Make an appointment with Bill Maguire to sort out your graduating status.  Do this prior to enrollment.  (During Thesis I would be ideal)

Course Description:

Thesis and Portfolio is designed to be the conclusive course of the Bachelor of Fine Art major’s program at Florida International University.  Thesis 2 is the second of a year-long preparation for the graduation exhibition.
 
This course should be taken only when the student is assured that his/her work is developed to an exceptional level.  Fulfillment of course requirements is not an automatic conformation of this achievement.  Faculty consensus is necessary for registration.  The content includes an exhibition, thesis paper, and an oral critique.  Although procedure may vary depending upon the individual and the faculty member, the standards of excellence are consistent in the expectation that the work for exhibition, the installation process itself, the thesis and the oral critique will be of professional quality.  Although the entire educational experience at F.I.U. should be directed at conclusion, Thesis and Portfolio will provide the opportunity for the student and the professor (mentor) in the student’s studio major to dedicate a full, directed-study, and final semester’s course to the realization of this objective. 

Any time we are collaborating with the Art museum staff, you are to be professional, prompt and prepared for what ever is expected.  Failure to show up for installation will result in your expulsion from the exhibition. Death, severe illnesses will be the only excuse.  When you are to install at 9:00am you are there and your work is installation ready.  Please withdraw from this course now if you anticipate not being able to comply with these terms.

 

Goals

This course seeks to prepare the art student for professional skills in art business, exhibition procedures, museum customs and expectations.  Also this course will put into practical practice thoughtful and researched skills in oral and written articulation of the artist’s intent and vision.

This is a group exhibition not a one-person show.  The goal of this group is to mount an exhibition that is designed well and is professionally presented.  Another goal of this group is to work together and form networking relationships that encourage growth and healthy competition. 

 

Required Reading

The Practical Handbook for the Emerging Artist,  second ed.  Margaret R. Lazzari
Thesis Writer’s Handbook, Miller and Taylor,  ( $1.20 used on Amazon.com)

Recommended Reading

Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art:  A Source book of Artists’ Writing, Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz

Attendance and Course Requirements

Regular class attendance is mandatory. Excessive absences and tardiness will adversely affect your final grades. Work reviews with full faculty are held on Fridays.  The week of the exhibition is intensely demanding.  MAKE ARRANAGEMENTS TO DEVOTE FULL TIME DURING THESE PERIODS!  Class will begin promptly at 5pm. If you miss a class, see your classmates or myself.  If you anticipate schedule problems of any kind see me now. 

Any time we are collaborating with the Art museum staff, you are to be professional, prompt and prepared for what ever is expected.  Failure to show up for installation will result in your expulsion from the exhibition. Death, severe illnesses will be the only excuse.  When you are to install at 9:00am you are there and your work is installation ready.  Please withdraw from this course now if you anticipate not being able to comply with these terms.

Procedures:
This class will contain a series of seminars and workshops relevant to the needs of a professional artist. Three full faculty reviews will be had to assess your development.  The new mentoring program is also an important resource. 
Contact your mentor before the reviews to prepare yourself for these intense presentations.  Also work with your mentors on your written statements and thesis paper.   The individual help will vastly boost your chances having your intentions understood.

No work will be installed until it is seen finished by me. At the second review the work must be installation ready.  Failure to have your work at this finished stage will make you ineligible for exhibiting.

 

Thesis:

Throughout the semester there are deadlines for different parts of the thesis.  This paper is a typed, short research paper, which will include a statement of intent, discussion of origin and processes, and decision-making involved in the production their work, followed up by a conclusion.  You will be provided with guidelines and will write drafts for each section for editing.  The complete revised draft will be given to your major professor (mentor) and me for feedback.  The final paper will be copied for each faculty member for assessment and included in your final packet.

 

 

Packet:

Two weeks before the final orals, the student will provide each faculty member with a packet containing their thesis paper, resume, cover letter, at least 10 slides, business card, slide list, or CD(format will be discussed) any supporting material and SASE.  This will set you up for applying to grad school, grants or galleries.

Expectations:
The artwork produced by the Thesis 2 student must reflect their personal vision.  The artist’s statement is to be thoughtful and articulate as well as the well-researched and sourced thesis.  There are several due dates that must be met with the museum.  The success of the exhibition depends on the adherence to those deadlines.  Since our program is not obligated to exhibit your work, the result of not having finished work, wall text, statements and being absent for installation may result in your work not being exhibited.  Each student that acknowledges that this information was disseminated and understood will sign a contract.

The students are expected to dialog with each other and through the critique process, question each other’s vision and products of that vision.

As stated in the Frost Museum’s contract, YOU MUST REVIEW YOUR INSTALLATION PROCEEDURES WITH THE MUSEUM STAFF. (SAFETY ISSUES MUST BE WORKED OUT!)

 

Materials:
For discussion sessions, you may want to take notes for future reference.  Materials for exhibition will be discussed individually with me, your mentors and museum staff.

 

 

Evaluation:
Mentors of the students will also provide feedback, however the professor of this course determines the final assessment grade.  All of the components of this course are graded separately and averaged together. 

• Mentors must read your paper for suggestions before the final publication.
• Participation in the class
• Packet
• Exhibition and process

The only grade given in the course is the final grade.  If the student wishes to know his/her grade status at any point during the course, he/she should discuss the issue with the instructor.  The final grade is a result of averaging the assessments granted by the entire faculty.  Considered in the assessment are the professional abilities, oral and written yield of the student as well as the outcome of the museum exhibition.

• Attendance, active and informed class participation in critiques and on time completion of assignments.
•  Quality of planned and completed projects.  Presentation, risk taking, conceptual development, physically compelling composition and an engaged dialog with the instructor. ( This is not a correspondence course.)
• Prepared for class discussions, reading and  other related research is checked in working design books and statements of intent.
• If you do not attend the final critique--automatic F  will be awarded. (unless prior arrangements have been discussed.)
• Evaluation will be based on the student's attainment of the objectives stated above, and on the fulfillment of responsibilities of student as stated

      above, through demonstration and practical application. Again attendance is mandatory.
A  Outstanding work and effort in and outside of class
  B  Very Good work and effort, clearly above the minimum requirements
        C  Average work, meeting all requirements, did projects and attendended classes.
        D Below average and contributing less than the required effort
        F Not enough work or participation to justify credit for the course missed midterm and           final critique.

 Academic Misconduct: Cheating is the unauthorized use of books, notes, aids or assistance from any other person with respect of examinations, course assignments, field service reports, class recitations or possession of examination papers or course material whether originally authorized or not. Plagiarism consisting of deliberate 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.