Personal Values Art Project


Deliverable: This project consists of:

1) An artwork that connects a topic from this semester with your own values and ethics.

2) An artist statement: A 1 page (max) write-up of the topical issue, a reflection of how your own values connect to this topic.

Purpose of Project:

a. To develop and express your core values.

b. To learn to professionally express and explain ideas.

Theme: Business, Society and the Environment in our time.

The coronavirus pandemic has been a complete part of our daily lives.

From lockdowns and shelter-in-place, to job losses, job changes, family concerns, health concerns, travel concerns, and every conceivable re-allocation of priorities, our world suddenly changed.

Online interaction has become more important than ever. The weaknesses of government, the cruelties of business, and the inadequacy of just-in-time global supply chains are made clear when the whole world stops.

At the same time, there have been moments of hope and inspiration. Healthcare and emergency workers work heroically under extremely stressful conditions. Proactive government leadership helped flatten the curve in countries around the world and has taken courage. Proactive business leadership that accommodates employee hardship takes a willingness to look beyond the short term.  Many small businesses have shown a deep commitment to their local communities. The rallying cries of protest movements: Black Lives Matter have offered us glimpses into the strengths of individuals, community and a hopeful future.

This semester, we looked at the relationships between business, government, society and the natural environment. Topics included:  The Corporation and its Stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility. Business and the Local Community. Business and Ethics. Business and Globalization. Business and the Natural Environment. Business and Public Policy. Technology, Society and Privacy.

From this vast list of topics, think about a specific topic/concern that resonated with you. How might you showcase your personal values in relation to this topic? How might you represent this topic, and create a personally meaningful work of art?

Part 1: Part one is an artistic representation of your professional values statement. This piece of art should be a reflection on our class activities/topics so far and should include a manifestation of your moral philosophy. This assignment can take many forms and be as complex as you’d like to make it.

By creating an artistic rendering of your professional values, you give your workplace values more thought and take the exercise seriously. The end result can be whatever you’d like it to be.

Students have created: Poems, drawings/paintings (From charcoal, water-colors, crayon, to pencil sketches), collages, digital art-work, sculpture, papier-maché sculptures.

Note: Please use materials you have at home, at your disposal. You are in no way required to go to a store or to purchase additional materials. You can certainly create digital artworks, spoken word pieces, poems, collages or other forms of art that utilize the tools at hand.

Part 2: The second part is a reflection on your artistic piece. The assignment is a succinct 1 page personal values statement.

You should cite a specific topic in the text and at least 2 other legitimate reference sources in your reflection. Please use APA format for the citations. The format of the assignment can vary. Students often submit assignments in these forms: (1) a label or accompanying explanation of your art; 2) “All-employee” memos from a CEO; (3) Newspaper editorials; (4) Public speeches; (5) Values statements for your actual business