Course Goals
Students will:
Develop critical thinking skills; Learn to recognize and question their own cognitive perspective; Increase their definition of what counts as art; Learn to challenge the traditional, Western perspective of art history; Develop a vocabulary to effectively discuss works of art; Learn to form conceptual ideas; Learn to integrate symbolic imagery in their artwork; Learn to recognize and effectively utilize the elements and principles of art; Learn to convey a narrative in their artwork; Become familiar with a myriad of artistic media; Learn to collaborate with one another; Learn to recognize and create motivated artwork that delivers a clear message. Learning Objectives
Students will know:
Key terms to describe a work of art such as aesthetics, media, expression, interpretation, symbolism, intent, genre, style; Traditional and nontraditional definitions of community; Key terms related to identity such as self-portrait, character, and personal history; Key terms and definitions related to bookbinding methodology; Key terms related to public art such as mural, audience, and site specificity; Types of visual art media such as drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, film, computer art, installation, fashion, architecture, furniture, textiles; The work of prominent abstractionists, and surrealists; The work of historical and contemporary Buddhist Mandala artists; The work of artists working with pattern and tessellation such as Paul Klee and M.C. Escher; The work of abstract portrait artists such as Edward Weston and Karin Rosenthal; The work of iconic mural artists; The Color Field movement and its associated artists; Examples of vessel art from a range of cultures and historical periods; Historical information about self-portraiture; Types of art that deal with identity such as self-portraiture, Mandalas, and timelines; Methods of research such as books, periodicals, and internet resources Aspects of color theory and color mixing; Artistic techniques such as oil pastel, charcoal, conte crayon, pen and ink, acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, bookbinding, and papier-mâché, digital photography; Tools and materials involved in bookbinding; Clean up and care processes for dry and wet media. Students will be able to:
Explain why an artist would choose to make a piece of art; Explain whether or not an object or action is art; Explain their artistic choices using appropriate vocabulary; Explain the history and characteristics of Mandala art; Explain the history and characteristics of self-portraiture; Explain their personal feelings about what makes a piece of art a self portrait; Explain how murals can impact and enhance their community; Consider and explain what makes a piece of art important; Interpret the meaning work of art and explain why it is significant to them or others; Interpret aspects of their identity through visual symbols in their art; Interpret aspects of their figure and personal history through abstraction; Identify an issue relevant to their community and empathize with community members; Create thumbnail sketches depicting unique composition ideas and demonstrate evidence of their design process; Create an original composition that communicates the meaning of an adjective chosen at random through the element of line; Create an effective composition in oil pastel using music as their inspiration; Create an effective composition in colored pencil using a Mad Libs word game as their inspiration; Create an effective vessel sculpture using papier-mâché; Create an effective composition in pen and ink in the style of a Mandala; Create a mural design featuring a theme that is appropriate for the location and audience and communicates message they are considering; Create an effective composition in charcoal and conte crayon that successfully uses value to create a sense of space; Create an effective abstracted image in watercolor and acrylic paint;