The Studio Research Proposal is a written paper which outlines a plan for a body of work that you wish to produce. It should reflect a considerable amount of research and it must be written in a formal, structured style – i.e. paragraphs, not dot points. See below for structure details.

This Proposal will act as a plan for your work in current Project It will also contextualise the work that you have produced to date in last Studio Project . When formulating your proposal, please be mindful (and realistic) about what you can achieve in one study period.

Proposal Guidelines:

A 1,800-2,000 word paper, which includes 6 contextualising images that are relevant to your main topic/themes/artworks.

Your paper should be clearly written and referenced according to the Chicago Notes and Bibliography Referencing System guide.

The proposal should be structured to include the following material (please use these headings when writing your proposal):

Project Description / Topic / Question
Materials and Methods
Artefact and Literature Review
Bibliography
More information on these sections/headings can be found in the Proposal Structure overview video in the yellow section below.

Assessment:

Assessment will be based on your ability to

clearly articulate a research topic
identify, describe and integrate various strands of research from a range of academic sources and formats
identify artists who share similar conceptual, formal and / or technical concerns to your own, including an analysis of differences and similarities to their work
situate your self-directed research within wider contemporary art and cultural fields
communicate ideas and information clearly
Use appropriate images and visual analysis to support your written argument
apply correct and consistent referencing
How will this task help me in my contemporary art studies?

Being able to undertake self-directed research and develop this into a proposal for future action is an important skill and allows us to frame our studio investigations as an ongoing research process. These are important skills for any artist, and will be vital for those who wish to undertake further study (honours and postgraduate research).

Furthermore, this process allows you to place your work in a dialogue with key currents of contemporary art practice and related theory, which expands the scope of how the work might operate in the world. This increases the potential relevance of your work and maximises potential audiences.