Spring 2020 Semester is Over

Final grades have been submitted to KeanWise.  When they distribute them to you I have no idea.  This was an unusual semester.  The range of grades was from A to F, which is normal enough.  Failures were mostly for not turning in work. Out of 31 students, 11 never submitted a paper, and missing those 25% of points digs a big hole.  13 students didn't complete one or more of the two major projects, worth 20% each. Most did some of the portfolio, but some submitted nothing.  It all adds up.  At the request from above, all late and absence penalties were eliminated, which boosted some grades. 

The university's solution to the corvid problem was to create a Pass/Fail option for students- you may invoke it for up to two classes from the spring, and the grades on your transcript will be changed to Pass or Fail and the class will be removed from your GPA.  Not a complete solution, but it may benefit some students.  This has to be done through your academic advisor, so they are the ones to ask about it.  I don't know if this is the final decision of the university, so keep your eyes open for future changes.

From my point of view, one of the biggest disappointments of this semester is that the students don't get to see all the final projects, some of which are quite good.  As the professor I got to see everything that was submitted to me. I'm going to share some with you now.   These are ones that I particularly liked, and ones that also allowed me to download them.  They do show the possibilities of the assignment and found materials.  I've included the phrase that inspired them.

Some examples of Final Projects

Delicate Wilderness

In from the dreams

Crazy for desires

Isle of Love

Coincidental Wilderness

Perhaps there will be more images later, or maybe some of the other projects.  Depends on the time.  (during the last week of the semester I received over 300 student emails, most of which had attached images or papers to be gone through) Grades are in, so now it's time for assessments.  Luckily for students this has nothing to do with grades, just some fun we teachers get.  Each student has to be evaluated in 10 different categories, given one of 4 or 5 levels achieved.  Maybe it's due in a few days, maybe in a week. 

Enjoy your summer, and good luck with the fall.

5/8/20 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Our last meeting of the semester.  Also the last day to turn in any work. I'll be accepting work up to 11:59 pm on Friday, May 8, 2020.  This blog can let you know about everything we've done this semester.  

How to make this up- Nothing new today to make up, and if you haven't made up old stuff by the end of the day today, you may have problems.  I'll be sending a mass email today on the topic of Kean's new Pass/fail option.  If you did well in this class (and some students did), you don't need it here.

Homework- Nothing for class, unless you still owe something.  I believe the faculty evaluation system remains active through May 10th.

For next class-  None. After today we are done with classes.  You want to make more art at Kean, you need to sign up for another class.  You want to make more art on your own, nothing is stopping you.  

5/5/20 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Kean University has decided that today will be a Friday so you can have 15 class meetings. If you had some other commitment on Tuesdays, you'd be out of luck, if we were meeting in the classroom. Since I can't actually take attendance, I won't know if you are present or not, just the number of people who stopped by the website.  Even in Vaughn-Eames we wouldn't be starting anything new and nothing would be due today, so just another day when you could come in, turn in classwork, get feedback on your work, and have some space to work on your art. However, we are still banned from campus, so you get to work from home.  Watch out for younger siblings and pets.

How to make this up- We start nothing new today, so the information about last week's project is still what we are doing, the 3D final. Rules, suggestions, relevant images to look at, and examples from past students can all be found on the blog from last week.

Homework- Everything from this semester is due by the end of Friday.  Some of you have actually turned in everything by this point, but for most of you that effort is in progress.  No problem, as nothing is due until Friday.

Since the last email, we have received two more reminders from the software company that they really want those faculty evaluations to be done, bringing the total up to six. Seems pretty straightforward.  There's even an answer option that can be applied to questions that have no relation to our class, things like textbooks, exams.

For next class May 8, 2020- Our last meeting of the semester, and everything is due. If I haven't received it by the end of the day, I can't grade it, and the only way I can receive things is by email.  What I need to see is all the portfolio items, the 3D Final, and if I haven't seen and graded them yet, the semester portfolio and the Final paper. Details about all these things can be found on the blog, though you can send more questions if you have them.  You can send images of class work any time this week, but I must have them by Friday.

5/1/20 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- We have 3 remaining meetings on our semester schedule, over the next 8 days.  Some of you are all caught up on the work we are doing, some not so much.  But we press on. With only 3 meetings left, we have to begin our final project, the major 3D project for this class.  More on that below.  This is the last new thing we are doing this semester.

How to make this up- All the information and details for this last project can be found on a posting dedicated just to it, which I posted last night, but can also be linked to right here. Back on April 9th I sent out 4 randomly generated phrases to each student on the roster, with students being instructed to choose one phrase for the mixed media collage piece from 4/17/20.  You now need to choose a second phrase to be the subject of this last piece of art. The last two phrases, do whatever you want with them; we won't need them for this class, but this way everyone had some to choose from for this project.  

This is a found object assemblage, which means you can use any material you can get your hands on to make it, any process you like, as long as you address one of the phrases I sent you.  The resulting piece must be three dimensional, so something that occupies space. After that, we are wide open.  

Homework- This major 3D assemblage sculpture is our last assignment of the semester, and is due on May 8, 2020.  Normally everyone would be presenting their piece to the class on our last day, but that can't happen now, so you'll just have to send me a photograph of your final piece.  In the email, include the phrase you are adapting for your piece, and share anything about the materials or process that you can.  I will reply with the grade for this particular project.  These are the factors I will consider in grading it: being three dimensional,  use of the chosen topic, creative use of materials, and how it works as art. You can turn it in any time before the due date, but I must have it by the end of the day on May 8, 2020.  It's worth 20% of the whole semester grade so you want to get it in.

That is also the last day to submit the final version of your museum or research paper.  Several of you have done it already, but most haven't yet.  It's another 20% of your grade, so worth doing.

The semester portfolio is also due by then, another 25% of your final grade.  Since I can't check those in person, that will also have to be submitted by email.  This is generally the stuff we did in class, plus ungraded exercises through the semester. Information about this was posted to the blog early in the week. 

For next class 5/5/20- Hope you had no special plans for Cinco de Mayo, because Kean has decided that next Tuesday is really Friday.  The academic calendar on the website will verify all this. Nothing will be due that day, and we won't be starting anything new.  If we were still having classroom meetings, it would be a day you could turn in back projects, and have some space to work on your final project.  In our distance learning lifestyle, it's just another Tuesday, but I will be online all day to answer any immediate questions, although you can send them any other day during the week as well. 

3D Final Project

Sculpture is a catch all term for artworks created as three dimensional objects, generally with no practical function.  Traditionally, there were three main approaches.  Carving is a subtractive process, where material is removed from a hard substance to reveal a desired size and shape.  Sculptures made in stone or wood are typically carved. Another traditional process was casting, where a soft substance is put into a mold, and when it hardens, the finished sculpture can come out.  This was the common way bronze sculpture was done.  Modeling is where the artist takes a soft substance and works it by hand (or simple hand held tools) to create a sculpture.  This is how clay works, though often the soft clay is later kiln fired to make it hard.  A modeled clay piece can be also used to create a mold for casting metal, or as a reference for a larger stone carving.  Molten glass can be modeled by hand (with tools- at 1700 degrees Fahrenheit it is too dangerous for bare hands) or shaped in molds.  

Then came the 20th century, and all the rules changed.   All those old processes are still done, traditional processes and materials, for those who want to learn them.  However, many artists turned to new ideas and materials.  One such change was assemblage, sculptures created by adding things together.  Didn't even have to be traditional sculpture material. but could be what are commonly called "found objects", or just stuff that is around.  Many of the earliest cave sculptures appear to have been inspired by the object used to make it- the shape of the original piece of wood, stone, or bone probably looked like the object being represented by the artist.  This new form of sculpture didn't have to be marble or bronze, but scrap metal, plastic, or just existing manufactured objects could be turned into art. Shore area artist Lisa Bagwell made this egret from mostly plastic utensils and wooden pencils.  She has also done wonders with things found as part of beach clean-ups, but I'm not going to talk about those here.

Build a whole environment to hold that piece, and you have what is commonly called an installation. 

Slide Show-
Donatello A carved wooden sculpture, Mary Magdalene
Michelangelo A carved stone sculpture
Picasso a found object sculpture made from bicycle parts
Duane Hanson- A cast sculpture (plastics)
Joseph Cornell- Known for wall mounted box sculptures
Duchamp- Famous for developing the "ready-made" concept
Edward Keinholz -A classic installation sculpture

Our project is built on this idea of found object assemblage, which works well in our pandemic era, but I've been having students make things out of inexpensive or found objects since well before this, as in these student examples from past semesters.  Back on April 9, 2020, everyone was sent a list of randomly generated phrases, right to your Kean mailbox, phrases from words drawn from hats. One was to be used for a mixed media collage. Choose a different one for this project, your 3D Final project.

As with the mixed media collage, it is up to you to interpret the phrase you are using.  Choice of materials is completely up to you. Processes are completely up to you.  Just a few rules-

1) The piece must be three dimensional, occupying space. Can be free standing, on a pedestal, or contained in a box. There are examples of all these options shown below.

2) The finished piece must depict your chosen topic in some way.  (it's your interpretation)

3) You may use manufactured items that already exist, but your final piece must be unique to you, something you made yourself.

And that's pretty much it.  It's due on May 8, 2020, our final class meeting.  When you send in the photo, include your inspiring phrase, a list of materials, what it is about.  I've attached a number of student examples here, so you can see how others have handled it, maybe get a few ideas of your own.

"Chicken Story"
Cut magazine images, hard rubber, etc.

"Against College"
Computer generated images, foam rubber, etc

"Sting Despair"

Clay, leaves, paint, cardboard box top

"Apetite for Distraction"
various found objects, clay

"Fallen Merchant"
Various found objects

"Planet Gone Wild"
styrofoam, wires, various found objects

"Plowing through the Nation"
wood, computer generated images, found objects

"Impasse Changed"
Existing cardboard boxes, paper, found objects

"Let's Get Hearts"
Existing cardboard box, paper, paint, found objects

Semester Final Portfolio

Lately I've had a number of inquiries regarding the semester portfolio, perhaps because the semester is coming to an end in a few weeks. So this seems a good time to post something about it.

If you look at the syllabus, there is a breakdown on the 3rd page for Assessment, which covers how the grades are calculated.  There are three individually graded items (2D,3D, and Museum assignment), and everything else we do is part of the semester portfolio. This is worth 25% of your semester grade.  These are all the things we do in the classroom, the art exercises, usually done in the 18"x24" pad.  The last few months you have had to do them at home.  It's pretty much a completion grade- you complete the assignments and you get all the points.  Normally on the last meeting day, after we have all looked at the 3D final projects, I quickly look through all the big pads, and use a check sheet to see what people have done.  If all the items are complete, that student gets an A for the semester portfolio.  If some items are missing or incomplete, the final grade for this item is lower, based on a system I have.  In either case, it is calculated into the final class grade that I have to submit through KeanWise a few days after the semester ends.

Unfortunately, this year we can't have a final meeting in the classroom, so you will have to send me images of what you have done through the email system.  Some of you have been doing this all along, and if so, I have my check sheet and mark them down.  Some of you have sent me your comic strips that way.  I don't know if there is a limit to how many items can be attached- if so you may have to do it in batches.  No problem- that's why I have the check sheet.  Once I have things written down, I send acknowledgement, so you know and you don't have to send them again.  Excused absences cover penalties for missed classes, but all portfolio exercises have to be made up and completed, whether the absence is excused or not. 

The good news is that everything this class does is kept on this blog, so week by week there is a record of what the class is doing. Early in the semester when we were meeting in the classroom, if you did the work in class, then the exercise is complete.  I still want to see it again in May so I can give you a grade, but you at least have it done.   Work done since we switched to distance learning will have to be sent digitally.  If you are not sure what any of this is, it's all on this blog, but here I will provide a list of dates we did these exercises.  The last several postings are on the home page, and after that, everything can be found by clicking on "older posts" or going into the archive function, which covers everything going back to 2007.  This is not an ideal system; I much prefer to see art in person and judge it that way, but this is what the pandemic circumstances requires.  

Jan 31- Contour line (exterior, cross, blind).  The shoe drawings, 4 varieties.
Feb 7-  Scale, Proportion, and negative space (the chair, and the bottles, two exercises)  
Feb 14-  Value drawing.  Charcoal drawings of white painted objects
Feb 21-  Monumental art (mosaic collage with magazine paper)
Feb 28-  Basic color theory (the color wheel and the complement color mix, two exercises)
March 6- Photography- take home assignment
April 3-  Rhythm- abstract art influenced by musical rhythms, four paintings.
April 17-  Mixed media collage- adapting a randomly generated phrase through use of collage, drawing, painting
Apr 24-  Perspective in drawing- a 2 point perspective drawing of the corner of a room

That is the whole portfolio.  Details about each exercise can be found on the blog under the above dates for each, and if you have further questions, you can email me.  To count, I must see the work by midnight on May 8, 2020, our last class meeting. None of these items are individually graded, so if they are all done, you get an A for the portfolio.