ARTX201: Visual Fundamentals—Syllabus
Spring Quarter 2016, Kalamazoo College Richard Koenig, Professor Meeting
Time: Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 to 11:30 AM Meeting
Place: Room 22 (and 122) of the Light Fine Arts Building Office
Hours: 2:30 to 4:00 PM Tuesday and Thursday (or by appointment) Office:
Light Fine Arts 203 E-mail:
rkoenig@kzoo.edu Phone:
269.337.7003 Course Goals
The chief goal of this fundamental
studio art class is to explore the basic elements and principles of design and
color theory—the formal aspects
of art. For two-thirds of the term, this class
will be devoted to basic elements and principles of design and color theory. To
accomplish this, we will work on a series of short exercises that are quite
prescriptive. Students learn these concepts by producing a series of
two-dimensional studies that are discussed in the classroom (critique). For the
remaining third of the course, we will synthesize what we've learned and work
on two more complex projects. These projects will be completely open to you and
could employ more diverse media (see below). Along side this studio work will
be a series of readings and related discussion. These readings will expand
beyond the formal to work as an introduction to art theory. Through this work—the exercises, projects,
and readings—we hope to further the studentÕs ability to create, analyze,
and interpret visual imagery. Evaluation Your grading will be based
on the following: 30% Midterm Portfolio
(nine exercises—photography counts double) 20% Midterm Journal
(15) and Participation (5) 20% Website (documentation
of works, digital optimizing, and website design) 10% Project One 10% Project Two 10% Second Half
Journal (5) and Participation (5) In-Class Participation (10%)
This is very different than
attendance—it is in addition to it, if you like. Good participation means
one actively and candidly contributes to the conversation during critiques,
while also being supportive of your peers. It means one arrives to the
classroom on time, is prepared, and shows by means of facial expression and
body language that one is following what is going on. It means, quite simply, that
one contributes to a positive class atmosphere. Along those lines, one
important note about critiques: we criticize the work, not the person making
the work. Please turn off phones, do not email, Facebook, text, or twitter
during structured class time. Attendance Attendance is mandatory. It is crucial
that you miss as few of the meetings as possible as the instruction builds upon
itself. After two unexcused absences your grade can be lowered at my
discretion. This penalty is applied to your course
grade after it is determined using the above formula. One must have
documentation to obtain an excused absence. Also, two late arrivals will be
counted as one absence. If you do miss a class, get notes from another student. Disability
Any student with a disability who needs
an accommodation or other assistance in this course should make an appointment
to speak with me. Text/Readings
There is no required textbook for this
class—I will provide handouts as needed. Razor Blades I was recently asked to put this
statement in my syllabus: ÒNO RAZOR BLADES IN THE RECYCLING PLEASE! Recyclers found
a razor blade from a utility knife in the middle of a bin of paper. It was mere
chance that the tiny blade was found before any blood was shed. However, with
this said, and knowing that the bin came from the Fine Arts Building, we must
urge all students/faculty/staff to refrain from disposing of razor blades in
the recycling bins.Ó Razor blades may be recyclable, and I will provide a safe
place in the classroom for safe disposal. Lab Fee and Costs
You will be charged $25 for a lab fee
in this class. This pays for additional materials that I will be handing out in
class as well as digital prints you will be producing in the Center for New Media. Lecture
and Lab Time Our usual meeting place will be Fine
Arts 22, otherwise known as the printmaking studio. But, to view PowerPoint
presentations, we will pop up to room 122 (which I call the FABLAB) for these
talks as needed. Gather Collage Materials Keep an eye open for raw
materials that could be used very soon in this class: leaves, catalogues with
colors and textures, wrappers with text, family photographs, train tickets,
movie stubs, bits of cloth, etc. Gather Ideas for two projects While the first two-thirds of
this class is given over to exercises, the last third is dominated by two
projects that are totally open to you. As we pass midterm, begin to formalize
in your mind what you might do for these last assignments. Utilize a medium
that you enjoy, and did well with in the earlier part of the class—be it
in drawing, painting, collage, or even something we didn't explore (photography,
digital, video, performance). You should also search out content or a concept
that really intrigues you as well. This could be something personal,
self-referential perhaps, or you may want to work with social or political
ideas that move you in some way. Journal (20%) You
will be required to keep a digital journal while in this class. In this you can
record your reading summaries for four readings, as well as ideas for your
assignments and work in general. I will take a look at this at midterm and at
the end of the course. Documentation/Digital Optimization/Website
(20%)
In
addition to the journal, I really want to instill in art majors the importance
of documenting their work as they produce it. Therefore you will be required to
build a small website showing images of the work you produce in this class.
WeÕll go over shooting and/or scanning your work. And if you donÕt already have
a site, you might look for a free site that provides building and hosting. Materials I
will purchase a supply of these two items below for the entire classÉ Papers (30) White Six-Ply Railroad Mat Board, 22Ó x 28Ó (4 12-sheet pads) Strathmore Spiral Bound Watercolor
Paper, 15Ó x 22Ó Each
student will be asked to purchase the following for themselvesÉ All Items Available in Bookstore Paint Liquitex Basics Matt Primary Paint Set, Product No. 6253 (Contains 5 Basics
Matt primary opaque colors in 75ml tubes. Contains Titanium White, Primary
Blue, Primary Red, Primary Yellow, and Black.) Various itemsÉ Rubber Cement ÒBest TestÓ 8 oz with Brush Rubber Cement ÒPick-UpÓ (Designed to
Remove Dried Cement) X-acto #1 Mat Knife (With
#11 Blades) Brushes: White Nylon Bristle
(Inexpensive): (2) Flats: Sax #2 and #8 Palette Knife Pad of Disposable Paper Palettes—Use
with Palette Knife to Mix Acrylic Paints Metal Straightedge—small (1Ó x 18Ó) Portfolio—Red Paper (10Ó x 15Ó) Note: would be good to have a small toolbox or tackle type box to
carry this stuff. |