Provide A Quality Liberal Arts Curriculum In Studio Art
The BA in Studio Art will offer will provide students with skills and knowledge necessary for contemporary art practices.
Objective
Foundation Skills
Students will learn basic skills in drawing and design, and have an awareness of comtemporary art.
Indicator
Drawing Portfolio
Students will be required to take ART 163 and produce a group of drawings. The drawings will: • show developed craftsmanship and expertise with a variety of materials. • demonstrate an ability to depict spatial illusion and volume. • demonstrate a descriptive and expressive use of value. • demonstrate a descriptive and expressive use of line. • demonstrate an understanding and use of 2 point and 3 point perspective. • demonstrate an understanding of negative space and the ability to combine various elements into a cohesive composition.
Criterion
Evaluation By Art Faculty
The drawing portfolios will be evaluated by a committee of Art faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the portfolio, it is expected that at least 80% of the students will score 75% or higher.
Finding
Drawings Successful
89% of students scored above 75 on the drawing portfolio.
Indicator
BFA Review
BFA review portfolios will be required of all students pursuing the BFA before they enroll in upper level Art courses.
The BFA Portfolio Review will be held at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and include a selection of coursework from Art 130 and 131 (WASH) Art 163 (Drawing) Art 164 (Life Drawing 1) Art 262 (Foundations in Digital Art)
Students who do not pass the BFA Review will become BA majors in Studio Art. Students who choose the BA at the outset of their art studies are not required to take the BFA Review, but the Review provides an assessment of work done in the Foundation courses that the BA students are required to take.
All BFA Candidates participate in BFA Review after completion of Sophomore level art foundation courses to assess their retention and integration of skills learned. Students bring work from these classes to the review and are assessed by a panel of faculty.
Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to make sophisticated compositions using the elements of line, shape, color, form, texture, value and scale and the principles of balance, movement, symmetry, organization, and figure-ground relationships. Students will be evaluated on their ability to keep a sketchbook and to creatively solve problems by exhibiting works that are unique examples of harmonious design. Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to convey concepts through the use of the elements of design.
Criterion
Passing The BFA Review
The BFA review will be held once a semester. A panel of at least 5 Art faculty will review each portfolio. Using a scale of 1-10 to evaluate the student work. It is expected that at least 80% of the students will receive a score of 7 or higher. The Faculty will use a rubric developed by the BFA review committee. It is expected that at least 80% of students pursuing the BFA in Computer Animation will pass the review.
Finding
Improvement From Previous Year
28% of all students failed the BFA review in 2009-2010. The previous year, 42% failed. The number of students participating in the BFA review increased from 48 in 08-09 to 93 in 09-10. Improvements in student Portfolios were seen in the work done in WASH, and the weak areas overall tended to be in Drawing, particularly Figure Drawing. Faculty found that the drawings presented in the BFA review tended to be weak in terms of composition, content, and uniqueness of technique and style.
Action
Add A Drawing Course And Evaluate Course Content
The Art Department will add a drawing course to the foundation program. A second semester of drawing, 'Drawing 2' will be required before students take Life Drawing 1. Drawing 2 will emphasize conceptual aspects of drawing, the ability to convey a concept, and thematic development. Portfolios from all of the figure drawing classes will be evaluated by faculty over the summer. The content of the second semester of figure drawing, Life Drawing 2, will be developed to emphasize content and personal expression.
Objective
Advanced Techniques
The BA student will learn advanced studio techniques and have the ability to express concepts in 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional form.
Indicator
Final Project In Advanced Drawing
Students will be required to take 12 hours Advanced Art Courses. Students in ART 463, Advanced Drawing, will develop a concept and produce a series of drawings that are visual expressions of the concept. The drawingts will • be a unified, cohesive body of work. • be personal expressions. • demonstrate expertise with materials and techniques. • be sophisticated in execution and design. • clearly convey the concept through technique and subject matter.
Criterion
Advanced Drawing Criteria
The projects will be evaluated by a committee of Art faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the project, it is expected that at least 80% of the students will score 75% or higher.
Finding
Students Working In Series
All of the students scored above 75% on the assessment of this portfolio of work. The significance of the findings are especially important in the demonstration of the students ability to produce a cohesive body of work. There is strong evidence that many studio majors are producing bodies of work that are thematically coherent and demonstrate a thematic development throughout a series of drawings, yet some are still struggling with the thematic cohesiveness.
Action
Refine Curriculum Requirements
Currently the BA Studio Art curriculum requires 12 hours of Advanced Art Electives. Specific courses will be designated as choices for these 12 hours so that students are required to take Advanced 2-D and 3-D studio courses including ART 463 or another course that requires students to produce a cohesive, thematically related body of work.
Objective
Art History
Students in the BA Program in Studio Art will learn the History of Art and understand theories and trends in Contemporary Art in relation to the continuum of history.
Indicator
Comparative Visual Analysis Essay
Students will be required to take ART 370 and compose a visual comparison essay using pairs of images from the History of Art.
The essays will • provide a clear introduction and draw conclusions supported by visual and contextual evidence. • move from specific examples to general statements. • describe the works accurately and clearly. • use vocabulary introduced in classroom lectures and art history textbooks. • convey a clear and convincing image of their perspective. • use external information about the cultural context and artistic techniques gathered from readings and presentations. • present an understanding of the works in a way that is convincing and supported by detailed evidence. • sum up major ideas and draw convincing conclusions grounded in visual evidence and contextual information.
Criterion
Visual Essay Criterion
The essays will be evaluated by a committee of Art faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the essay, it is expected that at least 80% of the students will score 75% or higher.
Finding
Expectations Met
86% of the students evaluated scored above 75 on the assessment of the essay.
Action
Continue Teaching Survey Of Art History
The Art History Surveys will continue to be taught in two semesters. The curriculum committee and Art History faculty will evaluate the methods of teaching and explore alternatives to the sequential survey of history. One method to be considered is a topical approach that will focus on themes and the manifestation of these themes in works of art throughout history.