User talk:Abbeykobrien

Working Bibliography

Folgarait, Leonard (1987). So Far From Heaven: David Alfaro Siqueiros’ The March of Humanity and Mexican Revolutionary Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521330610. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |author link= (help)
Fulton, Christopher (2009). "Siqueiros against the Myth: Paeans to Cuauhtémoc, Last of the Aztec Emperors". Oxford Art Journal. 32 (1): 69–73.
Herrara, Juan Carlos Arias (2014). "From the Screen to the Wall: Siqueiros and Eisenstein in Mexico". Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos. 30 (2): 421–445.
Anreus, Alejandro; Folgarait, Leonard; Greeley, Robin Adele (2012), Mexican Muralism: a Critical History, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 9780520271623 {{citation}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |chapterurl= and |month= (help)
Schonberg, Harold C. (November 21, 1968), "Siqueiros, 72, Doing Biggest Mural", New York Times, p. 40

Outline

One of the main things that I want to expand on is the Site section of Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros. In this section, I want to add to what the author has already written by giving a detailed explanation of the outer wall mural.
Perhaps the section that needs the most added is the section about Siqueiros' mural "The March of Humanity" in the section Foro Universal and Siqueiros Mural. This mural was a pretty big deal, and a lot of the scholarship that I am looking at discusses it in-depth as either the pinnacle or low point of Siqueiros' career (Interesting, I know...that is saved for another section!). At any rate, this would be a great place to expand on the iconographic program of the mural from a neutral perspective.
I would like to add my own section to the page about Reception and Criticism. There are a lot of mixed reactions to Siqueiros' mural (as I discussed above), and I think that it would be useful for viewers of the page to know about the debate going on about the mural's meaning and overall success.
I also think that the History section needs to be seriously beefed up, for the Polyforum was commissioned during a very dark time in Mexican history. Mexico had essentially reverted back socioeconomically to the pre-revolutionary Porfiriato-esque government, and the plaza was created to encourage tourism to boost the economy. Also, days before the mural was supposed to be unveiled, the government (who commissioned the Polyforum) killed over 500 protesting students in one of the biggest massacres of all time. There are a lot of super shady details about the Mexican government during this era that are very important to understanding the story of the work-which, though albeit dark, deserves to be discussed because it is so integral to the work's meaning.

Questions

At this point, I am wondering if it is ok to delete something that was written by another person to allow for a more thorough explanation in "better terms." Because I think that this page was initially written in Spanish and translated, I see the need for better, more eloquent writing in several instances. However, I don't want to overstep my bounds and go on a changing frenzy because I do think that the previous author added a great deal of useful information, and I do not want to take that away from him/her! It seems like a tough call right now, and I am hoping you could help guide me a bit on this issue. Thanks!!!

Abbeykobrien (talk) 22:11, 18 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This is a great question, which goes to the heart of Wikipedia etiquette. Generally, it is recommended that changes be made in small increments, and that you write a note on the talk page of any major contributors, letting them know what you're planning. The "University Course" banner will also help - but ultimately nothing can keep someone else from editing out your work. However, it's best to approach this with lots of good will. Copy editing (for fluency, diction, grammar and more) is an important part of Wikipedia too, and some Wikipedians focus exclusively on it. If you're worried about any more specific cases, contact Midwestcuttlefish for tips. Aolivex (talk) 15:37, 23 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Other resources

There is a professor in our department who focusses on Latin American modernism; if you get stuck on anything let me know. I can reach out to her and ask for tips. 136.142.104.29 (talk) 14:32, 17 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hi! I assume that you are referring to Jennifer Josten, and if so, you'll be glad to know that she is currently advising my thesis and has helped me with a lot of material. Thanks so much for the suggestion! Abbeykobrien (talk) 14:42, 17 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Terrific! She has been a wonderful help to me too so far. I'm glad you have access to this valuable "resource."! Aolivex (talk) 15:37, 23 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Links to local proxies

Hi Abbeykobrien. I was tidying up the formatting to your changes on Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros when I noticed that one of your references had a link to a Pitt proxy for the url. While we want people to cite things where they got them, usually things we link to on portals are behind paywalls and a reader who isn't coming from the Pitt computer system won't see that paywall, they'll see a sorta confusing page explaining the proxy didn't find anything. So in general you will want to either link directly to the source (paywall or not) or in the case of newspapers, giving enough information for someone to verify the information on their own (date, page, paper, author, etc.) is enough.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work on this article. Looks like a nice start so far! Thanks, Adam (Wiki Ed) (talk) 15:47, 11 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Adam! Thanks so much for the feedback and useful suggestions-I will certainly take care of those! Abbeykobrien (talk) 14:39, 13 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Complete Bibliography

These sources are split between the pages for Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros and David Alfaro Siqueiros.
Brenner, Anita (1929). Idols Behind Altars. New York: Payson & Clark Ltd. pp. 244–259.
Folgarait, Leonard (1987). So Far From Heaven: David Alfaro Siqueiros’ The March of Humanity and Mexican Revolutionary Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hurlburt, Laurance (1989). The Mexican Muralists in the United States. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 210–213. ISBN 0826311342.
Hurlburt, Laurance (1976). "The Siqueiros Experimental Workshop: New York, 1936". Art Journal 35 (3): 237–246. doi:10.1080/00043249.1976.10793284
Polyforum Siqueiros | Conocenos | Nosotros". polyforumsiqueiros.com.mx. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
Riding, Alan (June 20, 1971), "Siqueiros: Ten Years and a Polyforum Later", New York Times: D22
Rogovin, Mark (1969). "The March of Humanity: An Expression in Public Art". Rhode Island School of Design Alumni Bulletin 26
Schonberg, Harold (November 21, 1968). "Siqueiros, 72, Doing Biggest Mural". New York Times.
Suárez y Suárez, Manuel (1975). Polyforum Cultural Siqueiros: Mexico. México: Poliforum Siqueiros.
"What is SFA | Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts". siqueirosfoundation.org. Retrieved 2015-04-10.