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What does being an artist mean? What constitutes a body of work for your specific investigation and what does it mean to complete an open-ended inquiry versus a "realized project"? What are important concepts and dialogues in our present culture? Where are you in relationship to these dialogues? What motivates you? What interrupts your working process? How do you go about problem solving? What do you envision for the next three years of your life?

Course Description
Intensive research and study within a studio concentration that culminates in the public presentation of the senior exhibit. The student will be required to prepare and present this body of work, their visual thesis, for critical review to an Art Faculty Committee prior to its public presentation in the Senior Fine Arts Exhibition. Additionally, the student will be required to present a written component to the visual thesis that describes in full the processes and the outcomes of the senior research.

Course Objectives and Requirements

Course journal / sketch book / or blog, 5% of final grade

To be kept throughout the semester, Write/sketch all ideas. Evaluated at Mid-term and end of semester

Two Critiques of Professional Exhibitions, due one week after gallery/museum visit, 5% of final grade

Write a 1-2 page critique of selected work in the following format: The statement should be a three part statement. First write as clearly as possible a description of the work - is it a sculpture, installation, video, painting, etc... What materials are used? Where is it placed? How do people interact with it? What matter or content does it present. Then write your personal reactions to the work, how it struck you. Did it ellicite any sensations or reactions? What did you walk away with in viewing this peice? Finally do a bit of background research on the artist and explain how this work is similar or different from other work by the artist or artist group, or briefly discuss historical work that you associate with this work

Enter your work in a professional juried exhibition, evidence of submission due by May 7th, 5% of final grade

Begin searching exhibition competitions as soon as possible. Research various options and pay close attention to their entry requirements ( fees, digital images or slides, etc. and deadline date). Keep a file with printed opportunities listed by deadline dates. Many exhibitions also request a resume, artist statement and bio. New York Foundation for the Arts link to opportunities /services Artshow Creative Quarterly Society for Photographic Education link to opportunities ACM SIGGRAPH submissions are due end of January!!!! ArtDeadlines (fee to use this site; 14$ for 20 days, 26$ for year) collected calls

Thesis Exhibition, 50% of final grade;

Prepare and present a cohesive body of your art work to faculty and the public in the senior thesis exhibit

Thesis Paper (6 - 12 pages, double-spaced, 12 point text), 20% of final grade

Detailed outline due March 24, Final Thesis due on the date of our Final Exam and Gallery Review.
Download Suggested Thesis Outline (Microsoft Word Document)
Present a historical framework for the type of work that you are doing. (For example, if you consider yourself primarily a computer animator, you would briefly begin by writing about the earsly history of animation using film. Then move onto the development of animation using the computer and include at least three individuals or a School/Movement that you are compelled by and feel a coherence with, and how it may parallel your own work.)
Discuss your current work and how you arrived to the work that you are doing, you may discribe past projects that led to your thesis work.
Finally, present a projection into the future -- how and where will you continue producing your work, do you plan to move onto graduate school, if so what school and why? Will you look for employment in a specific industry, if so what companies interest you and why? What skills do you currently not have that you would like to develop in relation to your artistic production?
Present your research as an informal conversation with the class.

Self-promotion package: print format and electronic, 10% of final grade

Printed packet is due for exhibition opening; electronic format due at Exhibition Review) Brief Biography (approximately 250 words), Digital Documentation of Work, Artist Statement, Resume

Establish a "Credential File" with Career Services, 5% of final grade

Fill out the Career Services registration form and have faculty submit letter of recommendation on your behalf to Career Services. Career Services will hold 5 letters for 5 years following your graduation and will submit the letters upon your request.

Course Work - that which you are driven to do. Readings assigned on individual basis. For each reading please write a 1-2 page analysis of the essay, keep summation to a minimum, discuss what you drew from it and how it may relate to art.

Required readings:

Press Releases
Helpful suggestions about press Writing an Artist Statement
Artist Statements: do's and dont's
Examples of Artists Biographies
Fundraising
Grant Writing Examples (personal)
Career Planning
Graduate Schools
Organization and Record Keeping

Course Schedule

Week 1, January 20
Course Introduction: discuss exhibition location, budget, documentation, view examples of past BFA classes…
View: Layla Ali

Saturday? class trip to:
Hunter Graduate Studios, visit with Seldon Yuan
PS1, Long Island City
SculptureCenter, Long Island City

Week 2, January 27
Artists Presentation for Accepted Students Day is Saturday April 4th? Ask seniors to present a review or a discussion on their works or specific projects...
Presentations, please bring your work, artist statements, prepare a brief discussion of an artist that you find influential or whose work you enjoy and a brief statement of what you plan to execute over the length of the semester and you envision to install in the BFA exhibition.
View: Mark Dion

Week 3, February 3
Presentations, please bring your work, artist statements, prepare a brief discussion of an artist that you find influential or whose work you enjoy and a brief statement of what you plan to execute over the length of the semester and you envision to install in the BFA exhibition.
Download for next week: Press Releases, Helpful suggestions about press
View: Cai Guo-Qiang

Week 4, February 10
Meet with Sarah Cunningham to discuss public relations
Public Relations and Art Criticism


View: Lari Pittman
Download for next week: Writing an Artist Resume, Writing an Artist Statement, Artist Statements: do's and dont's, Writing an Artist Briography, Examples of Artists Biographies

Week 5, February 17
Presentation Tools: Cover Letters, Artists Biography, Artist Resume, Artist Statement,
Work in Progress Presentations
View: Allora and Calzadila

SculptureCenter, New York Introductions: Artist Walkthrough Saturday, February 21, 2009, 5:00pm Come and introduce yourself! Join us for a walkthrough of the exhibitions with the artists and curators, followed by warm drinks.

Week 6, February 24
Presentation: Art in the Public Sphere
Infromation on Public Art opportunities and commissions:
Inspiration: Artist Organized Collaborative Mural
NJ Arts Council
State of New York, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Public Art Fund
The Municipal Art Society of New York
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
San Jose Public Art Fund
Book Titles on Public Art: Dialogues in Public Art; Dirctory of Public Art Organizations; Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art; Art in the Public Interest
Work in Progress Presentations
View: Mark Bradford
Download for next week: Grant Writing Examples (personal), Fundraising

Week 7, March 3
Grant writing, locating funding, developing proposals and budgets
Excellent resource for learning to assemble an artist proposal: Creative Capital
Due date for digital file to be used in the Exhibit Catalog and Artist Statement.
Work in Progress Presentations
View: Chris Ware

Open workshop with Liselot Van der Heijden, Sarah Cunningham and Dustin London on professional presentation and framing methods

Spring Break
Mar. 9, Monday - Mar. 13, Friday

Week 8, March 17
Legal Issues: Copyright and Contracts
Copyright Law according to StarvingArtists.com
Copyright in Visual Arts by by Thomas G. Field, Jr
Copyright Basics from the US office of Copyright
The two international copyright convetions most commonly recognized are the Berne Convention, and the Universal Copyright Convention
View: Laurie Simmons
Download for next week: Organization and Record Keeping, Career Planning, Graduate Schools

Week 9, March 24
Organization and Record Keeping, Career and Life Planning
Due date of First version of Thesis as a detailed outline.
Exhibit announcement completed and ready for the Printer Catalog design prepared.
View: Nick Cave

Week 10, March 31
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1ST: Faculty Critiques: 12:20 - 4:30pm
Complete templates for portfolio websites
View: Swoon

Week 11, April 7
Exhibit Announcement should be ready to be addressed and mailed.

Week 12, April 14
Meet with Sarah Cunningham to discuss Gallery layout, presentation/framing methods
Thesis research presentation
Download Gallery Contract
Web Portfolio help links: W3 Schools
W3 Schools, CSS Reference
Dublin Core editing tool
Encode Email link
Template source files

Week 13, April 21
Meet with Sarah Cunningham to receive installation instructions
Thesis research presentation
Begin installation: Thursday, 4/23 through Tuesday, 4/28

Week 14, April 28
Thesis research presentation
Wednesday, April 29th: BFA Thesis Exhibition 2009: Celebration of Student Acheivement
Friday, May 1st: BFA Thesis Exhibition Opens

Exam Period begins May 4th
Due: Final Thesis

Proof of having submitted work to a professionally juried exhibition; in gallery critique

May 18
Graduation and Exhibition Removal