Provide Foundation Skills For A Professional Program In Studio Art
The BFA in Studio art will be a professional degree program in which students will acquire the foundational skills and knowledge required to pursue a career as a fine artist and/or a Master of Fine Arts Degree at the graduate level.
Objective
Foundation Skills
Students will learn basic skills in drawing and design, and have an awareness of contemporary art.
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 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 Studio Art will pass the review.
Finding
Weaknesses In Foundations
13% of the Studio majors failed the BFA review in 2010-11. While this indicates a successful outcome, the findings of the BFA review overall are different.
If all of the BFA students (photography, graphic design, animation, and studio) are included in the findings, 29% failed the review. Studio majors may have an advantage because the foundation curriculum includes a majority of studio classes and it is work from those courses that were evaluated.
Overall, Faculty comments and scores indicated that there was a lack of quality in the 3-Dimensional work, that sketchbooks did not appear to be emphasized in the curriculum, and that the conceptual basis for the WASH projects was weak. The faculty noted that in the figurative work from Life Drawing, students had very similar styles of rendering and compositions consistently excluded hands and feet. The work indicated that students were being taught a "right" way to draw rather then being taught to use technical skills to express their own style or "voice". The figurative work demonstrated a failure to teach a gestural approach to drawing.
Action
Revise The Foundation Curriculum And Evaluate Instructors
Change the course descriptions of ART 163 (1316) Drawing to include Gesture. Teach the traditions of drawing and place it in a historical context that emphasizes its importance in contemporary art.
Change the course description of ART 164 (1317) Life Drawing 1 to include Gesture and Compositional strategies.
Change the course description of ART 269 (3317) to emphasize personal expression and a study of the use of the figure in contemporary art.
Evaluate the Adjunct Faculty and adjust teaching assignments to ensure that qualified instructors are teaching the core classes and that the course descriptions are being followed.
Goal
Provide A Quality Professional Degree Program In Studio Art
The BFA in Studio art will be a professional degree program in which students will acquire the skills and knowledge required to pursue a career as a fine artist and/or a Master of Fine Arts Degree at the graduate level.
Objective
Demonstrate Knowledge Of Art History And Expertise In Artistic Expression
Students in the BFA Program in Studio Art will demonstrate:
1. an understanding of theories and trends in Contemporary Art in relation to the continuum of history; and 2. expertise in artistic expression through a production of a cohesive body of work using a variety of media.
Indicator
Senior Exhibition
Graduating seniors are required to publicly exhibit work before the BFA degree is granted. The work in the exhibition will demonstrate • a proficiency in skills and techniques related to the medium used in the artwork. • the student's ability to produce a cohesive body of work. • the student's ability to express a concept through a work of art. • an awareness of contemporary art and its relation to art history.
Criterion
Faculty Review
The work in the Senior Exhibition will be evaluated by members of the studio art faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. It is expected that at least 80% of the students will receive a score of 75% or higher using a scale of 0-100%.
Finding
Students Producing Work That Does Not Always Demonstrate Awareness Of Contemporary Art
Only 75% of the graduating seniors exhibited art work that demonstrated an engaged awareness of contemporary art and theory. All of the students demonstrated technical proficiency in their medium, but conceptual expression was weak overall, and 25% of the students scored low because the work did not demonstrate an awareness of contemporary art and the issues prevalent in recent art theory.
Indicator
Essay On Art Theory And Criticism
BFA students in ART 493W and summarize the argument presented in one of 4 selected articles of contemporary art criticism and discuss the argument in relation to either a post 1945 artwork or relate it to their own artistic practice.
The student essays will • provide an introduction that is clear and engaging. • draw conclusions supported by presented evidence. • move from specific examples to more general statements in a logical fashion. • use language that demonstrates an intellectual involvement and a commitment to what is being expressed. • describe the issues accurately and in a way that demonstrates a grasp of the theoretical issues. • convey a clear and convincing image of the student's perspective. • interpret works using external information gathered from other sources including the artist's own comments or other critic's responses. • convey a personal understanding of the major ideas in the article and relates them to visual objects.
Criterion
Evaluation Of Essay
The essays will be evaluated by a committee of Art History 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
Weakness In Comprehension Of Contemporary Art Theory
75% of the students received a score above 75 on the essay. The weakest scores were in the evaluation of the student's ability to describe the issues in a way that demonstrated an understanding of theoretical issues.
Indicator
Altered Book Project
Students will be required to take 3 hours of upper level 3-D Art Studio. Students in ART 482 will complete a project using a found book as material and subject matter. The student will choose a book based on its title or content. Additional materials and tools will be used to significantly alter the form of the book so that it becomes a visual metaphor for the theme or content of the book. The completed sculptures will • be visual metaphors that conveys meaning. • demonstrate a relationship between the materials used and the content created. • demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship. • show an expertise with materials and an ability to create a meaningful 3 dimensional form.
Criterion
Altered Book Project 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
Weakness In Creating Visual Metaphor
62% of the students received scores above 80. The lowest scores were in the evaluation of whether or not the objects were meaningful metaphors.
Action
Revise The Advanced Studio Curriculum
A Course in Advanced Studio will be added to the curriculum. Advanced studio will be a course in which students will work in the medium of their choice (photography, painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, etc.) and focus on the development of content and the creation of a series. The course will be required for all studio and photography majors and will emphasize lectures and discussions of themes and ideas related to contemporary art practice.
Action
Require ARTS 4388 And 4389 For Studio Majors
The curriculum will be adjusted to require that Studio majors take ARTS 4388 The History of 19th and 20th Century Art as well as 4389 Contemporary Art Criticism and Theory. In the past, the BFA Studio curriculum allowed students to choose from any advanced Art History Course. This change will ensure students are exposed to contemporary Art and Art Theory.