CAT 1 Evaluation Rubric—Curation

“A” assignments are based on a carefully and creatively curated set of objects.  The objects selected are varied enough both to support a complex, insightful argument about the exhibition and to provide visual interest for visitors. The catalog essay makes a compelling claim about the overall significance of the exhibition and that claim is persuasively supported by detailed visual and rhetorical analysis of the individual objects. The essay is organized in a manner that supports the purpose of the catalog and satisfies or surpasses the expectations of the audience. The written and visual material from the catalog has been revised and adapted to suit the needs of visitors as they engage with the exhibition case.  The tone of the essay and brochure are appropriately neutral, and the language is exceptionally well crafted and clear. Words are used with economy and precision. Sentence structures are artfully used for specific purposes: simple declarative sentences may be used to emphasize general points, for example, while syntactically complex sentences may be used to articulate logical relationships. The writing has been carefully edited and is virtually free of errors in grammar, spelling or usage.

“B” assignments are based on a carefully curated set of objects. The objects selected are varied enough both to support a complex argument about the exhibition and to provide visual interest for visitors. The catalog essay makes a claim about the overall significance of the exhibition and that claim is persuasively supported by visual and rhetorical analysis of the individual objects.  The significance of one or two objects may be less fully developed than in the “A” essays. The essay is organized according to the conventions of this type of document and satisfies the expectations of the audience. The writer maintains a neutral point of view. The language of the entry is clear but may be either overly complex or too simple for the task. However, the writing has been carefully edited and has very few errors in grammar, spelling or usage. There may be a few mechanical difficulties or stylistic problems (which/that use, split infinitives, dangling modifiers, etc.), and the writer may make occasional problematic word choices or syntax errors.  

“C” assignments are based on a curated set of objects. The objects selected have a connecting thread, but they may not be as varied or compellingly combined as in “A” and “B” projects. The catalog essay makes a claim about the overall significance of the exhibition and that claim is supported by visual and rhetorical analysis of the individual objects.  The analysis of individual objects may be less developed, or the relevance of the analysis to the overall claim may occasionally be unclear.  The essay may occasionally depart from its organizational structure or may suffer from momentary lapses of coherence. The writer may occasionally struggle to maintain a neutral point of view. The language is clear and easy to read, but may be characterized by more frequent wordiness, unclear or awkward sentences, imprecise use of words, and some distracting grammatical errors (wrong verb tense, pronoun agreement, singular/plural errors, article use, preposition use, comma splice, etc.).

“D” assignments may be based on an incomplete or unconnected set of objects.  The catalog essay may make a claim about the significance of the objects, but this claim may be obvious or inadequately supported.  The analysis of individual objects may be inaccurate or unsupported. The essay may not have a clear organizing principle, or the organizing principle is inappropriate for the context.  The writer may depart from a neutral point of view or digress from one topic to another without developing ideas or terms. These assignments are often characterized by major grammatical or proofreading errors that indicate problems with Standard Written English (sentence construction, sentence fragments, etc.). The language may also be frequently weakened by colloquialisms, clichés, and hyperbolic statements or repeated inexact word choices.

 “F” assignments fail to meet any or all of the areas of competence outlined above.