To tell the truth, when I registered for IAH 209, I never imagined I would come out of the course with as much knowledge as I have. High school art classes were always fun and my teacher always encouraged us to appreciate art and the work of artists, but I never thought twice about it; the same goes for contemporary art. I've heard this expression before but didn't know what it was. I thought contemporary art was another word for modern works of art. Although I was partly right after that semester-long course, I learned that there was a lot more behind it. My opinion started to develop as soon as we started talking about art versus craft. I never thought there was a difference between the two and when we started discussing the differences it opened my eyes to art. We talked about a wide variety of artists, as well as movements that have definitely broadened my appreciation towards contemporary art. My favorite movement that we discussed was the Earthwork movement. I really liked the fact that they use earth as a medium and that the artwork is not hidden in a gallery but out in the open, allowing others to see the artwork. My favorite artist who really made me appreciate contemporary art was Andy Goldsworthy, who was an earthmoving artist. I wish we had discussed his work more in class, but the video, River and Tides, about his artwork was interesting to watch. Even though it was dated, it was fun to watch and see how he would use the medium he stumbled upon in the field he worked in. I particularly enjoyed his egg-shaped rock carvings because of his technique and the patience he has to do his work. I also loved in the video, that he shows his photographed artwork over time...... middle of paper ...... but so far what I have understood, I really appreciate it. I appreciated and accepted almost every piece of art and artist we discussed. I accept that in contemporary art there is no right answer to what they are doing. Regardless, there will be people who like what they see and there will be others who protest. I am a very open-minded person and my stance in judging certain types of art is acceptance. I believe there is some sort of story behind most works of art, even if the artists had no intention of having a story. I believe that after taking this course, I can gather enough information when looking at a piece of art and analyze it to the best of my ability. I believe that I can judge a work of art accurately with good reasoning and whatever my opinion, I will not be ashamed and people should not judge my theory..