Course Title: ART420 Printmaking IV
Term: Spring
COURSE DESCRIPTION (Catalog): The second of two advanced print courses that encompasses an individual exploration in one or more printmaking processes (learned on campus or beyond) that focuses on series related works. Conceptual components are to be further explored by way of academic research in conjunction with hands-on printing techniques.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Implement the students to create a proposal that encompasses a semester-long, independent printmaking project that leads to series-based works that challenge their grasp of concept, process, and overall scope of contemporary printmaking.
2. Introduce the students to exploratory, non-traditional means of printmaking, in both materials and processes on an individual level.
3. Engage the class in critical dialogue by conducting open lines of communication during critiques that analyze historical and contemporary sources in visual problem solving.
4. Provide the students with opportunities to experiment, focusing on varied substrates, technique, multi-color, and multi-process applications in printmaking.
5. Provide the students with technical support to gain mastery level in the chosen print medium/process of their choice.
6. Introduce the students to the necessary procedures on applying for gallery representation, graduate studies, artist-in-residencies and final aspects of their senior exhibitions.
COURSE LEARNING 0UTCOMES:
1.Students will produce a page long document that proposes their semester-long project, including concept and content, process(s) of choice, color palette, and what they will gain as an artist printmaker.
2. Students will gain an awareness for current trends in the contemporary printmaking arena and be proficient in the beginning use of non-traditional print applications.
3. Students will be able to critically examine their own work, as well as their peers in a positively uplifting manner during critiques and presentations.
4. Students will be able to apply visual problem-solving skills in complex print-related situations that expound beyond the scope of traditional printmaking.
5. Students will be proficient in mastering the craftsmanship, technique, and skill in producing professional fine art prints in the process of their choice.
6. Students will successfully apply for print-related opportunities in the professional art world in order to expand their curriculum vitae.
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Final Digital Portfolio
Printmaking students are required to maintain a Digital Portfolio documenting all printmaking projects created in the course. Documentation techniques will be covered in the class. The work and digital portfolio will be reviewed and graded for accuracy and quality. High resolution images should be utilized for personal websites, social media, as well as the shared ART 420 Google Drive folder.
Digital Presentation/Paper
All Art 420 students are required to present one Digital Presentation via either Powerpoint or Google Slides. At the beginning of the semester, intermediate and advanced printmaking students (ART 220-420 is a stacked section) are divided into two groups to present either the week before midterm (ART 220) or the week prior to final critique (ART 320 and 420). One four and ½ page paper, which includes a formal title page and works cited, along with a 12 minute digital presentation is required. Students are timed for the duration, which should include a grouping of at least twenty high-res images by an artist-printmaker whose work is no older than the year 2000. Advanced students utilize a comparative/contrast format, in which their work must be similar by way of concept, with possible contrast in printmaking process/technique. Images and documents are to be saved via Google Docs and all hardcopies must be honor-pledged by hand. Students can also choose to embed videos no longer than one minute in duration for their peers to view any process-technique related studio footage.
Skill Building Exercises
Sketchbook: Unlike ART 120/220 students, ART 420 students are not required to fill an entirely new sketchbook, though are tasked to continue production throughout the entire semester in order to build upon concepts and acquired skills. The sketchbook will be a frequently used reference and should be accessible during each course meeting. It should contain the course syllabus, thumbnails, preliminary sketches/drawings/compositional studies, ideas and thoughts, notes on instructions, equipment and material usage, copied publication/online articles and reproductions of interest, vocabulary, experimentation w/ materials, proof prints, and color studies. Advanced printmaking students are encouraged to incorporate Adobe Photoshop and varied technology for image creation. Hardcopy visuals are to be output, chronologically collated, and adhered within the sketchbook. Quantity is based upon the student’s conceptual needs and corresponding academic research.
Portfolio: Students are to first protect their printed projects inside of a wrapped, acid-free packet prior to placing editions or series within a portfolio before turning in for grading purposes. All assignments must be turned in a sturdy portfolio that can open flat or in an envelope style. Students can purchase a portfolio or make one; it doesn't have to be overly expensive as long as it easily accessible and sturdy/stiff. The portfolio should be large enough to contain prints with an extra inch or two around the largest sheet of paper in order to protect prints from damage, including corner or edge folding, wrinkling, or denting. If handmade in order to save money, acid-free paper must be lined between the packets of printed works and acidic receptacle such as corrugated cardboard. Each packet must be labeled with each project’s print process and a list of the prints contained within.
Final Presentation: Students enrolled in ART 420 (Advanced Printmaking) are required to mat one print from each of their main editions/print projects depending upon the nature of the actual work. Works that are not on traditional paper substrates are required to be thoughtfully engineered per the materials and/or mediums. Wood, fabric, metals, and printed imagery on clay are to correspond with an appropriate presentation space, be that a wall, pedestal, etc… The resultant grade will be based on archival standards, construction, craftsmanship, and physical safety. If choosing alternative methods of presentation, such as riveted corners, installation in the round, etc…, students must first propose these no later than two weeks prior to the final critique. Final presentation guidelines should also be fully researched upon by staying fully attuned to professional institution’s web and social media platforms, as well as publications such as SGCI, MAPC, HelloPrintFriend, Pressing Matters, and the PCNY.
Professional Practices: Students are provided instructional methodology on the application to national juried show opportunities, as well as publication applications. Digital and device based image capturing is refreshed upon with post-production documentation techniques in Adobe Photoshop. Students are required to upload all printed projects to Google Drive as well as any call-for-entry applications.
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Additional skills/requirement: Advanced Printmaking students are required to apply their main body of printworks for contemporary, pre-professional printmaking opportunities to bolster their vitae in context of post-baccalaureate continued development, such as portfolio exchanges and organization/council membership.
Course Projects
Main Body of Work: Ongoing production throughout semester
Students enrolled in ART 420 propose a semester’s body of work by submitting a typed, well conceived document that entails the conceptual premise of their content/subject matter, specific print media/process(es) and substrate(s) of choice, scale, color palette, and timeline of strategy. ART 420 students meet with the faculty to communicate their ideas in a group setting while projecting their preliminary sketches +/or digitized images, along with examples of contemporary influence. Advanced Printmaking students engage in semiotic dialogue and critical discourse via an ongoing basis throughout the semester in order to assess whether or not their goals and visual outcomes are being met.
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