Course Title: ART490 Directed Independent Study
Term: As needed
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Major credit. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. An independent course of advanced study in an area of studio art or design. May be taken for a total of 6 hours of credit. Lab fee, as required by specific area of study.
Sample from ART 490: Directed Independent Study – Ceramics: Intersection of Surface & Form
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
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Student will learn to establish an active and independent studio practice.
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Student will examine different methods of building large vessels quickly.
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Student will experiment with different surface treatments and techniques in conjunction with alternative firing methods.
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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Student will work independently on studio projects.
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Student will research methods of creating three-dimensional forms in clay with historical references to process.
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Student will develop a body of work that utilizes surface treatments and techniques that connect research on form and surface.
Overview:
This course gives students the opportunity to delve into an in-depth process within a studio area that goes beyond the four courses offered in each studio area. In this case, the student worked in the studio during the time other ceramics courses were taking place so she had almost daily opportunities to check-in with the faculty member, work through any issues as they came up. The project allowed for trial and error as can be seen in the documentation provided.
Documentation:
Students are required to document all ceramics projects and submit these images at the end of the semester. Additionally, students are expected to document works in progress.
Studio Projects:
Traditional Forms:
A series of large vessels was created using soft slab and coil methods. Bases for the forms ranged from pinch pots, to slump molds, and cylinders. Smaller forms were later added to the series.
Alternative Firing Process:
The student conducted a series of saggar firings and barrel firings. She recognized that it often took more than one firing to achieve the rich surface desired. The final results took a great deal of trial and error. The process in this DIS was just as important as the final product.
Exhibition:
The works created in this course were used for the student’s senior exhibition.
Artist Statement:
As people, we are like clay, modeled and changed through time. Each one of my pieces has a different personality and has traveled a different journey to get where it is today. purposefully named my pieces after elders in my family. My pieces represent the changes we have experienced in our lives. The lumps, bumps, and irregularities are the things that impact, change, and make us each unique. The alternative firing process seems harsh and dangerous, but the unpredictable destructive process brings out the uniqueness in each piece. It also shows the journey we go through as people as we fight the struggles in our lives and come through changed, and sometimes better versions of ourselves. The scars on my pieces, just like people, can be negative or can be happy memories. We are just clay, modeled and changed. The marks of everyone who has touched us have left their mark, be it good or bad.
