Course Syllabus

ART 2000 AFA Capstone Seminar: Professional Practices

Course Description

This capstone course is for Visual Art Majors who have been accepted to and are on track toward the AFA degree. Content will examine professional practices within the visual arts and is designed to prepare students for transfer and successful articulation into BFA programs. Emphasis will be placed on the development of an artist statement, curriculum vitae, oral and visual presentation skills, the digital documentation of portfolios, the promotion of an independent web presence, and the assessment of the visual arts program. The course will also lay the groundwork toward the staging of each student's required solo AFA exhibition. This course is required for all AFA degree candidates and should be taken the fall semester in the year which they anticipate graduating.

Justification

This course is required during the final year of study in the AFA program. As a professional practices course it prepares visual arts students for successful articulation into BFA programs and is designed as a primer to being a productive art student and an independent artist. It also acts as a catalyst where students prepare for final extracurricular requirements including their solo AFA exhibition, written statements, and final oral defense of their exhibition. This course is offered in a similar format at most USHE institutions and around the country at each level of professional completion, i.e., AFA, BFA, and MFA levels.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum can address complex problems by integrating the knowledge and methodologies of multiple disciplines.  As this course is a capstone experience, students will utilize a culmination of understanding from many facets of the visual language and knowledge and sensibilities from all previous art courses. At this stage in their education each student should be in the practice of self-critique and proficient in critical evaluation of the work of others. This ability will be assessed through self-reflection and will conclude with the writing of an artist statement and a through a comprehensive oral presentation discussing their own work in terms of concept, materials, context, critical theory, and process. Each presentation will be critiqued by the instructor and peers providing a direct feedback loop for improvement.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. CREATIVE PROCESS: This course is a professional development course and is designed to critically evaluate each student's creative process and to organize a cohesive body of creative work.
2. MATERIAL PROFICIENCY: This is a culmination course, thus each student will be expected to possess abilities with an array of art media.
3. CONCEPTUAL PRINCIPLES: As this is a culmination course, students will be expected to possess a theoretic and applied knowledge of and be able to create a distinction between formal and conceptual principles.
4. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Students will study the relevance of their own creative work in context to their contemporary culture and will trace their artistic lineage throughout the history of art discovering why they have developed certain sensibilities.
5. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Students will continue to hone their abilities in the process of critical analysis (both orally and in written form) as it applies to the organization of their final portfolio and each student's AFA exhibition. This ability to critically synthesize aesthetic and conceptual qualities, examine historical context, and determine conceptual merit in works of art will assist their transition into upper division coursework in BFA programs.

Course Content

This course will include lectures, class discussion, oral and written components, demonstrations, and practical application as they apply to the following topics: Development of an artist statement, biography, web presence, CV, transfer school applications, and scholarships applications; Readings and discussion of professional practices and art theory topics; Portfolio organization and independent studio work; Professional matting and framing methods and construction; Digital documentation of artwork; Gallery practices; Oral/visual presentation of work; Work ethic and expectations of future upper division BFA programs; Preparation for AFA Exhibition and oral defense; Assessment of Snow College Visual Art programing.