If you would like feedback and your grade, please email me. Include your artist statement and influences.
Otherwise I assume you are not concerned.
Course Description
Visual Thinking II is the second semester study of conceptual development that was started in Visual Thinking I. This series of courses investigates the relationship between ideas and creative practices. Visual Thinking II will focus on developing a personal statement both in the written/spoken and visual language. This course is also an online course and the student is expected to have or develop computer skills which will assist in research and project development.
Course goals:
1. The student will develop an attitude where work is initiated by ideas and not media and consequently to develop and evaluate work which can transcend media barriers.
2. The student will be introduced to key issues in Contemporary Art and develop creative responses, in order to establish a strong working relationship between theoretical studies and studio practice.
3. The student will be exposed to various research practices and establish her or his own personal research procedure which will inform their work. Evidence of this will involve a record of process in a working diary.
4. The student will develop written artist statements which accurately and openly describe the mission of the work produced in class. Also the student will write a 4 page paper describing, analyzing, and comparing work to to the student's own work and objectives.
5. The student will investigate the process of self evaluation and gain an awareness of how their work fits in the context of society as well as satisfy the communication goals of the artist.
Class Text:
Art on the Edge and Over, Linda Weintraub.
Attendance Policy:
100% Attendance is mandatory and critical.
You must complete every assignment and prepared for an interactive discussion on the due date. Your performance and contribution to the class dynamics will suffer each time you miss a session. If you miss more than two weeks of class for any reason you should expect a grade of C- or below. If you miss the demonstrations or slide lectures due to tardiness, you can consider yourself absent. Arrive 5 minutes early to class NOT 15 minutes late.
Incompletes are granted only on extreme emergency basis. Death of a parent or spouse, or severe illness. If other relatives are sick or daycare is going badly and you cannot attend class--seek a withdrawal status. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST WEEK OF CLASS TO WORK OUT YOUR REASONS FOR NOT ATTENDING CLASS. IF YOUR HAS BEEN SUFFERING ALL ALONG, THIS IS A MAJOR FACTOR IN JUSTIFYING AN INCOMPLETE. GOOD WORK AND ATTENDANCE UP UNTIL THE "EVENT" WILL BE IN YOUR FAVOR.
Course Requirements:
1.100% Attendance is mandatory and critical. Absences will greatly affect your grade and performance. More than 2 weeks absent and you will receive a grade of C- or less.
2. Constant maintenance of working diaries which will include research and responses to art events such as exhibition openings, thesis I and II critiques and lectures and exhibitions.
3. Completed assignments. Background work must be submitted as part of the diary or in conjunction with completed assignments. Late assignments will not be accepted.
4. Active, thoughtful participation in class critiques and discussions are a major criteria for this class.
All critiques must be attended. The final critique is on April 17.
If you anticipate your absence from this final, please make prior arrangements or take a failure.
Class and Studio Rules:
- No beepers or cell phones.
- Clean up your mess and contribute to the general upkeep of the studio (part of the profession!) shut lights off and lock door if you are last to leave.
- No disrespectful remarks.
- Be ready to participate in class with the appropriate materials.
- Remove projects after critiques. Evaluation:
Evaluation will be based on the student's attainment of the objectives stated above. Most importantly I will look for the creative content; the technical execution and the amount of research (working diary) put into the student work. Progressive development, commitment and class participation as stated in the goals are important factors in evaluating the performance in this class. Again attendance is mandatory. Failure to attend critiques and final assessment session will result in failure of the class. A C- or less will be assigned to students who miss two weeks or more of class.
A-Outstanding work and effort in and outside of class. Attended and participated in all class sessions.
B-Very Good work and effort, clearly above the minimum requirements
C-Good... average work, meeting all requirements
D-Below average and contributing less than the required effort
F- Not enough work to justify credit for the course
Academic Misconduct: Cheating is the unauthorized use of books, notes, aids or assistance from any other person with respect to examinations, course assignments, field service reports, class recitations or possession of examination papers or course materials whether originally authorized or not.
Plagiarism consisting of deliberates use and appropriation of the source and the passing off of such work as the student's own. Any student found guilty of violating academic integrity shall be subjected to procedures and penalties set forth by university policy.
See me if you do not understand something or are having difficulties. I am here to help you work out solutions.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Working Diary: reviewed midterm and at the end of term
Your working diary is one of the most important requirements of this course, and will count for 25% of your final grade.
This working diary will be in your hands during class and will be graded on whether or not the following are in it. I am not flexible on this. This is NOT a place to practice drawing it is a thought/concept building process. Think of it as a research paper with out the final paper as a product. It is a gathering of information. If the purpose of this working diary is unclear--please contact me and show me examples of your work before it is too late!
Printed out copy of this syllabus.
Creative observations in both text and visual from both in and out of class.
Record day to day working procedures.
Studio sessions
Lecture notes
Responses to exhibitions,
Artist interviews seen in class material as well as out of class lectures.
Out of class events or activities that influence your work.
Responses to your work: How you did it? How is it successful? How could it be improved? Did it fail? Do you
want to try a new direction?
Media considerations to best communicate your concept.
Working out a coherent artist statement and purpose.
Anything this is relevant to the development of your visual vocabulary.
The mission of the requirement of the working diary is to encourage you to record and dialog with yourself about the direction and
intention of your work in progress. This dialog with yourself will serve you well in brainstorming and problem solving any project
you will undertake. The development of this discipline is crucial in the development of the academically trained professional artist.
Diaries will be graded at midterm and the end of the term. I will ask for them sooner to make sure they are developing, as they
should.
"The sketchbook is fundamental to art. For the artist, it functions as accomplice, confidante, and co-conspirator. It doubles and triples as
a diary, commonplace book and idea bank. And it is a forcing house in which little nothings, set down in a sketchbook, may one day
reappear as big somethings. The sketchbook keeps pace with the artist, moment by moment, and year by year. When called upon to do so, it
stays on duty all day and all night, never complaining. It is there to remind, to console, and to preserve. It is the looking glass in which a
whole lifetime can be culled up for consultation. How can we wonder that the artist is rare who can get along without a sketchbook?"
John Russell, NYTimes art critic.
Projects:
Project format:
1. Each project is 3 weeks in length.
2. One week after the start of project the student must submit a plan and a written artist statement which predicts the outcome and intent. Evidence of research will also take place. This research will consist of material collected in working diary. A photocopy of this work will be presented to the instructor at this time.
3. Week two will show evidence of the making and materials problems.
4. Week three the completed project is presented with an oral and written statement. The written statement must be ready for a professional presentation. Ask me if you are unsure of what that is.
One of these projects must be presented in the Installation box. Sign up for that spot as soon as possible.
1/8 Introduction
1/15 slide presentation working diary exercises/research session.
1/22 video Liza Lou/ slide/ planning session
1/29 Obsession Project due. Woman made show
2/5 slide presentation cattle text
2/12 Media and Popular Culture/ research session
2/19 Video/ planning session
2/26 Infiltration/ Interaction Project due.
3/5 Personal time layers prep/research session
3/12 student research in artists in this category/planning session
3/19 Spring Break
3/26 Personal Time Layers Due
4/2 slides discussion/research session
4/9 video discussion/planning session
4/16 Final Self as Source/curated catalog --Working Diary
Obsession project: Look at Liza Lou, Kusama, folk artists, Kiki Smith , Chris Ofili
Infiltration/ Interaction: Paul McCarthy, Mike Kelly, Anselm Kiefer, Joseph Beuys, Wolfgang Liab. Jimmie Durham. James Luna, Guiermo Gomez Pena.
This project calls upon a more subtle and nontraditional exhibition space. The goal of this project takes away more layers of the barriers between the formal gallery and life.
Essay on Beuys from " Thinking is Form" by Museum of Modern Art
Personal Time Layers Tracy Emin, Ray Johnson, Andreas Gursky, Jeff Wall, Orlan
Start to incorporate the usual medium in which you are choosing to show in your BFA exhibition, However the presentation will show time or layers. This of course should be viewed openly as perhaps physical layers or abstract time. The artists above should be thoroughly investigated as more that you can research out of your readings of your text or periodicals found in the library.
Self as Source
Create a work in a medium that you are fluid in using your self as the source of inspiration, information. The presentation and conceptual meaning of your work should evolve into a thoughtful and intentional work. Then include this work in a curated catalog of a show curated by you.
You must write the proposal and find 15-20 other artists and their images that you would like to be included with you in this exhibition. This catalog will be presented in book form and must be typed on a computer. Images can be scanned or photocopied.
Final grade on working diary.
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