Visual Arts Practice

Course Number: 07:081:105

Involves supervised practical experience with the Department of Art & Design’s studios, computers, media or photography labs, and galleries, or in artistic organizations or context across the University and in the larger community. Substantive projects outside of the department may qualify. 1 credit = 42 service hours; 2 credits = 84 service hours. Three credits are required of all BFA visual arts majors; 2 credits are required of all BA art majors. Design majors do not complete VAP. Students must register for the course to earn academic credit.

BA credits — by arrangement

Drawing Fundamentals

Course Number: 07:081:121
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This introductory course is designed to familiarize the student with the basic principles of drawing. Students are taught to see the three-dimensional world around them and to capture what they are perceiving in two-dimensions. Projects are designed to increase the student’s technical and perceptual ability within a variety of drawing-based approaches. The first half of the semester focuses on the use of line to address composition, creating space, perspective, accuracy in “seeing,” and mastery of materials such as pencil and charcoal. The second half of the semester focuses on the use of value, gesture, and mark-making to address similar formal and structural components with pen and ink. Critiques and discussions address both the formal and conceptual aspects of drawing such as ideation, subject, meaning, context, intentionality, and alternate readings of the work, among others. Art historical and contemporary art examples will be introduced throughout the course, and it is expected that students make at least one trip to New York City during the semester to explore contemporary galleries and attend three visiting artist lectures.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: None
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course: Students will demonstrate in a final portfolio mastery of the fundamental skills of observational drawing including: accuracy in perceptual ability; a sensitivity to line; an understanding of compositional strategies; a working knowledge of one and two point perspective; and a sensitivity to value (wide tonal range), gesture, and mark-making. Students will possess the ability to incorporate these into successful compositional strategies; and demonstrate how volume and space can be achieved through a variety of approaches. They will master the materials of pencil, charcoal, and pen and ink, and possess the skills to work with equal facility in line and value. In addition, they will develop a working vocabulary with which to assess their own drawing-based work, the work of their peers, and how the fundamental lessons of drawing can be applied to all visual art.

Faculty Contact:
Cheon Pyo Lee, cl1828@mgsa.rutgers.edu

4-D Fundamentals: Time and Space

Course Number: 07:081:122

Working with the computer and with everyday technologies including smart phones, the internet, cameras, and audio recording devices, students learn fundamentals of time- and screen-based contemporary art practices. The class introduces students to a range of experimental techniques and approaches, working with photomontage, image sequencing, video recording and editing, and sound. The class includes screenings, demos, workshops, labs, readings, group discussions, and critiques. Students will develop their own creative and independent voices while working on a series of focused assignments. The course will culminate in a public screening of student artwork produced during the course.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Cheon pyo Lee, cl1828@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Seminar in Contemporary Art A

Course Number: 07:081:200

An introduction to works of contemporary art from the mid-20^th century to the present. Explores different approaches to the production and reception of contemporary art across painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, photography, video, and more. Considers how art disciplines cross-pollinate and some practices abandon the notion of a distinct medium altogether. Readings as well as podcasts, films, and museum visits will support the course lectures and discussions, which engage contemporary art critically and creatively.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 01:082:105-106

Faculty Contact:
John Yau, johnyau@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Seminar in Contemporary Art B

Course Number: 07:081:201

An introduction to works of contemporary art from the mid-20^th century to the present. Explores different approaches to the production and reception of contemporary art across painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, photography, video, and more. Considers how art disciplines cross-pollinate and some practices abandon the notion of a distinct medium altogether. Readings as well as podcasts, films, and museum visits will support the course lectures and discussions, which engage contemporary art critically and creatively.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites: 01:082:105, 01:082:106, and 07:081:200

Faculty Contact:
John Yau, johnyau@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Drawing I-A

Course Number: 07:081:221
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course will explore the historical roots and contemporary application of the radical and conceptual process known as collage. Ideas of fracture, montage, image/object, process and environment will all be explored as students develop their own vocabulary and studio practice. Historical models, relevant texts, and contemporary artists will be examined, research, special projects and group and individual critiques are an integral part of the course.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:121

Learning Goals of Course:

• Students will demonstrate through critique and discussion an ability to articulate how collage functions in their own work and the work of others
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the meaning and function of both historical and contemporary uses of collage in critiques, discussions and in development of their own works
• Students will demonstrate, through A final portfolio their development of the practical, hands-on craft/mechanics/skills of collage
• Students will demonstrate through A final portfolio an understanding and successful utilization of the conceptual aspects of collage in terms of fracture, synthesis, montage and sequence as well as its history as A radical act

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Drawing I-B

Course Number: 07:081:222

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:121 or permission of instructor

How does color affect us? How does it function? How do we use it to convey information, create a mood or temperament, organize relationships? How has the use and ‘reading’ of color changed over time? What is a contemporary, 21st century approach to color? This course introduces the use of color into the drawing practice. While drawing is most often taught as a series of value and/or mark-making relationships, this course will introduce tools and materials that facilitate an approach to using color that goes beyond the simple differentiation of form. Using a variety of methods and materials to introduce color into the drawing process, students will experiment with oil pastel, watercolor, colored pencil and found color material (collage) to explore how color affects the meaning and reading of a work of art. Assignments, readings, presentations, and screenings will all examine color from various viewpoints including (but not limited to) historical, conceptual, psychological, cultural, and ethnographic ideas related to color and its use in the drawing practice.

4 credits

Learning Goals & Objectives:

Through practice, experimentation, research, and the use of various media, students will demonstrate the ability to:

• Utilize color effectively in the drawing process
• Demonstrate through a final portfolio an understanding of the use of color as both a formal and conceptual tool
• Demonstrate through critique and discussion an ability to articulate how specific practices integrate the conceptual, material and formal aspects of color including historical, psychological, cultural and ethnographic ideas related to color and its use in the drawing practice

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Visual Thinking A: Black and White

Course Number: 07:081:227
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of “visual thinking”, or the basic formal and conceptual aspects of visual art and design which address issues related to visual culture, history, image/object, representation, and artistic intentionality. Projects are designed to increase the students’ technical and conceptual ability within a variety of visual arts mediums and approaches. Critiques and discussions play a crucial role in the course in analyzing work and art historical and contemporary art examples are introduced throughout. Students are expected to make at least one trip to NYC during the semester to tour contemporary galleries.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None
Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

• Transform ideas and materials from one form into another
• Demonstrate and document the process of making from ideation and concept to final execution
• Convey time and motion
• Conduct artistic research
• Utilize a variety of formal design strategies such as figure/ground; sequence and narrative; symmetry/asymmetry; modularity; gestalt theory, etc. with respect to their effects
• Analyze, critique, and interpret their own work, and the work of others.

Faculty Contact:
Cheon pyo Lee, cl1828@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Visual Thinking B: Color

Course Number: 07:081:228
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course builds on all of the principles of Visual Thinking I-A to explore the basic principles of color that address issues related to its physical properties, scientific principles, practical application, cultural implications, and concepts of color “theory.”

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: None
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:

Students should be able to demonstrate through a final portfolio that they have a basic, fundamental working knowledge of formalist design principles and basic compositional strategies in two and three dimensions as they pertain to color. They should be able to demonstrate basic skill sets within a variety of materials and approaches. They should become comfortable with the process of conceptual to visual ideation; they should be able to demonstrate the ability to articulate their ideas visually; and they should have developed a working vocabulary with which to assess their own work and the work of others.

Students should have a basic, fundamental ability to use color effectively in a variety of ways, to have developed a basic set of skills in using various materials such as paint, paper, light, etc. and have developed a working vocabulary that enables them to be articulate about their own work as well as the work of others. They should have a final portfolio that demonstrates an ability to communicate via color relative to composition and formal visual dynamics, process, material, and concept. They must be able to differentiate between analytical and expressive aspects of color, demonstrate knowledge of color perception, color interaction and color phenomena, and demonstrate an ability to work effectively with both additive and subtractive mixtures, in two and three dimensions. They must demonstrate the ability to conduct research which shows an understanding of both formal and conceptual concerns as well as a commitment to their studio work.

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Subject to change.

• Tool box, medium size, to carry pencils & other small supplies. (You do not need to buy a special ARTBOX, you can get a regular TOOL box at The Home Depot for a lot less money).
• Portfolio case, at least 24” x 32” or larger This can be a zippered, water resistant, with handles or you can make one yourself, but you must have something to carry and store your work in as you will be carrying your assignments back and forth from the dorms to the school in the rain & snow
• A separate “Color” notebook for taking notes each week
• Drafting tape 3⁄4”-1” width
• Drawing board, approx. 20” x 26” or larger, this can be something you buy at the art store or a piece of masonite you have cut at Home Depot for a few dollars
• Small, good quality pencil sharpener
• Cutting mat – “self-healing” approx. 12” x 17”
• Ruler 18” cork-backed metal
• Coloraid Pack (Full set, 314 colors, minimum size, 4.5 x 6”)
• “Xacto” type knife with extra pack of #11 blades (not a knife with “snap” blades, as these can be dangerous if they break)
• Metal utility knife with extra blades
• Sharp scissors
• 4-oz. size “Elmer’s” type glue, large “UHU” type glue stick &/or 1 can rubber cement with rubber cement “pick-up” eraser
• 1 pad Bristol board paper with matte surface such as vellum, 11×14”
• Pad of 18 x 24” drawing paper
• Round synthetic sable watercolor brushes for gouache: one #2; one # 01; one flat larger synthetic sable watercolor brush (3⁄4″-1″)
• Silicone (flexible) ice cube tray (large square cubes are best)
• Plaster of Paris (Dap has a 4 lb premixed bucket tub that is good. If you get powdered, you must also have safety glasses, plastic gloves, and a dust mask as well as an outdoor or well ventilated area to mix and do not pour plaster water down the drain!)
• 8 pack 12″x12″ or 8.5″x11″ Transparent Color Correction Lighting Gel Filters (or other/larger transparent colored plastic)
• 6500k 100 watt LED light bulb
• Clamp Lamp Light with Aluminum Reflector (or the like)
• Three small binder clips
• Three small magnets
• Metal trowel-type palette knife (not a flat knife)
•  One 11”x14” disposable palette pad made for acrylic & oil-based paints or smooth white plastic surface of that size or larger
• Several small jars with lids for holding water (recycled are fine)
• Fruits, veggies, rice flour, etc. as called for in syllabus
• The following gouache paint colors. These colors have been specifically chosen so you can properly mix the colors you will need to work with. Pre-made sets are not good for this course as they don’t have the range of pigment that you will need to work with, so please make sure you have all of the specified colors. You may buy a different brand so long as they are the same pigments.
  – 29682 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml White 2
  – 29683 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Yellow 1
  – 29670 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Light Red 1
  – 29662 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Deep Red 1
  – 29674 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Perm Rose 1
  – 29680 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Violet 1
  – 29677 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Ultramarine Deep 1
  – 29657 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Cobalt Blue Ultramarine 1
  – 29656 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Cerulean Blue Phthalo 1
  – 29664 ROYAL TALENS Gche 20ml Emerald Green 1
• Optional:
  – Color Changing Light Bulb A19 7W 60W
  – Masking tape 3⁄4“-1” width
  – T-square: metal, 36”
  – 2 triangles: metal or plastic, 45/45/90 degrees and 30/60/90 degrees
  – Compass for drafting circles, the inexpensive kind that you slide a pencil into is okay
  – You may want a separate toolbox for carrying painting supplies as painting supplies are messy & take up a lot of space
  – Hot pressed watercolor paper or hot pressed etching paper (something that will take water well)
  – Gardner’s Color Wheel
  – Protractor
  – Food coloring
  – White hard-boiled eggs as needed

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading:

• Participation in studio production: Students are expected to work actively on their projects throughout the class time unless there are demonstrations or group activities.
• Participation in group activities and discussions:There will be informal group discussions, student presentations and technical workshops. These are intended to be informative with an emphasis on community and conversation and foster an exchange of ideas between all participants. There are many ways to be in community with each other and all of these are considered.
• Participation in critique sessions: As projects are completed, we will discuss all the work as a group in a critique. Critiques sessions are not intended as forums for demeaning criticism, instead they are to assist you in your creative development by providing focused opportunities for you to verbalize your intentions and process, and for fellow classmates and instructors to share opinions and assistance. Critiques in a studio class take the place of exams and quizzes in a lecture course. A critique is an opportunity to learn from the work of other students, who are working through the same questions that you are. Even if your project didn’t come out how you hoped it would, bring your best attempt, but don’t stay home. Your presence and willingness to give feedback to other students is just as important as your own work, and is part of your participation grade.
• Classwork/Homework Projects: Plan for a MINIMUM of 1 hour of homework for every 1 hour of class time. This means that a three hour class requires three hours of homework, i.e. 6 hours minimum of homework a week. Each assignment will be graded. If you do not like your grade, you may rework the assignment and turn it in again for online critique. Your willingness and effort to continually rework assignments will be positively reflected in your grade. I encourage you to resubmit assignments, but it is important that you bring the homework on time the day it is due for critique. If you improve your work because of feedback and decide to resubmit, you may receive an improved grade. But, late assignments will be penalized a letter grade. The highest possible grade for a late assignment is a B.

CRAFT COUNTS!

• Good craft helps make color effects more visible. Poor craft detracts from the ability to see color relationships and effects. Even good color choices with poor craft will not produce a successful project. 
• Craft for color-aid projects: Accurate measuring, attention to proportion and format of color squares. Straight edges, attention to borders, paper glued down flat, no visible rubber cement. The pickup eraser is your friend! 
• Craft for gouache projects: Accurate measuring, evenly applied opaque color, attention to edges and borders between colors. 
• All aspects of a work will be critiqued. Take well-lit, no distraction, quality photographs of your work.

Attendance:

You are responsible for any information, assignments, etc. that you have missed while being absent. If you miss a series of classes because of illness, you must have a letter from a doctor. If you have to miss a class and know this in advance, please notify the instructor. Attendance will be taken regularly. If you are late twice, you will be assigned an absence. If you are 30 minutes late to class or depart 30 minutes late before class ends, you will receive an absence. In most cases, three unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. The online absence notification option is not an excused absence and will not be viewed as such; you still must contact me directly with the reason for your absence. 

*Attendance is critical and active participation is required. 

You are expected to be present in class, every single class. Why? Because above all, this class is a community. You will support each other when you need help, take risks with your work together, and provide critical feedback to help each other grow. You demonstrate your commitment to our community—to me and to your classmates—by showing up, on time, ready for class, every time. (Leaving class early, showing up late, or leaving in the middle of class to handle non-class related business is disruptive and counts as an absence). 

What does it mean to be present? It means to be prepared, with your assignments complete before class begins. It means to be mentally and physically alert and ready to spend an entire day learning alongside your classmates and helping your classmates learn. 

Sometimes things come up: illness, traffic, childcare or family care, work for other classes, and other emergencies can affect your ability to be present. 

Except in extraordinary circumstances, three absences results in a failing grade.

Faculty Contact:
Cheon pyo Lee, cl1828@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design I A: Type and Typography

Course Number: 07:081:231

Introduction to typography, the practice of making verbal language visual. Builds visual awareness of letterforms and their composition in space through studio projects that engage with type as a means for clear communication and visual expression. In addition to studio work, this course demands absorbing technical and historical knowledge in order to develop a visual sensitivity for typographic form. The practice of typography gives verbal language a visual form, material, and method of distribution.  This course introduces the fundamental concepts and terminology of type, such as typefaces, type sizes, leading, kerning, grids, guides, composition, space, color, and motion. This studio course builds technical and practical skills towards a fluency in setting and manipulating type within a contemporary digital environment. Students will understand and use fonts and typesetting software to create and analyze typographic prototypes for both print and screen.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design I-B: Form and Meaning

Course Number: 07:081:232

Introduction to a visual communication design process. Work with both hand methods and digital technologies to develop original design solutions. Assignments integrate conceptual thinking with formal experimentation. Students explore problems dealing with visual metaphor, symbols, and the combination of type and image for making meaning.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:231

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Media I-A: Introduction to Media Art: Screen/Image/Sound

Course Number: 07:081:243

This introductory course focuses on the production and concepts of screen-based media artwork. Students learn about the interdisciplinary field of media art, which can include video art, installation, and video sculpture; artists’ cinema; experimental film and video; participatory art; live media performance; and art for the internet. Students learn to navigate a landscape of continuously changing technologies and devices. The course includes lectures, workshops, technical demos, readings, critiques of student work, and screenings of artists’ works. Students create a series of group and individual media art projects. No technical experience required.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Media I-B: Experimental Practices and Techniques

Course Number: 07:081:244

A course on experimental approaches to screen-based media art including experimental documentary and narrative, collage and montage, sampling, remixing, and abstraction. The course includes a series of technical workshops that may include 2-D animation, compositing, and other visual and digital tools and effects. Screening and discussions about media art in relation to art history and contemporary art. Includes lectures, workshops, technical demos, readings, critiques of student work, and screenings of artists’ works. Students create a series of short video and sound artworks.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:243 MEDIA I-A

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Painting I-A

Course Number: 07:081:251
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Introduces a range of technical and experimental approaches to painting with oil and/or acrylic in ways that relate to the histories of Western Modernist painting. The course offers varied and dynamic approaches to the problems of structure, shape, materiality and color, both in representation and abstraction. The development of formal coherence and imagery are guided and practiced through individual and group critiques, slide presentations of a rich cross-section of painters and painting practices, selected readings, and museum visits. This class also introduces students to the vocabulary and critical skills to be able to articulate what they are seeing and making.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:

• To understand and develop a perceptual engagement with painting that draws on the history, techniques, processes and models of an array of western modernist painters and painting practices
• To gain key foundational skills and knowledge of the materials and techniques of painting
• To learn to analyze, articulate and critique what one sees with greater confidence
• To learn to see the world through the lens of art and see art through its relation to other art, as much as to the world

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Students in this course will be required to purchase an assortment of basic foundational paints, painting tools, and materials

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Painting I-B

Course Number: 07:081:252
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course builds on the foundational skills, techniques, and modes of perception in Painting I-A through the development of Cubism and the post-Cubist figure in connection with developments in representation, followed by explorations into models of abstraction. Throughout, emphasis will be placed on the materiality of painting and how that central condition of the medium affects perception and meaning. The course consists of in-class exercises, out of class projects, individual mentoring and group critiques and discussion, slide presentations, and visits to museums in New York City. This class continues to introduce students to the vocabulary and critical skills to be able to articulate what they are seeing and making.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:251
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course: In this course, students will develop a deeper understanding of the connection between Western forms of abstraction and perception and learn how to think about and control color as carefully in abstraction as in representation. By the end of the class, students will be able to draw on affinities with material they have learned over the course of the semester to develop self-initiated projects in painting.

Required and Recommended Course Materials: A list of required painting materials will be supplied at the beginning of the semester. Many of these replenish the standard paints and tools that were required in Painting I-A.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Completion of all assignments, regular attendance, and participation in group discussions and critiques are required for succeeding in this class. Details on attendance and grading are in the course syllabus.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Photography I-A: Introduction to Digital Photography

Course Number: 07:081:261

A rigorous introduction to digital photography, featuring the digital camera, digital image file development including camera RAW, and the presentation of photographs on screen and in print. This studio-based course explores photography by considering technical, creative, historical, cultural, and critical issues of the multifaceted medium of photography.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:

1. Understand fundamentals and principles of camera operation: ISO, shutter speed, aperture, exposure, white balance, metering, focus, and basic studio and location lighting.
2. Learn about file transfers, file formats, resolution, editing, workflow, Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop basics.
3. Demonstrate ability to color correct images for output.
4. Create images using lens-based techniques, appropriation, and digital manipulation.
5. Gain confidence discussing and presenting your work and critiquing others.
6. Explore the work of other artists and photographers in order to push your own levels of comfort and experiment with different methods.
7. Develop the ability to plan and execute longer-term projects and communicate your ideas in writing.
   

Required and Recommended Course Materials: All students must have a DSLR or Mirrorless Camera that has manual controls and can capture in raw.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading:

All assignments, readings and homework must be completed before class. Each assignment is to be presented as finished pieces of work. Any work still being printed at the beginning of class will not be accepted for submission.

Attendance – Punctual attendance is mandatory for successful completion of this class. One unexcused absence may result in a letter grade drop, 2 will result in a two letter grade drop or a failing grade. Missing more than 10 minutes of class (tardiness or leaving early without permission) will be considered an unexcused absence. 2 late arrivals result in 1 absence.

Grading – Your final grade will be out of 100 and will be comprised of the following criteria:

Project 1 (3 Crits) 20%

Project 2 – Portraiture 20%

Project 3 – Artist Interpretation 20%

Project 4 – Final 20%

Technical Exercises (pass/fail) 20%

Total 100%

Grading Criteria

A 90-100 Demonstrates notable technical ability and takes risk with their work. Actively engaged and always contributes. Assignments exceed expectations.

B+ 85-89/B 80-84 Demonstrates competent technical ability and turns in consistent work. Actively engaged and can continue to improve on assignments and focus.

C+ 75-79/C 70-75 Demonstrates basic requirements of the course but can improve the quality of work, technical understanding, and greater involvement.

D 60-69 Poor understanding of concepts, limited participation, and work is unsatisfactory.

F 0-59 Fails to meet the basic requirements of the course.

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Photography I-B: Darkroom Photography

Course Number: 07:081:262

Explores the foundations of film photography with an emphasis on technique and aesthetic concerns, coupled with an introduction to the history of photography. Emphasizes mastery of the 35mm and large format film camera techniques, lighting, black-and-white film development, gelatin silver printing, visual literacy, editing, and presentation methods.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Print I-A: Silkscreen

Course Number: 07:081:271

In-depth exploration of silkscreen including hand-drawn, computer-generated positives, and production. The course encourages the combination of other print media and will include a short segment on print as a 3-D structure. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Print I-B: Relief

Course Number: 07:081:272

In-depth exploration of woodcut, linocut, reduction print; work will be in both black and white and printing of multicolored blocks including reduction block printing. The course encourages the combination of other print media. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Faculty Contact:
Didier William, didier.william@rutgers.edu

Sculpture I-A

Course Number: 07:081:281
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Sculpture 1-A is the one of two introductory courses on the fundamentals of sculpture, utilizing traditional and nontraditional techniques. Students will develop an understanding of three-dimensional form through material processes and presentation and become technically and conceptually informed makers. By the end of the semester, students will become confident in the sculpture studio and making the three-dimensional forms they envision with fabrication processes including plaster, wood, and mold-making in combination with various materials and tools. Projects are designed for students to develop their sculptural practice through making, group discussions, critiques and, most importantly, spending time in a safe and creative studio environment. The studio-based curriculum includes lectures, screenings and assigned readings to support historical and contemporary language around making sculpture. There is no prerequisite for this course.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Utilize shop equipment and tools in a safe and productive manner
• Understand notions of form through basic ideas like line, plane, weight, surface, color, volume, and space
• Demonstrate basic skills with the following processes: addition, subtraction, basic wood fabrication, metal fabrication, plaster pouring, and mold making
• Synthesize forms and the meanings that arise from them
• Utilize a working knowledge of terminology fundamental in sculpture
• Demonstrate an awareness of contemporary art/sculptural practices in the broader field via critiques, discussions and in relation to their own work

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Sculpture I-B

Course Number: 07:081:282
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Sculpture 1-A is the one of two introductory courses on the fundamentals of sculpture, utilizing traditional and nontraditional techniques. Students will develop an understanding of three-dimensional form through material processes and presentation and become technically and conceptually informed makers. By the end of the semester, students will become confident in the sculpture studio and making the three-dimensional forms they envision with fabrication processes including metal and mold-making in combination with various materials and tools. Projects are designed for students to develop their sculptural practice through making, group discussions, critiques and, most importantly, spending time in a safe and creative studio environment. The studio-based curriculum includes lectures, screenings and assigned readings to support historical and contemporary language around making sculpture. There is no prerequisite for this course.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Utilize shop equipment and tools in a safe and productive manner
• Demonstrate basic skills in metal fabrication in metals
• Further develop strategies in additive and subtractive sculptural techniques including fabrication in various non-traditional materials
• Further develop mold making and casting techniques for broad use
• Utilize appropriate installation and finishing techniques
• Further develop a familiarity with the field of contemporary art and sculpture

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Seminar in Media: Finding your people, finding your voice

Course Number: 07:081:303
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

As an artist, even if you work in isolation, your work is always part of a dialogue and a conversation. It’s in dialogue with the past and the present, with your beliefs and values, and with things you have seen, heard, felt, and cared about. It is in dialogue with the times in which you live, and it can be in dialogue with the conflicts or struggles that you’ve faced and the personal experiences you’ve had. It is also, always, in dialogue with other artists, even those you haven’t seen or don’t know about. In other words, sometimes these conversations are conscious and sometimes they’re not.

This is a class about becoming more conscious of the conversations your work is having with other artists. Engaging with other people’s artwork can be empowering. You can learn from and find motivation in these encounters, especially when you take them personally, when you think about the encounters in relation to your own work and ideas. The very act of engaging and trying to figure out questions and concerns other artists have can help you to identify and clarify your own questions and concerns. Critical engagement with other people’s work can help you feel less alone in the sometimes solitary practice of making art. It can provide you with motivation and inspiration, even in encounters with work that you find challenging and difficult, and even with work that doesn’t move you.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites: Art & Design Foundations, Art & Design students or permission of instructor. Students with media concentration have priority in enrolling.
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:

• You will have a broader and deeper understanding of contemporary art and be able to analyze and assess it.
• You will be able to situate your own creative practice in an artistic and conceptual framework.
• You will be equipped to make substantive connections between works of other artists and your own work in conversation and in writing.
• You will be able to recall and differentiate between various artists’ modes of practice, critical approaches, and perspectives.
• You will have gained experience curating an art exhibition.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading:

Attendance & Participation: Learning shouldn’t be done in isolation; it is a social activity. Being active and engaged in class will provide you with the deepest learning experience. This is a highly participatory class that relies on the thoughtful contributions of all class members, through the work you do, the conversations we have together, and the perspectives you contribute to the group.  As a member of this class, you will be expected to participate, to show up, and to be present in class.

This includes

• Showing up on time
• Being prepared
• Putting your energy and focus into class while you are here.

It also includes

• Completing assignments on time
• Being actively involved in discussions
• Asking questions
• Demonstrating that you watched, listened to, or read materials presented in class or assigned for homework

Participation also means

• Showing curiosity and respect for others’ perspectives, opinions, and ideas.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required. Art & Design policy is that three absences result in a failing grade. Absences include arriving late and leaving early. Sometimes things come up that can affect your ability to be present, arrive on time, or to attend class. If you are unable to attend a class session due to an emergency, please let me know in advance. If you miss a class, you will be responsible for reaching out to to find out how to make up what you missed.

Note: Absences are excused for religious observances

Assignment Policy: If you are unable to complete an assignment by its due date because of an excused emergency, you may request an extension. You should email me at least 24 hours before the assignment is due so we can discuss your circumstances and make other arrangements.  In some cases, you may be able to make up missed work for partial or full credit. If you don’t turn in an assignment at all, you will receive 0.

How will you be graded? Assignment Breakdown

• Research: Working on artists under consideration document researching artists, mind map – 30%
• Exhibition: Curated exhibition, exhibition narrative, website, presentation – 40%
• Participation: Completing reading and assignments on time. Preparedness and thoughtful participation in and contribution to discussions about readings, art works, and   work by your peers – 30% Individual assignments will be marked as:
• Full credit = Full engagement
• Partial credit = Partial engagement
• No credit = did not complete

A = 89.5-100
B+ = 84.5-89
B = 79.5-84.49
C+ = 74.5-79.49
C = 69.5-74.49
D = 59.5-69.49
F = 0-59.49

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Public Art: Place and Process

Course Number: 07:081:306

Course Description

This course will center on contemporary practices of public art, introducing brief history, methods of fabrication, field visits to site and with stakeholders, administration, proposal development, readings, writings, presentations, discussions and critiques. Students will explore the process of creating a public work of art while developing a deeper understanding of their own artwork, methods, context and intention, ultimately producing a work in the public realm.

4 credits

Course Learning Goals and Assessment

• Gain a deeper understanding of the historical and theoretical contexts for public art and art practices
• Familiarize with terms/concepts related to the public sphere
• Investigate strategies for analyzing the social impact of public art practices
• Develop critical thinking, writing, and verbal abilities through in-depth study of contemporary public art
• Practice methods and skills for approaching and managing art projects
• Practice self-awareness and navigating ethics and stakeholders in public art
• Hone one’s grace, ability to respond through participation in group critiques, discussions and collaboration
• Improve writing about one’s own technical skill in fabrication and administration methods used in the public realm which may include 3d printing, metal work, wood work, painting, mixed media and performance.

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:28 and 07:081:282

Seminar in Photography

Course Number: 07:081:310
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course examines historical and contemporary discourses in photography. The course will include detailed discussion of major theoretical approaches to photography. Students encounter aspects of the history of photography and its interaction with other cultural forms through the development of historical, cultural, and political factors and their relationships to the present through key readings, lectures, screenings, and guest speakers.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None
Learning Goals of Course:

By the completion of this course students will:

• Gain a broad understanding of the contemporary and theoretical discourses within photography
• Gain a broad understanding of how the history of photography is both shaped by and directly impacts politics, history, and cultural production at large
• Begin to understand and situate their own practice within the larger conversations taking place within photography

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein, mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Ceramics Sculpture

Course Number: 07:081:313
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course provides an introduction to ceramic sculpture with an emphasis on hand-building methods. Students will learn methods of building ceramic sculptures by techniques of pinch building, slab, coil, press hump mold construction, wheel and slip casting. The history and theories of ceramics and related sculptural practices will be introduced alongside various methods of construction, surface treatment, glaze chemistry, and firing methodology. Students will also engage in presentations, critiques, discussions, filed trips and visiting lectures.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None
Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• Demonstrate fundamental knowledge in the utilization and application of ceramic materials, techniques and concepts
• Synthesize technical and creative knowledge and processes in the creation of new work
• Demonstrate understanding of terminology relative to the field of ceramics
• Develop ability to experiment with ideas in the processes of making art through independent creative projects within and between art media

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Most of the basic tools/materials required in this course are provided. However additional tools you may need can vary and change along with the work you are making.

• Sketchbook
• Apron or smock
• Plastic
• Additional items you might want: a sculpture stand; paddle; additional hand tools, specific brushes. These can be purchased online (see resources).

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Participation is necessary in critiques, discussions, guests and collaborative projects

• Development of creative work that is original, innovative and evidences a deepening knowledge of the medium
• Maintaining a studio production schedule to meet deadlines
• Documentation of all required assignments
• Maintaining a sketchbook for ideas and technical notes is required
• Attendance. More than 3 unexcused absences will result in a failing grade

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Ceramics Sculpture

Course Number: 07:081:314
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course provides an introduction to ceramic sculpture with an emphasis on hand-building methods. Students will learn methods of building ceramic sculptures by techniques of pinch building, slab, coil, press hump mold construction, wheel and slip casting. The history and theories of ceramics and related sculptural practices will be introduced alongside various methods of construction, surface treatment, glaze chemistry, and firing methodology. Students will also engage in presentations, critiques, discussions, filed trips and visiting lectures.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None
Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• Demonstrate fundamental knowledge in the utilization and application of ceramic materials, techniques and concepts
• Synthesize technical and creative knowledge and processes in the creation of new work
• Demonstrate understanding of terminology relative to the field of ceramics
• Develop ability to experiment with ideas in the processes of making art through independent creative projects within and between art media

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Most of the basic tools/materials required in this course are provided. However additional tools you may need can vary and change along with the work you are making.

• Sketchbook
• Apron or smock
• Plastic
• Additional items you might want: a sculpture stand; paddle; additional hand tools, specific brushes. These can be purchased online (see resources).

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Participation is necessary in critiques, discussions, guests and collaborative projects

• Development of creative work that is original, innovative and evidences a deepening knowledge of the medium
• Maintaining a studio production schedule to meet deadlines
• Documentation of all required assignments
• Maintaining a sketchbook for ideas and technical notes is required
• Attendance. More than 3 unexcused absences will result in a failing grade

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Drawing II-A

Course Number: 07:081:321
Course Format: Other
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course examines the relationship of drawing to time and media-based practices, specifically through the history and techniques of animation. Exploring traditional and experimental animation, students will examine how drawing can mark space and movement to create an illusion of time. Starting from pre-cinematic animation techniques through the realm of the digital, students will examine the impact of technology both technically and conceptually. Students will develop a critical understanding of animation and “the animated” as it relates to personal iconography/biography and social/political circumstances through the lens of the current zeitgeist.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisite: 07:081:121

Learning Goals of Course:Upon completion of the course students will possess the skills to ideate, create and produce several analog, experimental, short animated films of their own within a variety of approaches such as traditional multi-plane animation, rotoscoping, drawing/erasure, collage, stop motion, and other forms of traditional/experimental animation. Students will acquire the critical vocabulary to discuss, analyze and critique their own work and the work of others and possess a working knowledge of concepts such as non-linear narrative, narrative story-telling, composition in time, visual poetry, and transformation and metamorphosis.

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Drawing II-B: Graphic Narratives

Course Number: 07:081:322

Course Prerequisite: 07:081:121 

This course examines how to visually tell a story through the medium of drawing. Using techniques associated with graphic novels, comix, storyboarding, and other sequential art, students will learn how to develop their own visual and literary narratives that carry personal, political, social, and/or global themes.

4 credits

Learning Goals:

Through practice, experimentation, and research students will demonstrate through a final portfolio the ability to:

• Produce original storytelling in visual and literary narrative form
• Understand the relationship between text and image, page design, narrative structures, and story development
• Develop a personal style in visual and literary storytelling with an understanding of the traditional and contemporary cartooning and comic genres
• Use research to inform non-fiction and fiction storytelling
• Critique and analyze their own work and the work of others in relation to the contemporary and historical models of various graphic storytelling genres

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Figure Drawing: Figure

Course Number: 07:081:324
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Working from a live, nude model, students explore how to accurately draw the figure. Observational accuracy, quality of line and tone, technique, and expression are all stressed as students become familiar with all aspects of drawing from the figure in pencil, ink, and charcoal.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:121 Drawing Fundamentals

Learning Goals of Course:

Students will have mastered:

• Basic anatomical relationships as applied to the human form
• A variety of media including charcoal, pencil, and ink/wash
• Descriptive and expressive use of mark, line, tone, contour, mass, movement, and rhythm
• The ability to analyze, interpret, and critique their own work and the work of others

Required and Recommended Course Materials: A list of basic drawing materials will be provided on the first day of class and included in the course syllabus.

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Seminar in Print (3)

Course Number: 07:081:327
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This seminar considers the history of print, paper, and collaboration from Guttenberg to the internet. The course focuses on the dissemination of printmaking and on the multiple in installation, paper, photography, sculpture, and book forms. Readings, lectures, slides, and film presentations familiarize students with current ideas, history, criticism, practices, and artists who deal with the multiple. The history of the relationship between the collaborative studio and the artist is explored through the Rutgers Print Collaborative, a working model for the collaborative shop housed adjacent to the print studios. Offered every other year.

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Seminar A: Histories

Course Number: 07:081:328
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Hybrid

Exploration of historical and contemporary critical debates in graphic design. Through readings, lectures, research, and presentations, students investigate the ways historical, cultural, political, and economic factors have shaped design. Students situate their practice within the design discourse of today through an examination of the development of the discipline.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:121
Learning Goals of Course:

• Upon completion of this course, students will be able to engage actively with the histories of design based on an understanding of the major theoretical and historical shifts in design practice over the last 150 years.
• Students will be able to analyze the relationships between design objects, their production, distribution, and reception.
• Students will understand the designer’s changing role and status over the last century and be able to apply this to their own practice as designers.

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Seminar in Painting

Course Number: 07:081:329
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course consists of readings, presentations, and studio assignments pertaining to current painting practice and the precedents that created it. Through discussions in museums and galleries in the presence of painting, students practice looking and situating what we see with the help of the texts, and learn to engage painting discourse from within.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course: You will be exposed to a wide variety of contemporary painting practices and the discourses that surround them. You will learn discursive models and structures to support deeper and more discerning explorations in your own work, and the language with which to name what you see.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Seminar in Sculpture

Course Number: 07:081:330
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites: None
Course Corequisites: None

This seminar is for students interested in contemporary sculpture particularly as it relates to interdisciplinary practices. Sculpture has become a broad range of practices with its door open to many possibilities. Examining contemporary sculpture within the context of its history and traditions and as an expanded discipline, we will explore different historic and topical areas from the mid-20th century to the contemporary moment. As a means of developing their studio practice, students will explore aesthetic, historical, cultural, and theoretical issues in relation to expanded sculpture. The course will map these analyses onto their own research interests through written assignments, readings, presentations, and lectures, as well as studio visits of practicing artists and theorists, connecting histories of sculpture to current studio practices.

3 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

The goal of this course is for each student to develop critical thinking and writing skills in the field of contemporary sculpture, as well as to build a supportive community where every voice is heard and considered for critical correspondence.

• To understand and develop a working understanding of contemporary sculptural practices
• To develop critical skills in verbal and written form as they relate to understanding the basis of contemporary sculpture
• Begin to understand and situate their own practice within the larger conversations taking place in the field of expanded sculpture
• To be able to communicate and connect your own work with the larger contemporary field.

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Design II-A: Systems

Course Number: 07:081:331
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Explores complex multi-part design systems such as visual identities and books. Develops skills in research, visual experimentation, using digital and analog tools for print and screen. Consists of studio work, critiques, technical demonstrations, lectures, readings and class discussions.

4 credit(s)

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:231-232

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design II-B: Experimental Computation

Course Number: 07:081:332

Design II-B is a studio class that introduces computationally driven design practices. The course facilitates experimental web programming using markup and styling languages, algorithmic form and typography, and physical computing interfaces. Students will become familiar with computational workflows through hands-on, process-based exploration. The course aims to demystify algorithmically driven technologies that relate to art, design and communication.

These various digital and algorithmic processes will be situated culturally, critically, and historically. Students will come to understand how these new skills and ways of thinking are instrumental to their individual art and design practices. In addition, they will learn to interpret and learn from existing practices in the field.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:331

Media II-A

Course Number: 07:081:343

This course focuses on making and displaying screen- and time-based media in galleries and other architectural environments. Students learn about sequencing in space as well as principles and practices of sound and exhibition design. The course explores how different spaces affect moving images, sound, and projections, and how moving images, sound, and projections can construct and alter space. Students learn about historical precedents and current practices, from pre-cinematic magic lantern shows to expanded cinema, and from video sculpture and site-specific installation art to multichannel video installations, urban screens, and artists’ cinema. The course includes technical workshops on syncing multiple channels of video and surround sound. Students create their own media installations and environments.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:243-244 or permission of instructor.

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Media II-B

Course Number: 07:081:344

A course on various intersections between media and performance art. Topics may include performance for the camera, online performances and interventions, participatory art works, autobiography and video diaries, the filmed body as medium, and live video and cinema performance and events. Students create their own recorded or live media art projects.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:343

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Painting II-A

Course Number: 07:081:351

This course nurtures individual growth as a painter in technical mastery and conceptual understanding. Emphasis is placed on working in increasingly self-directed series. Selected readings and visits to exhibitions required, as are group discussions and reviews.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:251-252 or permission of department.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Painting II-B

Course Number: 07:081:352
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course nurtures individual growth as a painter in technical mastery and conceptual understanding, while drawing on and deepening the fundamentals of painting. Moving beyond historical and perceptual models discovered in I-A and I-B, Painting II-B explores different modes of play, experimentation, subject matter, painting histories, and processes. This course contains a combination of structured and self-initiated projects as students learn to listen to, activate and direct their creatives voices through painting. The semester will partake of working in series, thinking about painting in relation to its history and other art, while increasingly working independently towards an ambitious and complex final project. The course will also consist of selected readings, presentations, demos, visits to exhibitions, as well as group discussions and critiques.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:251-252
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:

• Continue to develop and reinforce a range of formal, material and perceptual approaches through working in series and focused projects.
• Gather methods for rigorously focusing and working through self-articulated prompts, questions, and inferences.
• Work towards independently formulated ideas and project, by taking increased agency and responsibility for decisions in the work.
• Discover new modern and contemporary painters and painting histories, including an “expanded field” of painting.
• Further development of language for thinking through and discussing painting (including the language for critique: visual description, analysis of formal, conceptual, critical, emotional, and historical/contextual/cultural references and contents).
• Development of strategies for self-criticality, and self assessment.

Required and Recommended Course Materials: In addition to new stretchers to work on, this course requires the same basic foundational materials and tools of painting from previous painting classes, and may require a replenishment of paint colors. A list of specific painting supports will be provided at the beginning of the semester.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Completion of all assignments, regular attendance, and participation in group discussions and critiques are required for succeeding in this class. Details on attendance, and grading are in the course syllabus.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Seminar in Drawing

Course Number: 07:081:356

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

This seminar, designed for students in the drawing concentration, examines contemporary drawing within the context of its history and traditions and as a discipline where boundaries are fluid enough to explore drawing through the use of diverse media with non-specific temporal and spatial boundaries. Drawing is considered in its relationship to a broad range of other disciplines including painting, sculpture, performance, installation, choreography, design, music and architecture, among others. As a way of supporting development of their studio practice students will explore aesthetic, historical, cultural and theoretical issues in relation to drawing as a medium, method and practice through written assignments, readings, presentations, lectures, studio visits to practicing artists, and visits to galleries and museums.

3 credits

Learning Outcomes: Goals & Objectives

• Goals
  • To understand the differences/similarities between drawing as a practice, medium and method.
  • To gain awareness of the specific relationship of drawing to other disciplines.
  • To understand drawing as a continuum, with a history from early cave painting to the present day.
  • To develop a level of criticality when looking at drawing(s) that takes into account historical, cultural and theoretical issues related to drawing, art in general, and culture at large.
  • To develop analytical and critical skills in visual, verbal and written form as they relate to the understanding, discussion, description and evaluation of “drawing.”
  • To examine context as a basis for our understanding of material culture.

•  Objectives
  • Students will demonstrate through participation in class discussion, presentations, and written assignments an ability to examine and analyze their work and the work of others in regard to:
    • historical and cultural influences
    • history and traditions of drawing
    • process and materiality
    • theoretical issues related to drawing in particular, art in general and culture at large
    • the relationship of form/subject/content

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Photography II-A: Digital Image and Print

Course Number: 07:081:361
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Features the refinement of digital photography with an emphasis on making exhibition-quality prints and building print portfolios. Through creative assignments, this studio-based course explores photography with particular focus on expressive, historical, and theoretical aspects of the ubiquitous medium.

4 credit(s)

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:261, or all students with Photoshop experience and permission of the instructor.

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Photography II-B: Books

Course Number: 07:081:362
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

A course focused on refining your photographic images or images of your artwork for a book or catalog made in InDesign and printed on-demand, a slide presentation of the work, and a website or blog. Your project will be self-directed.4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:361

Learning Goals of Course: Upon completing this course students will be well-versed in ideas about image sequencing, the process of photo editing, and the history and contemporary context of photobooks. A foundational understanding of the many ways in which photographs can work together to change and enhance their meaning will serve II-B students in their ability to create incisive publications, exhibitions, and web presentations. In order to accomplish this work students will develop technical skills in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Lightroom while continuing to hone their camera skills and conceptual frameworks. In Photography II-B a final portfolio will take the form of a book which students will have printed for presentation in a final critique.

4 credits

Required and Recommended Course Materials:

• Camera – DSLR or Mirrorless Equivalent
• Tripod (optional)
• Flash unit (optional)
• Portable hard drive *YOU MAY NOT RELY DIGITAL STORAGE
• Art supplies (scissors, glue, tape, paper, needle and thread, found print media, etc.)

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading:

Assignments and grading:

• Final grades will be based on 100 points.
• Active participation in classroom discussions and other activities is expected of students.
• Students will complete required creative, technical and written assignments on deadline.
• Assignments, deadlines, and point values are detailed in this syllabus and will be discussed in class.
• Deadlines will be enforced; failure to meet deadlines could result in lowered grades.
• Assignments will be reviewed in group or individual critiques.
• Learning will be evaluated through required student assignments, critiques and classroom contributions.
• Scores and grades will reflect the quality of work made to meet the requirements.
• Rutgers’ Academic Integrity Policy: https://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/

Attendance Policy

• Attendance is required and will be recorded.
• Absence or lateness could result in lowered grades.
• Report absences to the Rutgers absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ and a message will automatically be sent to me and to your other instructors.

Grading

• A 90-100 Demonstrates notable technical ability and takes risk with their work. Actively engaged and always contributes. Assignments exceed expectations.
• B+ 85-89/B 80-84 Demonstrates competent technical ability and turns in consistent work. Actively engaged and can continue to improve on assignments and focus.
• C+ 75-79/C 70-75 Demonstrates basic requirements of the course but can improve the quality of work, technical understanding, and greater involvement.
• D 60-69 Poor understanding of concepts, limited participation, and work is unsatisfactory.
• F 0-59 Fails to meet the basic requirements of the course.

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Print II-A: Intaglio

Course Number: 07:081:371

In-depth focus on intaglio, including engraving, drypoint, etching, aquatint, and spit bite. The course encourages the combination of other print media and will include a segment on photo polymer plates. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Print II-B: Lithography

Course Number: 07:081:372

In-depth focus on lithography, including stones, aluminum plates, photo-litho plates, and color lithography. The course encourages the combination of other print media. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Sculpture II-A

Course Number: 07:081:381
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:281/07:081:282

In this course, students will continue to explore concept and context through the materials and methods of traditional and non-traditional sculpture. Building on Sculpture I-A/B, this course will introduce digital fabrication skills and further build the connections between ideas and making. Emphasis will be on working directly in the studio to develop personal expression and skill. Slide presentations, readings and informal discussions will be used throughout the semester to unpack the fundamental conceptual and practical underpinnings of sculpture.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Further command of media and techniques. They will be able to approach the tools with confidence and practical intention but also with imagination.
• Synthesize the assignment and be able to connect their work and ideas to the use of signs and symbols that define meaning
• Understand basic digital file preparation/production for 3-D printing
• Comprehend and analyze writings that present an analysis of contemporary art
• Better strategize, plan and execute their work, understanding the impact of good time-management and planning
• Continue building conceptual skills about materials, space, place and use
• Develop research and language for individual studio work

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Sculpture II-B

Course Number: 07:081:382
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:281, 282, 381

In this course students will continue to explore concept and context through the material and methods of traditional and non-traditional sculpture. Emphasis will be on working directly in the studio to develop a personal expression and skill. This course will be an exploration of prescribing meaning to objecthood and becoming more aware of how it is we arrive at our intentions through making. We will be looking at references, in and outside of art, and discussing traditional and non-traditional sculptural methods to help us better understand what sculpture is and can be. Many of the projects throughout the semester will act as games to help us extract meaning from movies, readings, media and the everyday to apply to our personal practices in the studio. This course intends to develop a deeper look into the things around us to develop a better understanding of how we, as individual artists, make sense of the world through our studio practice.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Further command of media and techniques. They will be able to approach the tools with confidence and practical intention but also with imagination.
• Synthesize relationships between traditional materials/processes and contemporary media.
• Increase critical communication proficiency about contemporary sculpture and expanded media
• Better strategize, plan and execute their work. They will understand the impact of good time-management and planning.
• Utilize and integrate CNC milling/laser cutting digital fabrication in studio processes

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Design Seminar B: Issues in Contemporary Practice

Course Number: 07:081:383
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Proposes diverse models for contemporary design practice through a series of lectures by guest designers and by related readings. Class discussions, assigned texts, and writing responses address the pragmatics of design, the designer’s role as a social agent, and design and politics. Helps students to situate their own research and develop a critical design language to analyze their own and others’ work. The course is intended to help students develop a personal philosophy of design and a sense of how they might practice as designers.

4 credit(s)

Learning Goals of Course: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Describe the major areas of contemporary design practice and how these have evolved and are evolving.
2. Evaluate the designer’s social, ethical, and ecological responsibilities.
3. Engage actively in debates about these issues, communicating their opinions clearly, and respond to further questions and discussion.
4. Write critically about a variety of texts.

Faculty Contact:
Jacqueline Thaw thaw@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Practicum

Course Number: 07:081:385
Course Format: Other
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course provides practical design experience where students undertake appropriate real-world assignments in a non-commercial environment. This is an advanced production studio for students interested in collaborating with academics from other fields, university administrators, NGO representatives, and other designers. Students will engage in research, concept development, design, production, and presentation. Students are expected to work in close contact with peers and outside collaborators to produce visual projects that meet mutually agreed upon parameters. This class should be taken in the junior or senior year when students have sufficient technical and conceptual experience to benefit from the class.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None
Learning Goals of Course:

On completion of the course students will be able to:

• Analyze real world problems from multiple perspectives and propose design solutions
• Define constraints and design strategies
• Successfully present to and negotiate with clients and colleagues
• Conduct visual research and present their findings in an appropriate format
• Create professional presentations
• Revise, refine and reiterate proposed designs in response to feedback
• Prepare and adjust files for production

Faculty Contact:
Chat Travieso, chat.travieso@rutgers.edu

Advanced Ceramics Sculpture

Course Number: 07:081:413
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:313/314
Course Corequisites: None

Students will continue to practice approaches to building basic three-dimensional forms with clay. The course will focus on experimental ways of working with clay to play and explore various approaches, materials, and methods of making. We will briefly cover the history of ceramics and begin to learn about contemporary artists working in the medium. My objective as an instructor is that by the end of the course each student will be confident in building with clay, will have explored the many ways of using the material and will have grown in their ability to articulate their ideas and discuss their work. I am committed to supporting your work with clay into your larger creative practice. We will go over different techniques, discuss readings, meet with visiting artists, look at ceramic work together and critique your work. In addition to all of that you will have studio time during each class.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• Demonstrate a well-rounded understanding of ceramic materials, techniques, and concepts.
• Deepen their understanding of terminology related to the field of clay sculpture and ceramics.
• Develop their ability to experiment with ideas through each assignment and through their independent creative projects.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of advanced firing and glazing techniques
• Understand basic mold making and slip casting skills

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Advanced Ceramics Sculpture

Course Number: 07:081:414
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:313/314
Course Corequisites: None

Students will continue to practice approaches to building basic three-dimensional forms with clay. The course will focus on experimental ways of working with clay to play and explore various approaches, materials, and methods of making. We will briefly cover the history of ceramics and begin to learn about contemporary artists working in the medium. My objective as an instructor is that by the end of the course each student will be confident in building with clay, will have explored the many ways of using the material and will have grown in their ability to articulate their ideas and discuss their work. I am committed to supporting your work with clay into your larger creative practice. We will go over different techniques, discuss readings, meet with visiting artists, look at ceramic work together and critique your work. In addition to all of that you will have studio time during each class.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• Demonstrate a well-rounded understanding of ceramic materials, techniques, and concepts.
• Deepen their understanding of terminology related to the field of clay sculpture and ceramics.
• Develop their ability to experiment with ideas through each assignment and through their independent creative projects.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of advanced firing and glazing techniques
• Understand basic mold making and slip casting skills

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Drawing III-A

Course Number: 07:081:421
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Through practice, experimentation, research, and use of a variety of media and methodologies, students will explore more complex approaches to their drawing practice. These may include: the use of image and text; the consideration and use of time, sequence, and narrative in drawing; and drawing as a performance practice, among others. Self-directed work and research in the studio including the reading of historical and/or critical texts are required.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 01:081:221 and 222 (Drawing I-A and I-B) or co-requisite 07:081:321 and 322 (Drawing II-A and II-B) or corequisite 07:081:451-454 (Painting III-A and III-B or Advanced Painting A or B) or by permission of the instructor.

Learning Goals of Course:
At the end of this course, the student is able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to ideate, create and produce a cohesive body of work, maintain a disciplined studio practice, and to present through the body of work a compelling position/argument/point of view/raison d’etre for the work in visual, verbal and written form
• Examine and analyze theoretical and practical issues concerning the nature of the drawing discipline in the 21st century and to incorporate the history of drawing into their analysis of their own work and the work of others
• Examine their own work and the work of others in relation to context(s), histories, process and materiality, and the relationship of the work to culture at large; and to analyze and critically examine the relationship of form/subject/content in these works.

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Drawing III-B

Course Number: 07:081:422

Course Prerequisites: 08:081:221-222
Course Corequisites: 07:081:321-322

Through practice, experimentation, research, and use of a variety of media and methodologies, students will explore more complex approaches to their drawing practice. These may include: the use of image and text; time, sequence, and narrative in drawing; and drawing as a performance practice, among others. Self-directed work in the studio and research and reading of critical texts are required.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:
At the end of this course, the student is able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to ideate, create and produce a cohesive body of work, maintain a disciplined studio practice, and to present through the body of work a compelling position/argument/point of view/raison d’etre for the work in visual, verbal and written form
• Examine and analyze theoretical and practical issues concerning the nature of the drawing discipline in the 21st century and to incorporate the history of drawing into their analysis of their own work and the work of others
• Examine their own work and the work of others in relation to context(s), histories, process and materiality, and the relationship of the work to culture at large; and to analyze and critically examine the relationship of form/subject/content in these works

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Graphic Narratives

Course Number: 07:081:423

This course is co-listed with 01:355:410 Composing Graphic Narratives and taught by the Writing Program. Please see the Writing Program website for course description and instructor information.

Course Prerequisites: (01:355:101 College Writing) OR (01:355:103 Exposition & Argument) OR (01:355:104 College Writing Extended)

3 credits

Instructor: Jonathan Bass, jbass@english.rutgers.edu

Design III-A: Design for the Digital Realm

Course Number: 07:081:431
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course trains students to research, analyze, prototype, and develop design concepts for dynamic digital media such as online, tablets, and mobile apps, for three distinct social and cultural contexts. The focus is on practice and experimentation to master UI/UX design. This course consists of three projects addressing experience design and its presentation.

Today interaction online focuses on information through living, social platforms. We will go beyond an average user’s perspective to critically examine the web through historical, political, and social lenses. This course encourages students to holistically approach to the web and its constituent code as a living kit of parts waiting to be harnessed in novel and innovative ways.

As digital technology industries rapidly alter ways of doing and thinking, design can amplify, shift, comment on, and/or criticize these changes. The role of designers today is not only to style content but to shape it, extracting information from abstract datasets, writing scenarios, and creating systems, all with a critical eye.

4 credit(s)

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Design 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B

Faculty Contact:
Atif Akin, aakin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design III-B: Portfolio

Course Number: 07:081:432

Development of a diverse, refined body of work and format for its presentation. Lectures and readings survey current issues in design practice. Critiques and discussions underpin the process of defining and articulating the student’s interests and approach to design.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:431

Media III-A: Independent Media Production

Course Number: 07:081:441

Students work under the direction of faculty and in discussion with the class on producing self-directed, independently conceived media artworks that reflect their own interests and ideas. Students will proceed through all stages to fully realize their work–from research, proposal, production, postproduction to installation, screening, or other form of display. Ongoing group discussions, critiques, readings, and screenings related to students’ creative projects.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:343-344 or permission of instructor.

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Media III-B

Course Number: 07:081:442
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This is a class for intermediate-level and advanced students working in media. Students work under the direction of faculty and in dialogue with classmates on self-directed, independently conceived time-based media artworks that reflect your own interests and ideas. The class will give you support and structure as you continue to develop your independent creative voice and vision as an artist. You will be challenged to take risks by working in ways you don’t usually work, trying new things, and pushing yourself beyond your habitual ways of making. You will work collaboratively with your peers on skill, concept, and idea sharing in order to develop and nurture peer-to-peer networks, peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and mutual support. Students will also learn about and develop professional practice skills as you prepare for life and work after art school, including  job search preparation, writing cover letters, resumes, artist statements, applying for art residencies, and more. The class will include individual and group discussions, peer-to-peer workshops, individual and group projects, critiques, readings, writing, and screenings, shaped around students’ creative work and interests.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:343-344 or permission of instructor
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course: 

By successfully completing this class you will have:

• Honed the conceptual, technical, organizational, and practical skills needed to realize successful media artworks that reflect your creative voice and vision.
• The knowledge and ability to situate artwork in the context of historical and contemporary art, popular media, as well as a social and political context.
• Gained skills in  articulating the intentions and concerns of your creative work.
• Created a portfolio of media art work that reveals critical and careful thinking, seeing, and making.
• An increased knowledge and proficiency in skills needed to navigate the job market and the art world.

Overview of skills to be learned: independent research, production and time management, post-grad professional skills.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Learning shouldn’t be done in isolation; it is a social activity. Being active and engaged in class will provide you with the deepest learning experience. This is a highly participatory class that relies on the thoughtful contributions of all class members, through the work you do, the conversations we have together, and the perspectives you contribute to the group. As a member of this class, you will be expected to participate, to show up, and to be present in class.

This includes

• Showing up on time.
• Being prepared.
• Putting your energy and focus into class while you are here.

It also includes

• Completing assignments on time
• Being actively involved in discussions
• Asking questions
• Demonstrating that you watched, listened to, or read materials presented in class or assigned for homework

Participation also means

• Showing curiosity and respect for others’ perspectives, opinions, and ideas.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required. Art & Design policy is that three absences result in a failing grade. Absences include arriving late, leaving early, or checking out during class. Sometimes things come up that can affect your ability to be present, arrive on time, or to attend class. If you are unable to attend a class session due to an emergency, please let me know in advance. If you miss a class, you will be responsible for reaching out to me to find out how to make up what you missed.

Note: Absences are excused for religious observances.

Assignment Policy: If you are unable to complete an assignment by its due date because of an excused emergency, you may request an extension. You should email the instructor at least 24 hours before the assignment is due to discuss your circumstances and make other arrangements. In some cases, you may be able to make up missed work for partial or full credit. If you don’t turn in an assignment at all, you will receive a 0.

Grading

Projects will be evaluated for the following:

• Demonstration of effort and care
• Thoughtfulness and rigor
• Technical success
• The strength of the correlation between form and content
• Formal and conceptual innovation of ideas and forms, creativity, and originality
• Taking risks – push beyond your comfort zone and your habitual ways of working. Grading is based on the quality of your artwork, your effort and work ethic, and your engagement and participation in class. It is also based on evidence of growth and development in the quality of your art practice over the semester.

• 35%     Class participation
• 20%     Research log
• 45%     Artwork

A: The effort, growth, research, ambition, and risk-taking in the student’s creative work are outstanding. The student is always helpful, active, engaged, fully prepared, and thoughtful in class— committed to the classroom community and helping other students learn.

B: The student’s research, ambition, and growth is impressive. The work shows evidence of effort, and the student is alert and engaged in class.

C: The work is technically acceptable, meets assignment requirements, and is completed on time. The student comes to class, but their contribution to the community is limited.

D: The work is complete, but with evidence of limited preparation and research or demonstrates significant technical deficiencies. Student is distracted and unengaged in class or are often missing. A final grade in the D range likely indicates that some assignments were missing or incomplete.

F: Failure to meet the minimum standard for completing the course.

Pass/No Credit: If you would like to be considered for a P/NC in this course, please notify your instructor of your interest and inquire with the Mason Gross Department of Art & Design about your options.

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Media A

Course Number: 07:081:446

Students work under the direction of faculty and in discussion with the class on producing self-directed, independently conceived media artworks that reflect their own interests and ideas. Ongoing group discussions, critiques, readings, and screenings in media art.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:441-442 or permission of instructor.

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Media B

Course Number: 07:081:447
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This is a class for intermediate-level and advanced students working in media. Students work under the direction of faculty and in dialogue with classmates on self-directed, independently conceived time-based media artworks that reflect your own interests and ideas. The class will give you support and structure as you continue to develop your independent creative voice and vision as an artist. You will be challenged to take risks by working in ways you don’t usually work, trying new things, and pushing yourself beyond your habitual ways of making. You will work collaboratively with your peers on skill, concept, and idea sharing in order to develop and nurture peer-to-peer networks, peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and mutual support. Students will also learn about and develop professional practice skills as you prepare for life and work after art school, including job search preparation, writing cover letters, resumes, artist statements, applying for art residencies, and more. The class will include individual and group discussions, peer-to-peer workshops, individual and group projects, critiques, readings, writing, and screenings, shaped around students’ creative work and interests.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:446
Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:

By successfully completing this class you will have:

• Honed the conceptual, technical, organizational, and practical skills needed to realize successful media artworks that reflect your creative voice and vision.
• The knowledge and ability to situate artwork in the context of historical and contemporary art, popular media, as well as a social and political context.
• Gained skills in articulating the intentions and concerns of your creative work.
• Created a portfolio of media art work that reveals critical and careful thinking, seeing, and making.
• An increased knowledge and proficiency in skills needed to navigate the job market and the art world.

Overview of skills to be learned: independent research, production and time management, post-grad professional skills.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Learning shouldn’t be done in isolation; it is a social activity. Being active and engaged in class will provide you with the deepest learning experience. This is a highly participatory class that relies on the thoughtful contributions of all class members, through the work you do, the conversations we have together, and the perspectives you contribute to the group. As a member of this class, you will be expected to participate, to show up, and to be present in class.

This includes

• Showing up on time.
• Being prepared.
• Putting your energy and focus into class while you are here.

It also includes

• Completing assignments on time.
• Being actively involved in discussions.
• Asking questions.
• Demonstrating that you watched, listened to, or read materials presented in class or assigned for homework.

Participation also means

• Showing curiosity and respect for others’ perspectives, opinions, and ideas.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is required. Art & Design policy is that three absences result in a failing grade. Absences include arriving late, leaving early, or checking out during class. Sometimes things come up that can affect your ability to be present, arrive on time, or to attend class. If you are unable to attend a class session due to an emergency, please let me know in advance. If you miss a class, you will be responsible for reaching out to me to find out how to make up what you missed.

Note: Absences are excused for religious observances.

Assignment Policy: If you are unable to complete an assignment by its due date because of an excused emergency, you may request an extension. You should email me at least 24 hours before the assignment is due so we can discuss your circumstances and make other arrangements. In some cases, you may be able to make up missed work for partial or full credit. If you don’t turn in an assignment at all, you will receive 0.

Grading Projects will be evaluated for the following:

• Demonstration of effort and care
• Thoughtfulness and rigor
• Technical success
• The strength of the correlation between form and content
• Formal and conceptual innovation of ideas and forms, creativity, and originality
• Taking risks – push beyond your comfort zone and your habitual ways of working. Grading is based on the quality of your artwork, your effort and work ethic, and your engagement and participation in class. It is also based on evidence of growth and development in the quality of your art practice over the semester.

• 35% Class participation
• 20% Research log
• 45% Artwork

A: The effort, growth, research, ambition, and risk-taking in the student’s creative work are outstanding. The student is always helpful, active, engaged, fully prepared, and thoughtful in class— committed to the classroom community and helping other students learn.
B: The student’s research, ambition, and growth is impressive. The work shows evidence of effort, and the student is alert and engaged in class.
C: The work is technically acceptable, meets assignment requirements, and is completed on time. The student comes to class, but their contribution to the community is limited.
D: The work is complete, but with evidence of limited preparation and research or demonstrates significant technical deficiencies. Student is distracted and unengaged in class or are often missing. A final grade in the D range likely indicates that some assignments were missing or incomplete.
F: Failure to meet the minimum standard for completing the course.

Pass/No Credit If you would like to be considered for a P/NC in this course, please notify your instructor of your interest and inquire with the Mason Gross Department of Art & Design about your options.

Faculty Contact:
Natalie Bookchin, nbookchin@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Painting III-A

Course Number: 07:081:451
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Hybrid

In this course, students will work in individual studios on self-directed projects, developing subject matter, content and methodology through directed research. Selected readings and visits to exhibitions and lectures are required, as is participation in group discussions, presentations, critiques and reviews.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:351-352. This course is intended primarily for students who have concentrated in this area. (This course is cross-listed with Advanced Painting A.)
Learning Goals of Course: You will learn to make self-directed work sustained and enriched by research, rigorous curiosity, and critical feedback, and acquire the growing capacity to tell the difference between intention versus outcome in your own work, as well as in that of your peers. You will form your own process and methodology, and develop your own markers for progress and resolution. You will learn to deepen your understanding of how your work is critically positioned within the larger field of painting, art, and culture.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Painting III-B

Course Number: 07:081:452
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

In this course, students will work in individual studios on self-directed projects, developing subject matter, content, and methodology through directed research. Selected readings and visits to exhibitions and lectures are required, as is participation in group discussions, presentations, critiques, and reviews.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:351-352 or permission of the area

Course Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course: Students will further develop their painting toward self-definition through studio work, research, dialogue, and immersion in relevant historical and contemporary painting culture. Students will form their own guidelines for process and progress, learn critical rigor, discernment and analysis, and practice work habits tailored to their specific strengths and weaknesses.

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Painting and studio supplies

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Attendance and participation in all discussions, presentations, reviews, and critiques are paramount for a successful class. Three absences will result in a failing grade.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Painting A

Course Number: 07:081:453
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Students in this course are engaged in mentored individual work toward thesis, and explore how to sharpen and sustain the questions that will carry their work beyond it. These are identified and tested though individual studio visits with the instructor, group critiques; discussions of lectures, texts and exhibitions; instructor and student presentations; peer curation and review assignments.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:451-452. (This course is cross-listed with Painting III A.)
Learning Goals of Course: Students will deepen the clarity, criticality and complexity of their painting, and learn how to sustain their focus and research post-graduation with intellectual curiosity and good work habits. They will know the value of their peers and the importance of sustaining their community by seeing their practice as a relevant extension of it.

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Painting B

Course Number: 07:081:454
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Students in this course are engaged in mentored individual work toward their thesis and explore how to sharpen and sustain the questions that will carry their work beyond it. These are identified and tested through individual studio visits with the instructor; group critiques; discussions of lectures, texts, and exhibitions; instructor and student presentations; peer curation; and review assignments.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:451 and 07:081:452
Course Corequisites:07:081:451 and 07:081:452
Learning Goals of Course: Students will further develop their painting toward self-definition through studio work, research, dialogue, and immersion in relevant historical and contemporary painting culture. Students will develop their own guidelines for process and progress, learn critical rigor, discernment and analysis, and practice work habits tailored to their specific strengths and weaknesses.
As the work grows in complexity and ambition, students develop a discursive position based on critical interests and formal affinities, among many other factors. With growing experience of their own authority, the student will learn how to edit, read, and tell the difference between intention versus outcome, both in their own work and in that of their peers in preparation for the culminating BFA Thesis.

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Painting and studio supplies
Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Drawing A

Course Number: 07:081:455
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Students in this course work on self-directed exploratory-based drawing projects under the mentoring of the instructor and within the engaged, critical dialogue of their peers.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Pre or co-requisites: 07:081:321 or 322 (Drawing III-A or III-B); or 07:081:451-452 (Painting III-A or III-B)
Learning Goals of Course:
At the end of this course, students are able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to ideate, create and produce a cohesive body of work, to maintain a disciplined studio practice, and to present through the body of work a compelling position/argument/point of view/raison d’etre for the work in visual, verbal and written form
• Examine and analyze theoretical and practical issues concerning the nature of the drawing discipline in the 21st century and to incorporate the history of drawing into their analysis of their own work and the work of others
• Analyze and examine their own work and the work of others in relation to context(s), histories, process and materiality, and the relationship of the work to culture at large; and to analyze and critically examine the relationship of form/subject/content in these works

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Drawing B

Course Number: 07:081:456

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:321 or 322; or 07:081:451-452

Students in this course work on self-directed exploratory-based drawing projects under the mentoring of the instructor and within the engaged, critical dialogue of their peers.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:
At the end of this course, students are able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to ideate, create and produce a cohesive body of work, to maintain a disciplined studio practice, and to present through the body of work a compelling position/argument/point of view/raison d’etre for the work in visual, verbal and written form
• Examine and analyze theoretical and practical issues concerning the nature of the drawing discipline in the 21st century and to incorporate the history of drawing into their analysis of their own work and the work of others
• Analyze and examine their own work and the work of others in relation to context(s), histories, process and materiality, and the relationship of the work to culture at large; and to analyze and critically examine the relationship of form/subject/content in these works

Faculty Contact:
Julie Langsam, jlangsam@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Photography III-A: Exhibition and Portfolio

Course Number: 07:081:461
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

In this course, students concentrate on individual artistic development by which they can develop an awareness and understanding of experimental and creative approaches to conceptual projects within the framework of contemporary photographic art practice. Advanced theoretical studies and individual practical investigations are used to support an emerging independent work process culminating in a final body of work.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:361-362.
Learning Goals of Course:

• To develop a level of criticality when looking at images that considers historical, cultural, and theoretical issues related to photography, art in general and culture at large.
• To develop analytical and critical skills in visual, verbal, and written form as they relate to the understanding, discussion, description, and evaluation of images.
• To examine context as a basis for our understanding of material culture

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: All students must turn in a final selection of work (from the entire year) or equivalent in another medium, plus Artists Statement on the last day of Class.

Grading is based on the instructor’s assessment of individual development over the course of the semester. I am interested in the degree to which you are willing to push yourself in the studio and by the challenges you set up for yourself, the risks you take, the commitment to your work and general studio activity.

Class participation during critiques and discussions is expected and is factored into your grade. If you make exceptional work in the studio that would otherwise constitute an “A” grade but never contribute to the group critiques, you will not receive an “A” in this class. The over all breakdown of your grade is as follows:

• 50% Final body of work, includes the production of new work
• 50% Class participation, involvement, Group Crits, etc.
• A = exceptional engagement with production of work, readings, and class participation
• B=thoughtful completion of work and active participation in class discussions
• C=adequate completion of work and average participation in discussions
• D=lack of thought and effort evident in work and participation
• F=none of the above

Attendance & Participation

• Three unexcused absences equal failure
• Two times late equals one absence.
• Class participation in critiques and discussions is required
• Completion of weekly assignments and Final Project

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein, mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Photography III-B

Course Number: 07:081:462
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

In this course, students concentrate on individual artistic development by which they can develop an awareness and understanding of experimental and creative approaches to conceptual projects within the framework of contemporary photographic art practice. Advanced theoretical studies and individual practical investigations are used to support an emerging independent work process culminating in a final body of work.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:361-362

Learning Goals of Course:

• To develop a level of criticality when looking at images that considers historical, cultural, and theoretical issues related to photography, art in general and culture at large.
• To develop analytical and critical skills in visual, verbal, and written form as they relate to the understanding, discussion, description, and evaluation of images.
• To examine context as a basis for our understanding of material culture.

Recommended Course Materials:

• Digital camera with manual adjustments of f/stops and shutter speed, captures in raw.
• Card reader, and/or transfer cable supplied with camera.
• External hard drive

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading:

Grading and Assessment: Grading is based on my assessment of your individual development over the course of the semester. I am interested in the degree to which you are willing to push yourself in the studio and by the challenges you set up for yourself, the risks you take, the commitment to your work and general studio activity.

Class participation during critiques and discussions is expected and is factored into your grade. If you make exceptional work in the studio that would otherwise constitute an “A” grade but never contribute to the group critiques, you will not receive an “A” in this class. The over all breakdown of your grade is as follows:

• 50%    Final body of work, includes the production of new work
• 50%    Class participation, involvement, Group Critiques

A: Exceptional engagement with production of work, readings, and class participation

B: Thoughtful completion of work and active participation in class discussions

C: adequate completion of work and average participation in discussions

D: Lack of thought and effort evident in work and participation

F: None of the above

Attendance

• Three unexcused absences equal failure.
• Two times late equals one absence.

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Photography A

Course Number: 07:081:463
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Projects in this special topics class concentrate on the approach to specialized development in photography areas such as artists books, multimedia approaches, performance, installation, and photography-based public art. Individual and group work includes research and short- and long-term project development.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Prerequisites: 07:081:461-462

Learning Goals of Course:

• To develop a level of criticality when looking at images that considers historical, cultural, and theoretical issues related to photography, art in general and culture at large.
• To develop analytical and critical skills in visual, verbal, and written form as they relate to the understanding, discussion, description, and evaluation of images.
• To examine context as a basis for our understanding of material culture
• All students must turn in a final selection of work (from the entire year) or equivalent in another medium, plus Artists Statement on the last day of Class.

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading: Grading is based on my assessment of your individual development over the course of the semester. I am interested in the degree to which you are willing to push yourself in the studio and by the challenges you set up for yourself, the risks you take, the commitment to your work and general studio activity.

Class participation during critiques and discussions is expected and is factored into your grade. If you make exceptional work in the studio that would otherwise constitute an “A” grade but never contribute to the group critiques, you will not receive an “A” in this class.

The overall breakdown of your grade is as follows:

• 50% Final body of work, includes the production of new work
• 50% Class participation, involvement, Group Crits, etc.
• A= exceptional engagement with production of work, readings, and class participation
• B=thoughtful completion of work and active participation in class discussions
• C=adequate completion of work and average participation in discussions
• D=lack of thought and effort evident in work and participation
• F=none of the above

Attendance & Participation:

• Three unexcused absences equal failure
• Two times late equals one absence.
• Class participation in critiques and discussions is required.
• Completion of weekly assignments and Final Project

Faculty Contact:
Miranda Lichtenstein, mlichtenstein@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Photography B

Course Number: 07:081:464
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Projects in this special topics class concentrate on the approach to specialized development in photography areas such as artists books, multimedia approaches, performance, installation, and photography-based public art. Individual and group work includes research and short- and long-term project development.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites: 07:081:461-462

Learning Goals of Course:

• To develop a level of criticality when looking at images that considers historical, cultural, and theoretical issues related to photography, art in general and culture at large.
• To develop analytical and critical skills in visual, verbal, and written form as they relate to the understanding, discussion, description, and evaluation of images.
• To examine context as a basis for our understanding of material culture.
• All students must turn in a final selection of work (from the entire year) or equivalent in another medium, plus an Artist’s Statement on the last day of class.

Recommended Course Materials:

• Digital camera with manual adjustments of f/stops and shutter speed, captures in raw
• Card reader, and/or transfer cable supplied with camera
• External hard drive

Policies for Exams, Assignments, Attendance, and Grading:

Grading and Assessment: Grading is based on my assessment of your individual development over the course of the semester. I am interested in the degree to which you are willing to push yourself in the studio and by the challenges you set up for yourself, the risks you take, the commitment to your work and general studio activity.

Class participation during critiques and discussions is expected and is factored into your grade. If you make exceptional work in the studio that would otherwise constitute an “A” grade but never contribute to the group critiques, you will not receive an “A” in this class. The over all breakdown of your grade is as follows:

• 50%    Final body of work, includes the production of new work
• 50%    Class participation, involvement, Group Critiques

A: Exceptional engagement with production of work, readings, and class participation

B: Thoughtful completion of work and active participation in class discussions

C: Adequate completion of work and average participation in discussions

D: Lack of thought and effort evident in work and participation

F: None of the above

Attendance & Participation

• Three unexcused absences equal failure
• Two times late equals one absence.

Print III-A: Letterpress

Course Number: 07:081:471

In-depth focus on letterpress including hand typesetting and polymer plates on the Vandercook press. The course will cover broadsides, artists’ books, and chap books. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Print III-B: Papermaking

Course Number: 07:081:472

In-depth focus on papermaking including Western style formation, working with Japanese fibers, three-dimensional pulp casting, coloring of pulps, stencils, watermarking, sizing, pressing, and drying. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Print-A: Graphic Impulse

Course Number: 07:081:473
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course makes the argument that the most suitable container for interdisciplinary language and process is printmaking. We will take under consideration the premise that printmaking constitutes a broad range of approaches that have the capacity to yield new form and new language when combined with other traditional techniques. We’ll study and examine both historical and contemporary examples of artists output that have encouraged a necessary expansion of the medium of print beyond works on paper. Course lectures and demos will focus on five central themes: Print as Moving Image, Print as 3 Dimensional Form, Print as Substrate, Print as Picture, and Print as Architecture and Design. Assignments will describe conceptual and material conditions that participants must adhere to but will also allow ample rooms for experimentation and encourage a poly-medial process of arriving at the completed work.

Course Prerequisites: A minimum of one upper level print course

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Advanced Print-B: Artists’ Books

Course Number: 07:081:474

In-depth focus on handmade artists’ books including Japanese stab binding, accordion structures, single and multiple signatures, Coptic, and alternative books. Artistic development concerning composition, content, and conceptual ideas will be addressed through individual and group critiques.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Sculpture III-A

Course Number: 07:081:481
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:281, 282, 381, 382

In this advanced studio course, students will explore, define, and develop their creative work and research in expanded sculptural practices through studio assignments and prompts, writings, instructor and student presentations, professional material development, readings, and independent projects. Students will continue the development of their studio practice in an increasingly independent framework while being asked to define their decisions in group and individual discussions. Students will also gain understanding of how their work is situated historically, and discursively in the field through lectures, readings, and group and individual critiques.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Demonstrating safe and correct advanced technical knowledge in the use of materials and technical processes
• Informed of major concepts and terminology fundamental in sculpture as well as post-colonial critique of western canon in sculpture
• Ability to synthesize the ideas and forms your work takes
• Ability to present one’s work for professional opportunities
• Better strategize, plan and execute their work, understanding the impact of good time-management and planning

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Sculpture III-B

Course Number: 07:081:482
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:281, 282, 381, 382, 481

In this advanced studio course, students will explore, define, and develop their creative work and research in expanded sculptural practices through studio assignments and prompts, writings, instructor and student presentations, professional material development, readings and independent projects. Students will continue the development of their studio practice in an increasingly independent framework while being asked to define their decisions in group and individual discussions while most likely developing and presenting their work in a Thesis exhibition. Students will also gain understanding of how their work is situated historically, and discursively in the field through lectures, readings, and group and individual critiques.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Explain their motivations and interests in the development of new work during critiques, in project proposals and possibly toward their Thesis presentations
• Informed of major concepts and terminology fundamental in sculpture and able to apply to one’s own studio practice and that of peers
• Demonstrate a knowledge of and ability to engage with professional opportunities in the field
• Better strategize, plan and execute their work, understanding the impact of good time-management and planning
• Demonstrate an ability to make clear, informed decisions in the public presentation of works

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Advanced Sculpture A

Course Number: 07:081:483
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:281, 282, 381, 382

In this advanced studio course, students will explore, define, and develop their creative work and research in expanded sculptural practices through studio assignments and prompts, writings, instructor and student presentations, professional material development, readings and independent projects. Students will continue the development of their studio practice in an increasingly independent framework while being asked to define their decisions in group and individual discussions. Students will also gain understanding of how their work is situated historically, and discursively in the field through lectures, readings, and group and individual critiques.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Demonstrating safe and correct advanced technical knowledge in the use of materials and technical processes
• Informed of major concepts and terminology fundamental in sculpture as well as post-colonial critique of western canon in sculpture
• Ability to synthesize the ideas and forms your work takes
• Ability to present one’s work for professional opportunities
• Better strategize, plan, and execute their work, understanding the impact of good time-management and planning

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Advanced Sculpture B

Course Number: 07:081:484
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: 07:081:281, 282, 381, 382, 481

In this advanced studio course, students will explore, define, and develop their creative work and research in expanded sculptural practices through studio assignments and prompts, writings, instructor and student presentations, professional material development, readings and independent projects. Students will continue the development of their studio practice in an increasingly independent framework while being asked to define their decisions in group and individual discussions while most likely developing and presenting their work in a Thesis exhibition. Students will also understand how their work is situated historically, and discursively in the field through lectures, readings, and group and individual critiques.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Explain their motivations and interests in the development of new work during critiques, in project proposals and possibly toward their Thesis presentations
• Informed of major concepts and terminology fundamental in sculpture and able to apply to one’s own studio practice and that of peers
• Demonstrate a knowledge of and ability to engage with professional opportunities in the field
• Demonstrate an ability to make clear, informed decisions in the public presentation of works
• Better strategize, plan and execute their work, understanding the impact of good time-management and planning

Faculty Contact:
Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Thesis & Exhibition A

Course Number: 07:081:497
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

The culmination of undergraduate Art & Design creative research and practice, this year-long course provides methodologies, structure and community to pursue advanced independent studio work and critique, leading to a group exhibition in the second semester. This year-long course is required for the BFA in Visual Art and BFA in Design degrees.

3 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: Open to BFA Seniors
Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course, students will possess the knowledge and skills to:

• Develop a coherent body of work that addresses individual formal and conceptual concerns
• Situate their work within a material, historical, and contemporary context; to defend the work orally and in writing
• Present their work professionally both in process/for studio visits and completed/for exhibition.

Instructors:
Young Sun Han, ysh13@mgsa.rutgers.edu
Brian Edgerton, brian.edgerton@rutgers.edu
Carrie Marie Schneider, carrie.marie.schneider@rutgers.edu
Sophie Auger, sa1568@mgsa.rutgers.edu
Eric Gottshall, emg230@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Thesis & Exhibition B

Course Number: 07:081:498

The culmination of undergraduate Art & Design creative research and practice, this year-long course provides methodologies, structure, and community to pursue advanced independent studio work and critique, leading to a group exhibition in the second semester. This year-long course is required for the BFA in visual arts and BFA in design degrees.

3 credits

Graduate Seminar

Course Number: 08:081:521

This is a required course for both the fall and spring semesters for first-year graduate students. It features weekly presentations and lectures from noted artists, critics, and curators invited to the school. Each student will participate in a limited number of individual studio visits with invited guest presenters. At the end of the first and second semesters, the faculty conducts a review, where the students present their work for critique. The first-year review takes the form of a critique of work exhibited in the First-Year Graduate Student Exhibition, usually scheduled from mid-November to December of the first semester in the Mason Gross Galleries. A one-page artist statement is required for this review. An individual studio review is at the end of the second semester. A one-page artist statement is required for this review as well.

4 credits

Research Projects

Course Number: 08:081:525

Individual project proposed by student to faculty member of his or her choice; faculty member who approves the project then acts as its adviser.

4 credits

Design Studio 2

Course Number: 08:208:533
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

In this second course in the studio sequence, students make work that explores visualization through supplied prompts spanning media that operate on different scales: web browser, architectural space, and sprint. Students are responsible for making a research connection within Rutgers University to support their own semester-long, research-driven design project.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Research Projects

Course Number: 08:081:625

Individual project proposed by student to faculty member of his or her own choice; faculty member who approves the project then acts as its adviser.

4 credits

Thesis 2

Course Number: 08:208:632
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Thesis 2 is the class in which students reflect on, frame critically and write about their work, and further hone their individual design approach. This course supports the development of the thesis work exhibition, for panel presentation and for continuing the work beyond graduation. The finished thesis project goes public, evidencing originality, experimentation, critical and independent thinking, effective display, and thorough documentation.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Studio 4

Course Number: 08:208:633
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Design Studio 4 provides a studio environment and production guidance for students to develop, actualize, and complete the individual thesis project, a large-scale research-driven work emerging from collaboration with another academic unit at Rutgers University or larger Rutgers community. This course challenges and develops the student’s advanced design studio skills. The work completed in Design Studio 4 shapes the thesis project, which is displayed in the Mason Gross Annual Design Exhibition and presented to a design panel with guest critics.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar: Experiments in Support

Course Number: 08:081:675
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

The experimental premise will guide the class: devise a question, then figure out how to ask it. The topic of our inquiry will be supported. In short: what do I need, and what if I had it? One method of inquiry will be assistance. Participants will assist and be assisted. We will also experiment with discussion, critique and reading. An endeavor of the class is to try out making our needs social and shared (as opposed to individual and isolated). Another is to gain personal familiarity with support.

4 credit(s)

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: For MFA graduate students in Art & Design

Learning Goals of Course:

• To gain a broad understanding of the ideas, terms, and figures that surround debates around critical understandings of the Anthropocene, and new formulations of ecology
• To gain a broad understanding of how Identitarian politics and social forces are deeply connected to concepts of nature and landscape
• To intellectually and materially explore how the critical and philosophical ideas in the readings relate to one’s independent studio work and research
• To broaden one’s historical, theoretical and contextual understanding of art and aesthetic production
• To develop and deepen one’s ability to experience, analyze, and assess art
• To artistically respond to the pertinent criticisms, questions and suggestions raised in individual meetings, and group critiques
• To analyze the work and presentations of peers through description, reflection, questions, and suggestions in the evaluation of the works content, function, problems, references, and contexts

Required and Recommended Course Materials: Key readings will be provided to all enrolled students.

Instructor: Jason Hirata, jason.hirata@rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar: Self and Others In Our Studio

Course Number: 08:081:676

The seminar is open to all disciplines, and is made up of group studio visits and presentations of individually and collectively chosen texts and source material. The presentations may take many forms, and will serve as a shared frame of reference through which we examine each other’s work.

There is one assignment: to self-diagnose a generative irritant/problem/enduring nut in your work, and make a material articulation of it. Pick a (relatively) unfamiliar medium so as not to repeat the terms of your usual MO, and foreground the specifically unresolved. This is an invitation to reframe ourselves as makers without the usual defenses, and the discussion around it requires courage and care with each other.

The seminar aims to bring the participant closer to their own procedural definition for progress, analysis and resolution via the resources of the group, and to help build a discursive home for their practice that is cognizant of the tenderest parts of what sustains them as a maker.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Hanneline Røgeberg, rogeberg@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar: On Beauty

Course Number: 08:081:677

In this course, we will attempt to interrogate, apprehend, and reclaim beauty as we collectively explore its relevancy and political potency, not only in relation to a world that is increasingly “ugly,” but also with respect to a contemporary art discourse that has become “beauty blind.” Readings will include fiction, philosophy, ekphrastic writing, essays, and poetry by writers like Dave Hickey, Byung-Chul Han, Elaine Scarry, Zadie Smith, T. Fleischmann, Alexander Nehemas, Mark Doty, and more. This course may include the following: screenings, regular group critiques, individual studio visits, exploratory thinking/writing/making exercises, and non-art related experiences and field trips that will become a jumping off point for discussions: of beauty, art, life, meaning, and more.

This course is open to graduate students who are enthusiastic about reading. Students may work in any media.

4 credits

Instructor: Mark Armijo McKnight, mark.mcknight@rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar: Myth, Rhythm, and Place

Course Number: 08:081:678
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

What creative freedoms can we allow ourselves if we replace History, Time, and Geography, with Myth, Rhythm and Place? This course asks participants to examine the terms employed in their own work and the work of peers and predecessors in order to try and rethink and perhaps clarify the function of these representational anchors. What freedoms might we be offered in the process of letting them go? We consider that Narrative storytelling is perhaps an amalgam of archives converging from various sources to tell a story that is truer in unison than it is in isolation. In so doing the course asks participants to find new or more appropriate forms and language in hopes that they might get closer to their stated objectives. The course will be divided into three different sections, 1) Authorship and Narrative, 2) Withholding: Representation, Refusal and Resistance, 3) Transformations of silence. On alternating weeks participants will lead discussions on readings which foreground seminar themes and ideas. On opposite weeks participants will share work in group and individual discussions. Among others, seminar texts will include works by Audre Lorde, Frantz Fannon, Kara Keeling, Kevin Quashie, Toni Morrison, Fred Moten, Jose Esteban Munoz, and Ross Gay.

4 credit(s)

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of this course, students will:

• Develop, expand, experiment, and clarify their own ideas and goals as artists as demonstrated in a body of work
• Be able to contextualize their work in relation to histories and contemporary culture
• Demonstrate an ability to examine their work and the work of others in regards to: formal issues; process; materiality; technical aspects/technique; subject; issues of content/meaning; intentionality; narrative, etc., as they relate to the specific work of each student

Faculty Contact:
Didier William, didier.william@rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar: What Matters?

Course Number: 08:081:679

This seminar provides a space to develop open processes of working, thinking, making, writing, and peer interaction as a vital form of creative practice with a particular interest in material concerns. In this peer-supported course, members of the class will be expected to deepen the methodology and research present in their work and engage in discussions around multiple influences and existing cross-disciplinary dialogues in the contemporary field of art. We will support each other’s work at different stages of development. These in-depth interactions/studio visits are aimed at having students understand and reflect on each other’s ideas, material/spatial choices, and contemporary context. Practically, we will spend our time reading the assembled texts, workshopping/building adjacent creative processes, and looking at your ongoing studio practice to develop sensibilities in a way that’s open to individual needs. The seminar will provide contexts, readings, and examples to ingest new ideas and methods as an impetus for studio work, writing, and discussions. We will read provided and decided upon texts including artists’ writings, poetry, fiction, and view related artworks to extend the discussion. The seminar will also make trips to public programs, artist’s studios, and exhibitions.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Instructor: Jeanine Oleson, jeanine.oleson@rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar: DIY Art and Language

Course Number: 08:081:680

The class will examine the work of a handful of artists and poets. The selection will be decided before the class begins by establishing an email chain. It will be made from the following list. Students are invited to suggest possible artists or poets.

Joe Brainard — Marcel Brodthaers — Bruce Conner — Kerry James Marshal — Kay Rosen — Jaune Quick-to-see-Smith — Frank O’Hara — Octavia Butler — Xu Bing — Meret Oppenheim — Antonin Artaud — Philip Guston — Anselm Kiefer — Barbara Kruger — Ron Silliman

Once the selection is made, students will choose one of the artists/poets and do research on that person, which they will present to the class. They will assign a handful of writings by and on their subject, as well as lead the class in a slow reading of a single work by that individual. Both negative and positive views of that person should be included in the readings assigned to the class. The goal of each discussion is to answer the following question: What is an artist and/or poet?

4 credits

Instructor: John Yau, johnyau@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Graduate Seminar Critique

Course Number: 08:081:681

Research Methods

Course Number: 08:208:516
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course introduces students to the research methods for informing and stimulating the design process and familiarizes students with hands-on practices such as visualization, digital humanities, crowdsourcing, field studies, interviews, physical sensing, polls, cartography and mapping. Readings and references will shed light on major debates in epistemology, including those over the structure of knowledge, genealogy, classification, and meta-epistemological issues in the digital age.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Build and use a bibliography for a subject-specific design research project
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct research in a subject-specific realm and draw a contextual framework
• Identify research potentials in archives, evaluate visualization strategies, and develop design ideas

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Studio 1

Course Number: 08:208:517
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Provides methodologies, structure and community for developing visual work in the MFA in Design. Precedents in design, art, and media along with readings and class discussion will inform a greater understanding of established design structures. Independent studio work and critiques will develop an individual creative response to those structures.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Use tools, methods and materials of research-driven design to create self-initiated work
• Examine varied working models and methods of contemporary design

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Seminar: Theory

Course Number: 08:208:518
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

A topics-driven seminar focused on critical issues in design theory. Departing from basic semiotic studies, this seminar examines a series of design discourses that are the direct outgrowth of related social, economic and technological histories. Students develop writing skills, in preparation for thesis writing.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Web Projects

Course Number: 08:208:532
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Through readings, field trips, and individual tutorials, this class introduces an expansive view of publishing online for artists interested in making work for, of, and about the internet. In addition to a deep dive into browser-based work, this course will emphasize how physicality is an innate part of web publishing and production.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course: 

• After completing this course, students will have gained a broad and rich understanding of the possibilities within on-line publishing.
• Students will gain an acute awareness of how physicality/materiality is an innate and critical dimension of web-publishing and production.

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Seminar: Contemporary Practice

Course Number: 08:208:534
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course proposes a range of models for contemporary design practice. Contemporary designers present their practices and how they see the future design. Talks and readings will address the pragmatics of design, the role of the designer as a social agent, and design and politics. Helps students understand the challenges that designers are engaging with and situate their own research. Class discussion is a major element of the seminar. Over the course of the semester students will develop a critical design language through these discussions and through writing, enabling them to analyze the field more productively.

4 credits

Learning Goals of Course:

• To gain a broad understanding of the models and challenges within contemporary design practice
• To develop a critical design language, to engage the discourse of the field, one’s own research and the work of one’s peers
• To begin to articulate how one’s own practice is situated in the current social, political, discursive, and practical field of design

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Thesis 1

Course Number: 08:208:616
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This course is a methodical analysis of a series of research questions based in the domains of art, design or technology. It establishes the process and method for proposing solutions, creating prototypes, and offering a conclusion through production of a series of independently derived works. This course provides the framework to support exploration of a specific field of knowledge using design methodologies; empowers students to use tools of investigation, analysis and synthesis within their design process; and prepares students to cultivate a research-driven design studio practice.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: This course is intended for BFA thesis students in their final year of study.

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Formulate research questions emerging from chosen methodologies and subject matter
• Analyze and articulate research findings
• Propose design explorations that address research-driven questions
• Create prototypes of design solutions that evidence originality and experimentation
• Observe, analyze and synthesize design outcomes
• Create and deliver presentations that explain the context and results of the prototyping cycle

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Design Studio 3

Course Number: 08:208:617
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

This studio course guides students in undertaking a self-initiated, research-driven design project in collaboration with another academic department or unit at Rutgers University or beyond. Students will explore and apply various visual communication techniques to realize their collaborative projects. Alongside their peers, they will compare the impact of their work in different fields of knowledge.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course, students will possess the skills and knowledge to:

• Engage in cross-disciplinary research and discussion
• Identify and deploy appropriate visual communication techniques
• Develop design projects in an interdisciplinary environment
• Produce a project in collaboration with a research body across disciplines
• Compare and understand the impact of their work in different academic environments

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Publication and Display

Course Number: 08:208:619
Course Format: Lab/Studio
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Explores the methodologies of display and publication strategies. Students formulate varied ways in which design ideas and artifacts can be presented in a public setting. The course focuses on the modalities of display in online and print media as well as installation in public and gallery spaces.

4 credits

Course Prerequisites and Corequisites: None

Learning Goals of Course:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Critically evaluate a wide range of publication and display approaches employed in contemporary design practice
• Make their work public in online, print, and installation formats
• Make informed decisions about which display strategies to employ in a particular context
• Engage with new ways of publishing design work

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Thesis 2

Course Number: 08:208:632
Course Format: Seminar
Mode of Instruction: Face-to-Face

Students reflect on, frame critically and write about their work, further honing their individual design approach. This course supports the development of the MFA Design student’s thesis exhibition and panel presentation. The course prepares students to make their thesis project public, evidencing originality, experimentation, critical and independent thinking, effective display and thorough documentation.

4 credits

Faculty Contact:
Gerry Beegan, gbeegan@mgsa.rutgers.edu

Thesis

Course Number: 08:081:703

The written thesis statement is a discussion of the thesis exhibition that may include its evolution and influences, relevant theoretical and historical inquiries, or other pertinent investigations surrounding the student’s work and includes three images documenting the exhibition.

4 credits

Instructor: Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu

The exhibition is a presentation of two years of creative work in the MFA in Visual Arts program. It takes place during the final spring semester in Mason Gross Galleries. A student’s exhibit is subject to committee review, consultation, and evaluation by the thesis committee and final presentation to other members of the graduate faculty. Required for second-year students.

Faculty Contact:
Barbara Madsen, bmadsen@mgsa.rutgers.edu