Bard College Catalogue 2009-2010
2009-2010

Studio Arts

http://studioarts.bard.edu

Faculty

Overview

Requirements

At the end of their fourth semester, students are asked to present a body of work to a group of three faculty members—determined by the department and including the student’s adviser—to assess the student’s work to date, clarify strengths and weaknesses, and discuss curricular and academic goals for the rest of the student’s Bard career. Moderated studio arts majors are eligible for the final workshop component of the Studio Arts Program, which consists of Level III studio classes in a variety of painting, drawing, sculpture, cybergraphics, and printmaking options. The content of each studio class and the degree of structure are up to the individual instructor. Admission is by portfolio.

Facilities

Colorama
Art 001
Color influences all aspects of our experience—perceptual, emotional, psychological, physiological, even spiritual. The goal of this class is to develop a working knowledge of color as it may be applied to any visual medium. The nature of assignments ranges from vigorous color studies to train the eye to forms of expression more personal and expressive in nature.

Cybergraphics I
Art 100
An introduction to graphic creation using the computer as a compositional tool. The imaging potentials of a variety of graphic applications are discussed and demonstrated during the first half of the course; the second half focuses on individual projects. Basic computer skills are required; minimal ability in Adobe Photoshop or a comparable application is recommended.

Painting I
Art 101-102
An introduction to the fundamentals of painting, with an emphasis on working from still life, landscape, and the figure. Students explore composition, color, gesture, surface, shape, space, and volume, as well as new approaches to creating images. Work is done in oil paints, on small to very large canvases. A background in drawing is helpful.

Sculpture I
Art 105-106
What is the relationship between form and content? When does the process of making become more important than the “object” produced? What is the relationship of craft to art production? How and when does installation become just another material? How can one’s body become both subject and site for a work of art? These ideas are explored through a series of projects and through readings, slides, and class discussion. Technical demonstrations include woodshop, mold making, casting, and welding.

Drawing I
Art 107-108
Drawing is the basis of visual intelligence. It enables us to envision and manipulate masses in space as light reveals them. This course examines perception, drawing from objects, the human figure, masterworks, and interior and exterior spaces. Students learn to critique each other’s work orally and in written form. Some drawings are made collaboratively and some explore scale, as assignments include drawings that are both very small and mural-sized.

Printmaking I
Art 109-110
An in-depth introduction to all the basic—and some advanced—processes of intaglio, from drypoint and etching to aquatint, wiping, and printing. The class looks at classic and contemporary uses of intaglio by artists, and students apply the learned skills to projects of their own choosing. Basic knowledge of visual language and drawing skills are required.

Cybergraphics II
Art 200
This class addresses advanced strategies for image creation and enhancement in graphics applications, using Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Maya, and Final Cut. Students create prints, text, and animation in the context of contemporary art issues, ranging from digital prints and process presentations to documentation. Prerequisite: Art 100, an equivalent class, or permission of the instructor.

Painting II
Art 202
While this course extends the perceptual articulation and essential painting skills learned in Painting I, class projects also develop approaches to painting based in abstraction and in the imagination. Particular attention is given to understanding the various roles that color can play in creating structure and meaning in a painting. Self-motivation, extensive work outside of class, and a commitment to acquiring the necessary physical materials are required.

Sculpture II: Compulsive Process
Art 205
Chewing, welding, washing, licking, sewing, casting, baking, eating. This course focuses on how an artist’s process and the qualities inherent in specific materials can combine to create works of art. Through a series of projects, students investigate the notion of “process,” as it was defined in the late 1960s and as it has evolved into its current manifestation in the practice of contemporary art making.

Drawing II: Drawing from Nature
Art 207
The term “drawing from nature” is used both literally and figuratively. Part of this course is analytical in nature and utilizes perceptual work (including observation through microscopes) to acquire visual information about basic structures in nature, growth patterns, and other phenomena less than immediately apparent to the eye. This visual data is adopted for continued exploration on drawing projects. Prerequisite: Art 107-108.

Printmaking II: Book Projects, Text, and Prints
Art 210
Offered in conjunction with Cybergraphics II, this examination of the book as an art object includes traditional handmade plate-making processes for illustration and imagery. Building on the layout and image software programs introduced in Cybergraphics II, students explore the translation of relevant output methods of digital media into photographic printing processes, including letterpress, silkscreen, photo etching, lithography or cyanotype for text and photographic imagery, and intaglio or relief printing for handmade imagery. Permission of the instructor is required.

Sophomore Seminar
Art 230
Designed for sophomore studio arts majors, this course serves to familiarize students with the basic social, historical, critical, and conceptual themes of 20th-century art. Close readings of art works and primary and interpretive texts form the basis of class work. The course includes trips to area museums and galleries.

Cybergraphics III: Digital Graphics / Text
Art 300
Using computer software and digital printers, students examine various approaches to creating image/text combinations in the traditions of graphic novels, manga, and contemporary painting. A basic understanding of Photoshop is required. Software instruction includes more complex strategies in Photoshop as well as introductions to Illustrator, Manga Studio, Poser, and Zaxwerks ProAnimator.

Painting III
Art 301
Intended for junior and senior studio art majors, as well as anyone who has completed Painting II, this course simultaneously expands students’ vocabulary for painting and helps them find their voice. Students explore alternative formats—e.g., shaped and multipaneled paintings—as well as alternative strategies to the static image and the juxtaposition of different styles and techniques.

Art in Conversation
Art 303
The class consists of two alternating parts. The first part takes place in New York City, where students visit galleries, museums, and studios. The second part is a seminar on campus in which students learn how to present and document their work and develop portfolios. They also become familiarized with the ins and outs of computer presentations, grant research, etc. Open to 10 students by permission of the instructor.

Sculpture III
Art 305
An advanced-level sculpture course that deals with all aspects of construction in a wide variety of materials, especially metals and plastics. Students address actual and illusionary movement, the dynamics of scale in relation to the body, light as transparency and reflection, and the communication of energy through the articulation of space. Open to eight qualified students.

Drawing III
Art 307
This course explores the range of drawing in its traditional and experimental forms, from the observed to the imagined. The goal is to help students locate ideas essential to their art and to develop those ideas in the process of drawing. In addition to assignments, students are expected to develop independent drawing projects in consultation with the professor. Prerequisites: Art 107-108 and Art 207.

Printmaking III: Photogravure
Art 310
Photogravure, popularized in the 19th century, is a continuous-tone photographic intaglio process. A copper plate is etched gradually from the deepest shadows to the brightest highlights, producing a much wider range of tones than any other photographic process. As beautiful as photogravure can be, it is a difficult process to understand and master; this course, therefore, requires a great commitment in time and independent planning. Prerequisite: prior photo experience or a solid printmaking background.

Art and the Uses of Photography
Art 316 / Photography 316
See Photography 316 for a course description.

Junior Seminar
Art 330
Students examine the history of modern and contemporary art and explore the place of their own art making within that history. They read and discuss essays by artists and critics, view slides of the work of historically significant artists, and participate in lectures by visiting artists. Students also show and critique their own artwork, present a personal art chronology, write an artist’s manifesto, and participate in an end-of-semester group project.

Senior Seminar
Art 405-406
All studio arts majors engaged in Senior Projects meet for a weekly seminar/critique/discussion. The aim is to create a forum for a continual exchange of views and ideas. The seminar’s form and subject change from week to week but include writing assignments, group critiques of student work, discussions of exhibitions on campus, and conversations with guest speakers.