Tierney

How Asking Questions Affects the Outcome of Artwork

by

Mimi Tierney

A Proposal Submitted to Winthrop University

Winthrop University

Winthrop University College of Visual and Performing Arts

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Introduction

Recently, I have noticed that in my art making process asking myself open ended

questions is a frequent action. Pages of my sketchbooks and journals are covered with questions,

whether they are about the materials I am using, the concept I am trying to achieve, or the stuff I

am dealing with outside of the art work. All these questions get written together, so I want to find

out what kind of correlation they have to one another, if any. I believe that these questions have

some effect on my end product. Through my research I want to explore my artistic process from

beginning to end and see what role questions play.

​The Purpose of the Study/Significance

The overall purpose of my research is to investigate how generating questions affect the

outcomes of my art work. I want to explore my own art practice and the “why?” behind the act of

asking questions because I am a future art teacher. Understanding my own operations when

problem solving in my artistic practice may help me formulate how I want to operate my future

classroom.

Literature Review

In order to understand how questions play a role in my own art practice I will consult

others on this topic. Reviewing the Visual Thinking Strategy formula of conversing about art as

well as the book,​ How To Talk To Children About Art,​ will be my stepping stones of how

questions can formulate further discussion and deeper knowledge about a topic. I also want to

investigate the autonomy and ownership asking questions can provide in the process of thinking

creatively.
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Throughout my research process I will be reviewing literature surrounding the ideas of

asking questions and artography. Using resources about Visual Thinking Strategies and the

power of asking questions will further my understanding of my own artistic process. To guide

my research, I will turn to literature discussing the structure and importance of artography.

Methodology

Using a qualitative approach to my research, I will be looking at my artistic process

through the perspective of an Artographer. Artography can be described as blurring the lines

between artist, researcher, and teacher. These three titles can be argued to constantly work

together fluidly and learn from one another. Using this methodology in my research, I will be

examining my sketchbooks, blog posts, journals, and notes from the past two years of my

College Education. Using the lens of artography I will be looking at these materials as an artist,

researcher, and teacher, to better understand how questions play a role in my artistic process.

Data Collection/Data Generation

My journals, blogs, and sketchbooks will serve as the source of my data. The actual data I

will be collecting is the questions I ask throughout my artistic process. I will collect these

questions into a document and sort through them. Categorizing these questions will be the most

vital part of my research. Using these materials, I will examine the questions I ask myself in the

midst of problem solving.

Research Design and Procedures

Categorizing these questions will be the most vital part of my research. Using these

materials, I will examine the questions I ask myself in the midst of problem solving. After

collecting the questions, I will be able to sift through them to separate meaningful and impactful
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questions and those I was just asking in the midst of a thought. Taking these questions and

categorizing them by time, audience, type, and relationship, I will be able to decipher how the

way I ask questions affect the end result of my works of art. Finding a way to understand how I

use questions to push myself as an artist will allow me to understand the way I solve problems,

in order to become a better teacher.

Timeline and Budget

The research and writing will take a total of nine weeks to complete. I will be using

materials that I have already written and created to base my research off of so I do not need a

budget to conduct my research.