Truth be told, when I signed up for IAH 209, I never expected to walk out of the course with all the knowledge I had. Art classes in high school 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 had heard the phrase before but didn't know what it was. I took it for granted that contemporary art was another word for modern works of art. Even though I was partly right after this six-month course, I learned that there is much more behind it. My opinion began to develop as we started talking about art versus craft. I never considered 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 definitely broadened my appreciation of contemporary art. My favorite movement that we discussed was the Earthwork movement. I really appreciated that they use the earth as a medium and that the artworks are not hidden in a gallery but out in the open, allowing others to see them. My favorite artist who really made me appreciate contemporary art was Andy Goldsworthy, an Earthwork artist. I would have liked to discuss 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 look at it and see how he would use whatever medium he came across in the area he was working in. I particularly liked his egg-shaped rock sculptures because of his technique and the amount of patience he has to do his work. I also really liked the video, which showed his artwork photographed as it was at the time... in the middle of paper... but so far what I've understood, I really like it. I appreciated and accepted almost all the artworks and artists we discussed. I accept that in contemporary art there is no right answer to what they are doing. It doesn't matter, there will be people out there who love what they see and then there will be others who protest. I am a very open-minded person and my position in judging certain types of art is one of acceptance. I believe there is some sort of story behind most works of art, even if the artists didn't intend for it to have a story. I believe that after taking this course, I will be able to gather enough information when looking at a work of art and analyze it to the best of my ability. I believe I can accurately judge a work of art with good reasoning and whatever my opinion I will not be ashamed and people should not judge my theory.