Course Description
This semester course is specifically geared to senior students who will be applying to college and majoring in the visual arts. Focus will be placed on subject-specific portfolio development and independent study in the artistic area of choice. Students approved for this course by the department are required to have an advanced knowledge of, and ability to render accordingly, the fundamental elements and principles of art and visual communication; this course is NOT designed to educate in these areas.
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to self-assess their own work, present a polished portfolio, participate in professional portfolio reviews, discuss their work on a highly articulate and conceptual level, and be prepared to apply to colleges that are appropriate for further education in their field of study.
Course Content
Studio classwork will take place on a daily basis before, during, and after one-on-one teacher-student guidance in order to establish the personal, academic, and creative direction of the individual and the appropriate preparation of the portfolio. Daily homework will be assigned to the specific developmental needs of individual students. Therefore, homework is completely different for each student. For the semester final exam students are required to present a professional 20-PIECE PORTFOLIO, a typewritten ARTIST'S STATEMENT, and a fully completed SKETCHBOOK. Contents of the portfolio will vary depending on the student's desired college major.
Grading and Assessment
Formative student-completed assessments of their own work will be discussed with the teacher daily in order to provide information on specific and overall progress, effort, and quality of work relating to what was assigned the day before. For example, these assessments could be in the form of a written critique or a grading rubric, depending on the current stages of the portfolio and of the artwork.
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UNIT 1: Developing a Portfolio. Duration: 4 weeks. Topics: Personal Style as it Pertains to the Visual Arts. Objectives: Analyze past and current work. Identify visual and conceptual consistencies in the work to determine whether or not a certain style is present or if it appears to be developing, and why. Rationale: Introduce the process of maintaining a successful college career as an artist in the discipline of choice, followed by long-term life goals as a creator, and then reflect and write about it. Food for Thought: If art, in one way, is the manipulation of lines, then forms of writing (printed or otherwise) must then be considered art forms. Project: Artist Statement. Duration: Ongoing, with weekly draft deadlines (maximum 8 weeks). Description: A short document written by the artist that provides a window into the artists world. It describes the artists creative process, philosophy, vision, and passion. It enlightens and engages while at the same time giving the audience the freedom to draw their own conclusions. An artists statement reads smoothly, is informative, and adds to the understanding of the artist and their work. Materials: Sketchbook used for notes, ideas, methods, and planning.
Prior Knowledge: Writing skills, vocabulary, and grammar.
UNIT 2: Preliminary Assessments of the Portfolio. Duration: 4 weeks. Topics: Visual Communication of Specific Concepts in Self-Expression. Objectives: Daily, formative teacher-student assessments with discussion of students area of focus, and goals for their own work are emphasized. Edit the body of work to include only what is necessary for a specific college major. Rationale: Direct one-on-one feedback and resources from the teacher on a daily basis further develop the needs of the portfolio. Food for Thought: There is an intimacy that occurs when you construct your own materials on which to paint; the materials become yours. Project: Self-Portrait. Duration: Ongoing, with daily progress assessments (maximum 4 weeks). Description: Define yourself in one word, and then illustrate that word using a medium specific to teacher instruction based on individual portfolio needs. Follow Mr. DeVito's Method for Creative Problem Solving. Materials: Sketchbook, Newsprint Pad 18x24 (for ideas and planning). Prior Knowledge: The elements and principles of design.
UNIT 3: Refinement of the Portfolio for Presentation. Duration: 4 weeks. Topics: Traditional and Contemporary Portfolio Presentation. Objectives: Deciding on Appropriate Additions to the Body of Work / Final Editing of Individual Pieces / How to Mount and Print Copies of Your Work for Presentation. Rationale: Visual art is about the structure of spatial relationships. Food for Thought: Cezanne caused a revolution for the ways in which we see color. It is through the most elemental and mundane objects that he showed the power of color relationships. The direction of a painting is shown in the way the paint moves off your tool and onto the surface. M.C. Escher said that, "if we are going to construct a universe, it should be completely convincing." There is always meaning in a painting or piece of artwork, even if it is not meant to have a meaning. This means that having no meaning is its meaning. Project: The Hundred-Pager (Part One). Duration: Ongoing, with daily progress assessments (4 weeks). Description: In a new 8.5 x 11-inch sketchbook, complete 2 pages per day. Fill the space with drawings, doodles, designs, and a photocopy (or actual cut-out page) of something you have read that day. Materials: Sketchbook. Prior Knowledge: The elements and principles of design.
UNIT 4: Structured Self-Evaluation and Reflection. Duration: 4 weeks. Topics: Sketchbook and Journal Benefits as You Move Forward / The Social, Societal, and Cultural Contributions of Your Art. Objectives: The needs of the inner artist are further developed and nourished by daily one-on-one feedback and resources from the teacher. Rationale: True art happens when you capture the mystical aspects of every day life. It is through meditation that inner truth is achieved. Furthermore, success in art is the ability to connect with the thoughts, ideas, and emotions of todays generation. Food for Thought: Art is a search for the truth. Art is an offering of what you choose to share about yourself with the world. Paul Cezanne once said that, "if you should happen to die in the middle of painting, your painting should contain its completion." An artistic mark can convey a meaning beyond itself. Leonardo da Vinci said, "To be a true artist, you must know the forms of everything on earth in all their infinite variety." Project: The Hundred-Pager (Part Two). Duration: Ongoing, with daily progress assessments (4 weeks). Description: In a new 8.5 x 11-inch sketchbook, complete 3 pages per day, every day, with one full page of written journal reflection. With the rest of your pages for that day you are to fill the space with drawings, doodles, designs, and a photocopy (or actual cut-out page) of something you have read that day. Materials: Sketchbook. Prior Knowledge: The elements and principles of design, writing skills, vocabulary, and grammar.
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