2013 HSC VISUAL ARTS
WEEK 1 MON FEB 4
WELCOME!
Prepare to discover some beautiful things, and get used to making mistakes… it’s what all artists do.
MY CONTACT DETAILS
Moira Kirkwood Ph: 0400 374 362 Email:
Please feel free to contact me at any time on any matter. Email, txt, FB, ring. (Don’t wait to bump into me at TAFE. I’m only here for your classes.) In particular if you have any concerns about assessments etc. you must talk to me BEFORE the task is due.
If there’s a problem, let’s work on it together. My goal is to assist you to get through this course happily, calmly and successfully.
I aim to have a classroom where there is mutual respect, a friendly approach, and support of each other – and some laughs. There will be zero tolerance of:
· any rudeness or abusive speech towards me or your fellow students;
· criticism of other’s work in an unconstructive way;
· racist, sexist or homophobic ‘jokes’ or remarks of any kind.
COMPLAINT PROCESS
If you’re unhappy with anything done or said by me or a by another student, please talk it over with me first.
If you’re still not satisfied, then please contact Head Teacher Jan Eades. She’s in Room AG23; or ph: 9710 5013 or email <
MOBILE PHONE POLICY
Please turn your phone to silent. If you need to make or receive a call, please just get up and leave the classroom, then return as quickly as possible. While we’re doing our artmaking, once I’ve finished talking, you are welcome to use your earbuds and listen to music. When we’re in discussion mode and doing theory sessions, no earbuds please.
BOOKMARK OUR WIKI PAGE
Google ‘Gymea General Education Wiki’ to get there. Scroll down to find the list of subjects and click on Visual Arts. (Note, not all subjects use their WIKI page. If they do, they’ll tell you.)
All handouts will be up on the WIKI site, along with useful links for more information etc. It is an excellent resource.
JOIN THE TWO FACEBOOK GROUPS
We have our own Facebook Group Page: ‘HSC Visual Art’. You’ll know you’ve got the right one because you’ll see this picture by Vincent van Gogh called ‘Starry Night’….
It’s a good place to get a quick reply to questions, or to check info. Post things that are interesting, fun:they need to be relevant to Vis Arts though!
N.B. Gymea TAFE Gen Ed also has it’s own page: ‘HSC Gymea TAFE’. This will have more general HSC info. PLEASE JOIN BOTH.
***Don’t do FB? No problem.*** Any crucial information will be given out in other ways as well.
“ALL MY OWN WORK” – COURSE ON PLAGIARISM – COMPULSORY TO COMPLETE THIS. You will get more info on this in your English class.
STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE
The pace is fast at TAFE. Vis Arts is a challenging course; it’s not a cruise where you can simply do some lovely drawings. It includes a lot of thinking, talking and writing. Please please please attend classes! Each class involves discussions that you will totally miss out on if you’re absent. This will put you at a disadvantage.
Want to do well?
· Attend classes;
· If I suggest you check out a certain artist, go and do it, then come and discuss with me;
· Contribute in class, and be prepared to make mistakes;
· Have a go with all the artmaking exercises, even if you have zero skill. You are marked on your effort and progress over time, NOT on how talented you are.
· Prepare for Assessment tasks. Take each one seriously, and you’ll end up with a good mark at the end.
· It doesn’t matter if you’re ‘arty’ or not. Your effort and attendance are what will make you successful. (If you already have some skills, wonderful. I’ll be expecting more from you )
The first 5 weeks
This is the ‘Preliminary’ course (Year 11.) It’s an introduction to the concepts used by the Board of Studies for HSC Visual Arts – Practice, the Frames and the Conceptual Framework. We will also be creating some art (‘artmaking’) and learning about the genre of Landscape in art history.
Around week 6 there will be an Exam on the Preliminary stuff. You have to pass this exam to continue the course. The pass mark is 50%. Even if you’ve done Year 11 or HSC last year, you’ll need to attend all sessions.
Week 6 onwards.
From week 6 onwards is HSC Content, which is just a continuation of what we’ve been doing during the Prelim weeks really. You will gradually increase your understanding of the concepts. To start with, the concepts feel like a foreign language and you know nothing. Everyone feels that way, no need to worry. You will eventually come to understand it.
I will be expecting each one of you to contribute in class. Questions that you answer in class tend to be better remembered. I ask for your opinion, or responses to artworks, all the time. You’ll get mixed up with the terms. Getting it wrong and having me help you get it right helps others in the class also. The more you practise, the more quickly you’ll understand the concepts.
You need to understand these concepts in order to do the Assessments and the HSC Exam.
OUR SESSIONS TOGETHER
Each time we meet, half the session will be Artmaking and the other half will be Art criticism / Art history.
ARTMAKING
This is where you:
· Get your hands dirty creating art;
· Think and write about what you do;
· Consider what other artists do in their practice.
Most of this work goes into your Process Diary. (More on this important document later.)
Over the year, you’ll be planning and working on your Body of Work. (This is your major art project. More details on this later.)
ART CRITICISM / ART HISTORY
This is looking at:
· Lots and lots of wonderful art;
· A brief overview of the history of Western art;
· How contemporary art is built on this tradition;
· How various people write about art (art criticism;)
· How the Frames and the Conceptual Framework can be used to think and write about art.
You will develop skills in analysing and writing about art yourself. You will also learn about writing essays.
WHAT MATERIALS WILL I NEED FOR THIS COURSE? DO I BUY A TEXTBOOK?
You do not need to buy a textbook for this course.
You DO need to use the library, so make sure you have your Student ID card with you so you can borrow, and use the photocopier/printers.
You will need to be online to do research, access WIKI site etc. Please let me know if you don’t have internet access at home.
We have very basic equipment and materials here for artmaking. We can make do with what we have, however if you’re interested in buying extra materials to use, or bringing some in from home for your own use, you are welcome to do that.
When it comes to your Body of Work, you will be responsible for buying any materials that you need. I’ll discuss this with you individually, as we go along, and advise you. There is an art supply shop in Miranda Fair called “Riot art and craft” which should have plenty of materials.
ASSESSMENTS AND EXAMS
There will be a separate handout with a timetable of the Assessment tasks for this course, so you can see what is coming up.
Apart from the Prelim Exam already mentioned, there will be a total of 5 Assessment tasks, spread out through the year. This includes the Trial Exams (which is exactly like the Final Exam.) These Assessment tasks go to make up half of your total final mark. They are all marked by me. (I like chocolate. Just saying.)
The other 50% of your final mark is made up from:
· The Body of Work (your art work project) is worth half;
· Your Final Exam is worth half. (This is short-answer questions and an Essay.)
Both these are marked by the Board of Studies (nothing to do with me. No chocolate required. Although…)
This might sound confusing, don’t worry, we take it step by step. It DOES have an advantage. It means that no one single task or exam is worth a million marks. You can earn a good result bit by bit, by every Assessment task you do.
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HSC VISUAL ARTS WEEK 1 MON FEB 4 Moira Kirkwood Version number 1
Disclaimer: Printed copies of this document are regarded as uncontrolled. Please check http://sitwww.tafensw.edu.au/ to ensure this is the latest version