This website is the syllabus for ART 101 Studio Art. Students are to use the information available here in tandem with this course’s Canvas page. This syllabus is delivered electronically so that you can access it on your computer, tablet, or cell phone. Please bookmark this page now.
Studying art is often wrongly thought of as an easy task. In part, this is because the discipline has to a certain extent embraced the aura of subjectivity, which unfortunately has led many people to conflate the notions of taste and quality. While the former relies entirely upon highly personal preferences, the latter is independent of preference. The distinction made in this point enables art to generate it’s considerable complexity – for example, one may like an idea dealt with by an artwork, but not like the execution of said idea by the artist (or vice versa).
Course organization
This course is organized around the development of an art project. Students are responsible for choosing the materials and the ideas they want to work with. Through the readings and discussions, students will become familiar with the loaded meanings in materials that can help communicate their ideas,as the text above begins to explain. In this course, students will produce a semester-long, creative research project about a subject of their own choosing. Through experimentation, students have the opportunity to use any media and ideas they wish with the one caveat: you must be able to explain your choices.
Format
This class is largely practical and will involve students in creative studio work and homework (assigned at each class). There will also be introductions to art historical/theoretical concepts given through mini-lectures, illustrated with projections, initiated by an assigned homework reading. These presentations will introduce points of discussion to the class to provoke students’ thoughts about their own work’s development.
The course is split into two sections: Introductory lessons and project work. Students will first gain confidence in their abilities before constructing projects of their choosing. Students will be enabled to take on this task through both the development of practical skills (not to be confused with instruction classes) and the aid of selected readings aimed at providing a basic foundation for students beginning to study art. Readings will mostly be posted on Moodle, and students will be notified that they are available at the end of each class. Moodle will also allow us to discuss our reactions to the readings in between classes. This will help to develop the ability to critique within the visual arts, which accommodates its literature in a fairly unique way.
An important aspect of the course is continual practice. This is why students will use a sketchbook/journal throughout the course.
A note about your Sketchbook/Journal:
The journal is useful in this course of study as it blends the diary and the sketchbook, allowing the student a free space to jot notes, write or quickly paste in an item that caught one’s eye – and then (importantly) the ability to reflect on those things later on. This flexibility is important, so I am referring to it here as a Journal. Your journal will include your writing (responses to questions handed out or to issues raised in class), drawing (doodles, visual note-taking, plans, sketches, research), and various ephemera that provoke a reaction in you. Please note that your journal contributes to your grade and is, therefore, an important part of this course. Your sketchbook will be reviewed with you by me every week, so please be mindful of this as an aspect of the process of learning in this course. It is has been the case that students have presented me with a sketchbook that has no new work in it, citing other work demands. While I certainly appreciate the obligations to other classes, I also expect you to commit yourself to a serious path of research and inquiry in this course, and the nexus of that inquiry is your sketchbook.
Not conducting research for a whole week will affect your grade as it will reflect the quality of your work.
Studying art effectively requires far more organization than you might imagine. For this reason, this syllabus includes a calendar that has all the important dates noted on it for this semester. Please use this calendar to input any obligations you already have, such as existing class times, team meetings/travel days, or anything else, and help yourself understand how much time you have to make art. To reiterate the point made above: art-making takes time and effort, so please do not leave art-making last on your list of priorities for the week.
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