Sunday, January 6, 2013

Wood Project Prompt


WOOD


Responsibilities:
-Identify and investigate your concept or reason for making this work.
-Identify how the material wood relates to this concept or idea.
-Identify the techniques that you will employ
-Think about what can be added, whether that is something traditional like a stain or more contemporary like fur or glitter for a finishing touch
-Come to class Wednesday with model and sketches



There are four different ways to approach this wood project.

1.     For a solid wood form. Glue pieces of 2x4 together to create a solid wood block.  Carve down using the band saw and hand tools to create overall form, detail with sandpaper and Dremel. Ex: Ben Butler
2.     Work in strips of wood that can be glued together or configured with joints or screws, think about fencing. These strips or pieces of wood may be so thin that they can bend, best for curvilinear forms.  Ex: Edward Mayer, Matthias Pleissnig, Uhmair Khan
3.     Collage pieces of scrap wood together, with a plan or without. Think about these like building blocks. Ex: Phoebe Washburn, Louise Nevelson, Lauren Clay
4.     Think about your form in horizontal slices or pieces of plywood that connect to each other through a simple slot joint. Ex: skeleton wood puzzles, Donald Judd, Lauren Clay

Check out these artists for inspiration:

Ben Butler
Edward Mayer
Matthias Pleissnig
Uhmair Khan
Phoebe Washburn
Louise Nevelson
Lauren Clay
Donald Judd



                                                                                    DUE JANUARY 30th

SYLLABUS SPRING 2013


ART 230
Beginning Sculpture // Section 001

Instructor:  Dana Harper, dlh334@psu.edu
Schedule #: 808753
Time: MW 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location: 103 Visual Arts Building
Credits: 3.0
Texts: No required texts
Office hours:  MW 5:30pm-7:00pm

If these office hours do not work for you, I am also available by appointment.  If you would like to meet after class or during regular office hours, please let me know beforehand so that I have the appropriate materials and references prepared for you.

Course Description:
Along with analyzing and experimenting with three-dimensional design elements, students will be given a brief history in contemporary sculpture.  Students will have the opportunity to gain appreciation of sculptural form through hands-on projects, lectures, readings and critiques.  Elements of design, line, shape, size, texture, color and value as well as the principles of design, balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis and unity will be discussed within the context of sculpture.  Through artistic exploration, students will understand the importance of concept, context and material.  Symbolism through material and form will be expected.

Course Format:
The course will consist of 4 hands-on projects and one short passion paper, projects will be given more or less time depending on the difficulty and process required.  The more time given, the more points earned.  Projects are designed to explore the elements and principles of design while also encouraging the students to think critically of concept, context and material.  

After each project is introduced, the following day you are expected to have a sketches and ideas to share with the class.  It is expected that every student give feedback as well as the instructor.  You will be given as much class time as possible to work and I will also be available for individual meetings with students and demos throughout the process.  This will help me evaluate how much progress you are making throughout the week.  

Critiques:  
Critiques are an essential part of this class.  It is a time where we can get together and learn how others are seeing our work.  It is a unique opportunity to understand how effectively we are communicating. Each critique is worth ten points, if you do not show up for critique, you will lose these points as well as valuable insights into your work. 

Attendance/late work Policy:
You are allowed to miss three days of class, after this your grade will drop.  For each consecutive day missed your grade will drop again.  For example, if you had an A, you would receive an A- after missing four classes, if you miss one more class, your grade will drop to a B+.  I am not concerned whether these are excused or unexcused absences.  Two tardies are equivalent to one absence.  Unless otherwise discussed, each day an assignment is late, 10% will be deducted from your project grade.


GRADING

Projects:
BUILD --------------------------------------------130 Points
WOOD--------------------------------------------130 Points
CAST ---------------------------------------------130 points
TRANSFORMATION -------------------------130 points
PASSION PAPER -----------------------------100 points


For each project, I will be grading you based on this outline.

EFFORT/TIME SPENT-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------50 points
Did you come ready and prepared to talk about your ideas in class?
Did you take advantage of the work time given?
Did you work outside of class time?
Did you put forth extra effort to finish the project well?
Does your final piece fulfill the requirements of the assignment?
                           
TECHNIQUE/CRAFTSMANSHIP------------------------------------------------------------------------30 points
Did you apply techniques that we talked about in class
OR did you develop your own process?
Does it looked finished/purposeful/well put together?
Did you care about the details?

PRESENTATION---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------20 points
Did you consider how the work would be experienced by the viewer?
  -height, placement in the gallery, how it is positioned
                             
SCULPTURAL PRESENCE-------------------------------------------------------------------------------15 points
Is the work three dimensional?
Do we have to walk around the piece to experience it?

CRITIQUE PARTICIPATION------------------------------------------------------------------------15 points
Did you give other students feedback during critique?
Could you talk about your work and share your ideas with other students?
                        





       








PROJECT OUTLINES


WOOD (130 points) materials: wood of your choice
Reviewing different artists who work with wood and using them as inspiration, construct a form in which you can employ some of the same techniques.  Your final form and choice of technique or approach is up to you.  Painting, staining or other additive processes are encouraged and should be thought about as conceptual symbols.

STRUCTURE/BUILD (130 points) materials: chicken wire, newspaper, burlap, masking tape, plaster
We will be reviewing different ways to build and construct form.  Working with newspaper, chicken wire and Styrofoam we will create a support system for the interior of the sculpture.  The exterior or shell will be made of burlap and plaster.  This will be an additive process, you can decorate or ornament your work with paint, fur, rhinestones or any other material you feel is relevant to your work.  

CAST (130 points) materials: flex wax, plaster bandage, plaster or other casting material
We will learn to cast parts of our body or if your partner is willing, cast parts from another person.  Choose your body appendage and think about what we use this body part for and how this can be used for its conceptual baggage/meaning.  We will also be exploring what can be cast into your mold.  You can add anything that you wish to complete this project.

TRANSFORMATION (130 points) materials: your choice
You can think of transformation as a literal morphing or hybridization of two objects, as if one thing is changing into another.  But you can also think about transformation of ideas through the proximity of objects as well as skins that can be placed over top.  How are objects transformed by material pairing?

PASSION PAPER (100 points)
What are you passionate about?  What keeps you up at night? What drives you to rise out of bed in the morning?  What can you do about this tomorrow, in a week, in a year?  (your answers do not have to be art related or even related to education in general.  I am more interested in understanding who you are and how you are directing your life.  Your answer may be simple or complicated, all I ask is that you’re honest.)


















WEEK 1

1.7       Introductions
            Introduce WOOD project

HW: come to class with paper model ready
      

1.9         Discuss ideas with the class
WOOD SHOP DEMO


WEEK 2

1.14         WORK DAY

1.16         WORK DAY


WEEK 3

1.21       MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY (no class)

1.23      WORK DAY


WEEK 4

1.28       WORK DAY
HW:WOOD CRITIQUE DUE WEDNESDAY

1.30 WOOD CRITIQUE TODAY
BUILD introduced
HW: Come to class with clay models and materials


WEEK 5

2.4 DEMOS today
discuss ideas

2.6 WORK DAY


WEEK 6

2.11 WORK DAY

2.13        WORK DAY




WEEK 7

2.18       WORK DAY

2.20 WORK DAY


WEEK 8

2.25 WORK DAY
HW: BUILD is DUE WEDNESDAY!!

2.27       BUILD CRITIQUE
INTRODUCE CASTING
HW: COME WITH IDEAS FOR CASTING PROJECT

WEEK 9

3.4 SPRING BREAK

3.6          SPRING BREAK


WEEK 10

3.11      DEMOS
sketch and make models
HW: Come ready to work!

3.13      WORK DAY



WEEK 11

3.18       WORK DAY

3.20     WORK DAY




WEEK 12

3.25       WORK DAY

3.27 WORK DAY
HW: CASTING PROJECT DUE MONDAY


WEEK 13

4.1 CASTING CRITIQUE
Introduce TRANSFORMATION PROJECT
HW: Come to class with ideas for TRANSFORMATION

4.3 Share Ideas
WORK DAY


WEEK 14

4.8        WORK DAY

4.10      WORK DAY



WEEK 15

4.15 WORK DAY

4.17       WORK DAY

WEEK 16

4.22       WORK DAY
HW: TRANSFORMATION IS DUE TOMORROW!!

4.24      FINAL CRITIQUE






Safety Information (required)

Students in the School of Visual Arts may find themselves working in the shop or
in their studios or classrooms using a variety of power and hand held equipment,
which may cause injury. Students should use the shop only after having received
an orientation in the use of such equipment and when supervised by faculty or
shop personnel. Should any injuries occur, in the shop, studios, or classrooms in
the School of Visual Arts please report them to Jerry Bierly, Shop Supervisor,
Room 108-A Visual Arts Building, Phone: 814-865-3962, email: jib7@psu.edu.


Academic Integrity Statement (required)

University Policies and Rules Guidelines states that academic integrity is the
pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and responsible manner. Academic
integrity is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania
State University, and all members of the University community are expected

to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the
University's Code of Conduct states that all students should act with personal
integrity, respect other students' dignity, rights and property, and help create
and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits of their
efforts. Academic integrity includes a commitment not to engage in or tolerate
acts of falsification, misrepresentation or deception. Such acts of dishonesty
violate the fundamental ethical principles of the University community and
compromise the worth of work completed by others.

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to acts such as cheating on
exams or assignments; plagiarizing the words or ideas of another; fabricating
information or citations; facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others;
claiming authorship of work done by another person; submitting work completed
in previous classes; and/or submitting the same work to multiple classes in which
a student is enrolled simultaneously.


Note to Students With Disabilities (required)

It is Penn State’s policy not to discriminate in educational programs against
qualified students with documented disabilities. If you have a disability-related
need for modifications in this course, please make an appointment with me and
contact the Office for Disability Services, 116 Boucke Building. I should be
notified during the first week of classes. For further information, consult the
Nondiscrimination Policy in the Student Guide to University Policies and Rules
(1997).