• Students will demonstrate a proficiency in their ability to discern their best examples of artwork completed in the Studio Foundations courses, and specify how those artworks meet the guidelines for the  Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition

• Students will demonstrate a proficiency in their ability to cut mats and present or exhibit their work according to a set of specific guidelines in a professional manner

• Students will demonstrate an ability to write an analysis of their artwork and how that work meets the guidelines for the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition

• Students will demonstrate through the artwork selected for presentation in the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition that they have acquired the skill sets and basic knowledge needed to be successful in the study of studio art beyond the introductory Studio Foundations level

Assessment

Assessment for this course will be based on the student’s ability to select and exhibit specific Studio Foundations class assignments that effectively

• Demonstrate the use of basic art media,  observational drawing skills, an acceptable level of craft and hand-skills, knowledge of color theory and use of color (beyond the use of local color and color wheel related exercises), and the ability to compose artwork in both two- and three-dimensional formats.

• Demonstrate their ability to engage in self-reflection and analysis by writing about their artwork and to include appropriate use of the art vocabulary and understanding of key concepts in drawing and design where necessary or as they may relate to the pieces being exhibited.

• Demonstrate their ability to present and display two- and three-dimensional art in a professional manner.

• Demonstrate their mastery of basic studio artistic skill sets and essential knowledge for acceptable performance in studio courses at the 300-level and beyond.

Studio Faculty Review

As a part of the assessment process, the Studio Art faculty, in their entirety, will provide the following:

• A comprehensive feedback to each student of the consensus of the entire studio art faculty regarding the faculty’s assessment of the student’s strengths, and weaknesses as they pertain to the work submitted for review.

• In the event that a student fails to pass the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition, the student will be given an opportunity to re-submit artwork from the studio foundations classes for a Second Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition scheduled for later in the semester.

• In the event that a student fails to pass the Second Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition, that student’s Art Advisor will develop an action plan to help address the deficiencies noted in the Review of the Second Exhibition.

• Recognition of an individual student’s outstanding achievement will be noted through inclusion of that student’s artwork in “A Strong Foundation,” (Fall Semester Only) a juried exhibition of student works from the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition in the University Art Gallery.

Outcomes

Art-190 Foundations Proficiency Review is designed to meet certain stated outcomes including:

• Each student will successfully complete the course and pass the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition.

• Each student will declare, at the time of the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition, their intent to pursue an Art degree Area of Concentration (Visual Communications or Studio Art), and if in Studio Art, an Area of Specialization (Painting, Printmaking, Fibers, Sculpture, Ceramics).

• Art Faculty assessment of the artwork submitted for the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition also serves as a review and assessment of the stated objectives for the studio foundations curriculum.

Summary of Course

Students will begin the semester with an overview of the course curriculum, the course schedule, and requirements.  Some class support materials will be delivered on-line.  Early in the semester, a matting and presentation workshop(s) will be offered, and a schedule will be arranged for the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition.  A Remedial Action Plan will be created for students who did not meet the minimum standards for successfully passing the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition and a re-submission opportunity will be provided during the latter part of the semester.

Summary of Foundations Proficiency Review

There are three mandatory components to the Foundations Proficiency Review: Artist Statement, Portfolio/Exhibition, and Meeting with Faculty Committee.

• Artist Statement: The Artist Statement is a prepared one-page analysis of your exhibit.  The statement should explain why particular works were chosen and how each work contributes to your overall exhibit and how it meets the guidelines.

• Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition: The students’ work must demonstrate satisfactory understanding of the principles, concepts, techniques, and processes introduced in the art foundation classes:  Drawing I, Drawing II, Design I, and Design II.

• Meeting with Faculty Committee: This review provides an opportunity for student and faculty discussion about the artwork created in the foundation courses. A summary of the evaluation of the student’s art, as determined by the entire studio faculty, will be the topic of discussion.

Course Calendar

Week 1
Tuesday, August 22, 2012 – Guidelines for the Foundations Proficiency                       Review will be posted on Blackboard. 5:30PM OP 2210 – Meeting with students for question and answer session and notification of specific deadlines. Dates for mat cutting sessions will be arranged.

Week 5*
Sunday, September 22. Installation of Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition, artwork, review by faculty, meetings with faculty committees, Pass/Fail grades assigned.

Week 7*
Sunday, October 6. Re-submission of Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition materials for those who did not pass the initial Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition.

Week 8    
Tuesday, October 15. Remedial Action Plan for those who did not pass the resubmission of  the Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition.

Week 16
Tuesday, December 3. Remedial action completed, final grades Submitted.

* Dates adjustable based on space availability, University Calendar, and enrollment

Guidelines to Students

The artwork you choose for the Proficiency Review Exhibition should demonstrate at least a minimum competency in skills that are necessary for acceptable completion of a BA or BFA degree in Art. Your work must demonstrate satisfactory understanding of the principles, concepts, techniques, and processes introduced in the art foundation classes:  Drawing I, Drawing II, Design I, and Design II.  Some works may cover elements from more than one category, and this is acceptable.

For the review, you will submit one piece from each of the foundation courses.  You will also submit a fifth piece, of your choice, that must also be from one of these foundation courses.  This portfolio of five pieces should be presented in a professional manner and demonstrate the following competencies.  

Submissions should show at least minimum mastery of:

Drawing I  

• Basic observations and drawing from life skills
• Basic principles of composition such as balance, emphasis, unity, etc.
• Understanding of the expressive uses of line, texture, or value in observational drawing
• Understanding of devices such as gradation in size, convergence, overlapping, or diminishing detail to depict a sense of space in a two-dimensional composition

Drawing II 

• Observational skills used when drawing (from life) the human figure, such as foreshortening, proportion, scale, or modeling with value
• Compositional skills gained from Drawing I and Design I experiences

Design I 

• Understanding and application of elements of design such as line, value, texture, shape, and positive/negative space relationships
• Understanding of design principles such as balance, rhythm, unity, variety, or emphasis in compositional arrangements
• Application of color theory beyond local color or “chart” exercises

Design II 

• Ability to construct a composition in-the-round using basic three-dimensional design elements and principles
• Integration of form and space into a three-dimensional composition
• Understanding of scale and proportion when appropriate

Fifth Piece Submission

Selected from any of the four foundation courses, this component allows you to choose a work that could augment a combination of the requirements listed above.  As an example, the fifth piece could be an additional figure drawing, completed in color or a bas-relief or in-the-round piece from Design II. This selection could supplement criteria from Drawing I, Drawing II, Design I, or Design II, but it must have been completed in one of the above four courses. The piece could be digital media.

Artist Statement

The Artist Statement is a prepared one page analysis of the work you chose for review.  You must specifically address how the work demonstrates the competencies as listed for each course. The statement should explain why particular works were chosen, how each work contributes to the quality of your overall exhibit, and a brief self-evaluation of your artistic strengths and the areas in which you require more development.

In addition to posting a copy of the paper to the exhibition, you must submit your Artist Statement on Blackboard.

Foundations Proficiency Review Exhibition Installation                     

You will install and remove your work in the exhibition at a prescribed time and place. Your work should be arranged in the space designated on the walls and on the pedestals in a way that is most supportive of your art.

Three-dimensional work must :

• Fit onto provided pedestals, not be hung or suspended
• Be completely in-the-round, not bas-relief
  (unless a bas-relief piece is selected as a fifth piece)
• Be well constructed and self-supporting
• Remain intact for the duration of the proficiency review

Two-dimensional work must :

• Be matted with white mat board
• Have a bevel-cut window, with three-inch boarders on all four sides
• Be backed with white foam core.
• Be assembled to remain intact for the duration of the proficiency review

The Artist Statement must :

• Be typeset (Word document)
• Printed on 8 1/2” x 11” white paper, and have 1.25 inch margins.
• You must use 12-point, Times New Roman or Palatino font and include one and one-half (1.5) spacing between each line.
• This statement will be displayed with your exhibition (pinned onto the wall).

Work from the classes will be displayed in Ophelia Parrish for five days.

• Review Process

This review provides an opportunity for student and faculty discussion about the artwork you created in the foundation courses.   A summary of the evaluation of your art as determined by the entire studio faculty will be the topic of discussion.  At an assigned time, you will meet with a group of studio art faculty and discuss your work. Participation in this group meeting is required for Foundations Proficiency Review. Students will be advised of their performance with great specificity by a committee of art faculty, and those who meet the minimum standards will receive a P (Pass) for the course.  Students who do not meet the minimum standards required for Foundations Proficiency Review will be given an opportunity to resubmit later in the semester.

Re-submissions

Students who do not pass upon initial submission of materials for the Foundations Proficiency Exhibition will be advised by the art faculty committee regarding the weaknesses of the portfolio and/or paper, and why the portfolio did not meet minimum standards.  For those Exhibitions not meeting the minimum standards, a resubmission of work for the Foundations Proficiency Exhibition will be scheduled for the fifth week (or there about) of the semester.

If a Resubmitted Exhibition still does not meet the minimum stated standards, a committee of art faculty, to include the student’s primary advisor, will develop a Remedial Action Plan to assist the student in strategies to address the deficiencies.  During the final weeks of the semester, students will re-submit their Foundations Proficiency Review materials. If the re-submission satisfactorily meets the minimum standards, a grade of P (Pass) will be assigned. If the re-submission does not meet the minimum standards for Foundations Proficiency Review, a grade of F (Fail) will be assigned.  Students may repeat the course until a passing grade is earned.