Syllabus

Course Description

This course is an introduction to artistic practice and aesthetic analysis. Students are inspired to communicate their ideas and experiences though various two-dimensional, three-dimensional and time based media, including sculpture, installation, performance and video. Projects evolve through stages of conceptual and material development to final presentation and critical discussion. Lectures, visiting artist presentations, field trips and readings supplement studio practice, providing an index to the historical, cultural and environmental forces that affect both the development of artistic vision and the reception of the work of art.

The course meets twice a week for three hours each session for a total of 12 units of credit. A minimum of six hours per week outside class work is expected. At least three studio projects must be completed for the course of study. You are required to prepare a written one-page statement for each project. Readings are assigned to provide a historical and theoretical framework for each studio project. You are required to keep a sketch book/journal (unlined) for this class.

Student Presentation

Present the work on an artist whose work relates to the idea of a body extension, the manipulation of time, or is designed to exist in the public realm (see also provided list). Presentations should include background information about the artist and place the work in an art historical context. How you present the artist's work is important to our understanding of it. You may want to practice beforehand. Length: 10 minutes.

Evaluations

Assessment and critique of your studio projects will take place through:

• Individual conferences with professor and TA (in class or during office hours)
• In-class work-in-progress reviews
• A final critique where comments from the previous assessments will figure into a more complete/cohesive final project

Grading

Grading will be based on: concept and execution of individual projects, class participation, personal investment in and commitment to your work, and demonstrated growth over the course of the semester. Completion of all projects is required for a passing grade, as is regular attendance. Unexcused absences will automatically lower a grade by 1/2 a letter grade per absence.

Materials

You are responsible for obtaining most of your own materials. The bulk of the lab fee covers printing costs for handouts and certain basic materials which the program will buy in bulk, and which are available to everyone (for example, plaster and some molding compounds) as well as upkeep of shop tools.