IB Visual Art 2/Foster, 2010
IB visual art 2 Summer/Foster, page 1
IBVisual Art—Summer Preparation Chas. Foster, instructor:
What goes well withSUMMER ? Art does, that’s what.
My dearIB Artists:First of all, I know you’re extremely busy, so I am not piling a lot of extra work on you. But I also know that you’re creative and driven to succeed, so I want you to continue an artistic routine this summer that will prepare you for the year ahead—at the end of which you will take the IB Art exam with a solid portfolio and an air of almost unbearable confidence.
In the past year or two of art classes, you have become familiar with a wide variety of media and completed specific class assignments that may or may not have reflected your own interests. This class will be very different. You will have much more independence, and I will be assisting you as a consultant and critic, helping you to realize the ideas, projects, and directions that YOU bring to class. This summer project is designed to help you generate ideas about what means the most to you.
It is very important to fill up your sketchbook with your ideas and research. You need EVIDENCE of your thought processes. Do it now while you have time to think.
IF you are new to this class (that is, beginning next Fall), and you don’t have a sketchbook yet, stop by my room (B102) and I will give you one. It is a requirement for the class and you’ll be happy you started it this summer.
Your summer project has two parts:
1)Analyze some old art work; and 2) Make some new art work.
Your work on these summer assignments is due at the end of the first week of school. The assignments will be graded, and they will be a significant portion of your grade for the first marking period.
1. Look at art and think (and write) about it with a critical eye:
If you make art, use your own work. If you don’t have any art of your own, find at least two artists you admire. Which are the most successful works? Which ones aren’t successful?
Discuss at least three works. Think about the formal properties (colors, shapes, balance, etc. etc.). What looks the best, and WHY? Take or find a photo of the work, glue it in the middle of a page in your sketchbook, and write your thoughts around iton the same page. Be as specific as possible. After every sentence you write picture me saying, “OK, but why?”
Finally, write down some questions or goals for your own art work. These could include how to improve upon something that doesn’t satisfy you; what if you had done this instead of that; or ideas for work you would like to do in class. (Why wait until then…?)
2. Think about art in new ways:
What is a drawing, anyway?Let’s use as basic a definition as we can and say that
a drawing is a mark that records something.
That’s it. Note that this does not define what makes the mark, what the mark is made on, or what the mark records. It does not even define what a mark is. So, what kinds of things can you make drawings with? What surfaces can you draw on?How long does a drawing have to exist?
Not to give things away, but here are two examples for you to think about. I think these are both photos of drawings.
The first is A Line Made by Walking, by Richard Long (1967).
The second is a work called Fairy Tale, made by Francis Alys in Mexico City (1995).
You could look these art works up on something called an Internet for more information.
Your assignment is to make a series of drawings. Some of these you can bring with you to school, but for some of these you will need to collect other types of evidence.
a)Make a drawing without using your hands.
b)Make a drawing by destroying something.
c)Make a drawing that lasts for as short a time as possible.
d)Make a drawing continuously for an hour or longer.
e)Make a drawing you can eat.
f)Make a drawing that you can hear but not see.
g)Make a drawing that gets in people’s way
h)Make a drawing that changes over time.
Some of these drawings make take you a day to complete. Some may take only 2 minutes.
This assignment will be posted at:
My summer contact info:
Do good work, have fun, and I’ll see you in August!