the question. You may want to consider one or more of the following:

• the way a mural works differently from other types of paintings. How does it contribute to the spatial character of the place it occupies?
• the production of the murals. How does the designing, the making, and the financing of the murals contribute to their significance?
• the ideas represented in the mural. How do specific images, compositional strategies, and/or techniques represent these ideas?

The following briefs, accessible on-line through the ISU Art on Campus program, will help you get started, but you should refer to at least one additional non-web-based source for information.

http://www.museums.iastate.edu/AOCFactSheetsPDF/g.wood-tillage.pdf
http://www.museums.iastate.edu/AOCFactSheetsPDF/g.wood-sod.pdf


ESSAY SPECIFICATIONS

Format: The essay should be typed, 1.5 line spacing, 11-point Times New Roman, with 1"
margins throughout (left, right, top and bottom). The essay should be no shorter than 750 words minimum and must not exceed two pages in length. It must be printed in 8.5"x11" (letter size) format. References, notes, and bibliography/works cited may be on a third page (stapled).

Citations: If you are citing specific sources, your essay must include a bibliography citing all
sources; see Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1998), available at the Parks Library Reference
Desk, call number: PN147. G444 1998.

Identification: Please put your 9-digit ISU student ID number at the top of your essay (each
sheet).

Hard copies: You are required to submit as many hard copies as the number of programs you are applying to. For example, if you are applying to three different programs, you should bring three copies of your essay to Room 462, College of Design. The hard copies must be submitted together with your portfolio and must comply with the specifications described above. The essay must be printed front and back (double-sided) on plain 8.5"x11" paper. If you use a third page for notes or bibliography, it must be stapled.
Important note: No printers in the College of Design will allow double-sided printing, so plan ahead.

Digital version: You are also required to upload your essay on the application form Web site
(http://secure.design.iastate.edu/CORE) prior to submitting your portfolio. The file must be named only with your 9-digit ISU number (for example "123456789.doc"): no spaces or dashes.

Plagiarism: Please refer to the "Policies and Practices" chapter of the ISU Student Information Handbook, Section XIII "Academic Dishonesty," for a description of what constitutes plagiarism: (http://www.dso.iastate.edu/handbook/PoliciesPract.pdf, pp. 18-20). Any violation will disqualify you from the admission review and may result in University action.