Prompt: Use Klosterman’s article as a guide to explore any form of artistic expression. Choose a popular artist in a genre you enjoy, whether it be a form of music, film, literature, fashion, technology or other area of creative innovation.
Create a thesis that argues for the enduring popularity of his or her work.
Analyze this person's career:
What have they contributed
Why is it valuable?
Apply Klosterman’s concepts to your analysis and argue in favor of the enduring importance of this person's work:
Why will people of the future will remember this individual as the representative of an entire genre of creativity?
Explain why the artist of your choosing is “the John Philips Sousa” of his or her genre (like the way Klosterman argues that Sousa represents all of marching band music and Bob Marley represents all of reggae).
You may select a popular figure in any of the following fields:
Literature— a story writer, novelist, poet or playwright
Music— a popular musician in any genre
Cinema or Television— an actor, director, creator, or producer
Print media— a traditional or photo journalist
Fashion— a fashion designer
Visual Art: photographer, painter, sculpturer, or street artist
Technology—a game, app, or software designer
Essential Questions
As you analyze, consider the following questions. In the process of considering these questions, you should conduct significant research to become better informed about possible topics.
How does this person promote specific values?
How is this person's work representative of wider social assumptions that are reproduced and circulated and/or published, including the scope and method of circulation?
How is the person's work experienced or interpreted?
How does this person's work contribute to and actively shape cultural ideals and expectations?
How does this person's work support or revise conventional ideas, practices, or expectations?
How does this person's work create meaning?
How does this person's work participate in influencing the formation of personal or group identity?
What is this person's role in society?
What essential elements of its form (visual or textual composition, style, presentation) contribute to creating meaning in this form of expression?
How does this person's work adhere to conventions of a larger genre or category? (the “genre” may be action movies, men’s magazines, etc.)
After considering these guiding questions, determine which question or questions lead you to develop an insightful and informed interpretation of the significance of this person's contributions to his or her field.