sculpture

01B:090:002 Elements of Sculpture

Semester: Spring 2014
Course Credit Hours: 3
Professor: Anthony Castronovo
Website: www.acastronovo.com
Office Hours: T/TH 3:00PM-5:00PM and by appointment
Office Location: SA 1417
Office Phone: (319) 335-1789
Contact: anthony-castronovo@uiowa.edu
Class Time, Location: T/TH 10:30AM - 12:20PM, 1421 SA
DEO: John Beldon Scott, jb-scott@uiowa.edu

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Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible. -Paul Klee

Creativity includes the ability to survive and survival needs creativity.-Cai Guo-Qiang

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the elements of contemporary sculpture. This includes conceptual, formal, and technical elements of sculpture. Students will learn not only how to create sculpture, but also how to enter into a dialogue about works of art. Students will be expected to be responsible and independently ambitious, and can expect to put in a minimum of 6 hours of work a week in addition to our meeting time. The IOWA Challenge applies to this course.

What Do Artists Know? |Frances Whitehead


OBJECTIVES

REQUIRED MATERIALS

The $100 Lab Fee pays for clay, plaster, chicken wire, wire, glue sticks, glue, wax, masking tape, cardboard, rivets, power tools, tools, burlap, construction paper, dust mask and woodshop. The lab fee also pays for some other materials for your projects. You are responsible for any additional tools or materials that you need. Field trip(s) may be an additional cost.

READINGS

 

LINKS

Tara Donovan | Jeff Koons | Richard Deacon | Ann Hamilton | delicious | Theo Jansen | Tony Cragg | Magdalena Abakanowicz | Richard Serra | Antony Gormley | Marilene Oliver | Yoan Capote | John Grade | Yong Ho Ji | David Bynoe | Lauren Kalman | Jay Nelson | Duke Riley | Alicia Eggert |Jeremy Boyle | Dietrick Wegner | Randy Polumbo | Steven Seigel | Celeste Roberge | Mark Jenkins | Janine Antoni | Doris Salcedo | Louise Bourgeois | Mauritzio Catalan | Peter Eudenbach| Art21

PARTS, ETC..

Small Parts | McMaster | Skycraft | Inventables

ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF CLASS

A key component to good education and to being an engaged, informed artist is your active engagement in community events and ability to experience unique opportunities. There will be lectures, visiting artist talks, and exhibitions that will be required throughout the semester. As these events will happen outside of class, it is understandable that they might not always fit your schedule and so an alternative assignement of research and writing will be optional.

http://lectures.uiowa.edu/

http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/events/

PARTICIPATION & READINGS

Active participation, engagement, and respectful, critical dialogue in all phases of this course are imperative. The class dynamic depends on your energy, initiative, attitude, productivity, and willingness to get involved in group discussion and critiques. Participate actively during critique and discussion. Complete all assigned readings, make drawings of ideas that happen while reading, and take detailed notes so you can contribute to the discussion in class. When you are reading something, if you come across a word or topic you don't know, look it up!

Make safe and considerate choices with equipment and facilities. Do your part to keep the facilities clean.

Please DO NOT use your phone to text, chat, or e-mail during class time.

Ask questions and contribute answers. Offer constructive, respectful feedback during group discussions, class workdays, and critiques. Reflect on the comments you receive to gauge the effectiveness of your work. TAKE NOTES ON EVERYTHING!!! Use your sketchbook for research and development of ideas. Examine the way your ideas change, evolve, and influence formal and conceptual choices in your work.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Grades are meant to evaluate your effort, ideas, and execution. Your overall grade will be based on participation and projects (including creativity, critical thinking, engagement with course information, research, presentation, technical proficiency , and problem solving). Expectations will be explained in detail for each project when it is assigned. If anything seems unclear, you are responsible for asking the instructor for clarification far in advance of the due date. The most successful projects will be very ambitious and well executed technically, but must also exhibit thoughtful connections between concept and form.

PROJECT EVALUATIONS

Your work will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria of requirements and expectations:

GRADING FORMAT

Official Breakdown:

FINAL SEMESTER EVALUATIONS will be averaged as follows:

SKETCHBOOK: As artists, there is nothing more valuable to your practice than your sketchbook. This is where you think, experiment, and explore your ideas. You should work in your sketchbook every day. There are 16 weeks in the semester, which gives you 112 days not including weekends. In order to receive full credit you should have at least 50 drawings/pages by the end of the semester. A drawing can be anything, technical, representaional, realistic, abstract, experimental, collage, digital.... there are no limits here but the sketchbook should be mostly drawings as opposed to writing.

ATTENDANCE: Students must be in class every day. Your presence is critical for your own education but also for the group as a whole. Attendance is a major factor in your participation grade. Each absence lowers your grade by 3pts. Excused absences are exceptionss, but students should self-report illnesses using the form on the Registrar's website: (http://www.registrar.uiowa.edu/Student/FormsforStudents/tabid/79/Default.aspx).

This attendance policy is in accordance with the CLAS guidelines:
http://clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/attendance-absences

FINAL CLEAN-UP: students must be present for the final clean-up, or lose ten pts from final grade.

FIELD TRIP: A field trip is possible during the semester and may require an extra fee to be paid by students.

MATERIALS STORAGE: projects must be removed from the classroom the day of critique.

POLICIES

SAFETY PROCEDURE: The goal of the School of Art and Art History is to create a safe working environment. You are required to take the appropriate ICON safety training for your area of course work. You will not be allowed access to certain areas in the studios until you have completed the appropriate ICON course for that area. Once you have completed the ICON course and provided the documentation to your primary instructor, you will then be given access. ICON

ADMINISTRATIVE HOME: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the administrative home of this course and governs matters such as the add/drop deadlines, the second-grade-only option, and other related issues. Different colleges may have different policies. Questions may be addressed to 120 Schaeffer Hall, or see the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION: University policy specifies that students are responsible for all official correspondences sent to their University of Iowa e-mail address (@uiowa.edu). Faculty and students should use this account for correspondences. (Operations Manual, III.15.2. Scroll down to k.11.)

HOMEWORK EXPECTATION: For each semester hour of credit that an Art and Art History course carries, students should expect to spend approximately two hours per week outside of class preparing for class sessions. That is, in a three-credit-hour course, instructors design course assignments on the assumption that students will spend six hours per week in out-of-class preparation.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES: Your responsibilities to this class -- and to your education as a whole -- include attendance and participation. This syllabus details specific expectations the instructor may have about attendance and participation. You have a responsibility to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. At the most basic level, this means you will respect the other members of the class and the instructor and treat them with the courtesy you hope to receive in return.

STUDENT CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: The ability to learn is lessened when students engage in inappropriate classroom behavior, distracting others; such behaviors are a violation of the Code of Student Life. When disruptive activity occurs, a University instructor has the authority to determine classroom seating patterns and to request that a student exit the classroom, laboratory, or other area used for instruction immediately for the remainder of the period. One-day suspensions are reported to appropriate departmental, collegiate, and Student Services personnel (Office of the Vice President for Student Services and Dean of Students).

ACADEMIC FRAUD: Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is a serious matter and is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum. Instructors and DEOs decide on appropriate consequences at the departmental level while the Associate Dean enforces additional consequences at the collegiate level. See the CLAS Academic Fraud section of the Student Academic Handbook. www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/handbook/x/#2

MAKING A SUGGESTION OR COMPLAINT: Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor, and then the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. See the CLAS Student Academic Handbook.

ACCOMODATION FOR DISABILITIES: A student seeking academic accommodations should first register with Student Disability Services and then meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. For more information see Student Disability Services 

UNDERSATNDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. All members of the UI community have a responsibility to uphold this mission and to contribute to a safe environment that enhances learning. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported immediately. See the UI Comprehensive Guide on Sexual Harassment for assistance, definitions, and the full University policy at http://www.uiowa.edu/~eod/policies/sexual-harassment-guide/index.html.


REACTING SAFELY TO SEVERE WEATHER: In severe weather, class members should seek appropriate shelter immediately, leaving the classroom if necessary. The class will continue if possible when the event is over. For more information on Hawk Alert and the siren warning system, visit the Public Safety web site.

 

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS:

Writing Center 110 English-Philosophy Building, 335-0188,

Speaking Center 12 English-Philosophy Building, 335-0205,

Mathematics Tutorial Laboratory 314 MacLean Hall, 335-0810, 

Referral Service Campus Information Center, Iowa Memorial Union, 335-3055

 

CLAS FINAL EXAM POLICIES: Final exams may be offered only during finals week. No exams of any kind are allowed during the last week of classes. Students should not ask their instructor to reschedule a final exam since the College does not permit rescheduling of a final exam once the semester has begun. Questions should be addressed to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum.

MISSED EXAM POLICY: University policy requires that students be permitted to make up examinations missed because of illness, mandatory religious obligations, certain University activities, or unavoidable circumstances. Excused absence forms are required and are available at the Registrar web site:www.registrar.uiowa.edu/forms/absence.pdf

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION POLICY FINAL EXAMINATIONS: An undergraduate student who has two final examinations scheduled for the same period or more than three examinations scheduled for the same day may file a request for a change of schedule before the published deadline at the Registrar's Service Center, 17 Calvin Hall, 8-4:30 M-F, (384- 4300).

PLUS-MINUS GRADING: All the department's instructors can append plus or minus grades to the letter grades they assign for the course. If the instructor does not specifically indicate in the syllabus that he or she will not assign plusses or minuses, students should assume that this form of grading will be used.

WOODSHOP USE AND FEES: The School of Art and Art History Woodshop Is a common use facility for any student enrolled in a studio art class. The woodshop has a $25 per student per semester buy-back fee. All students who use the woodshop must pay this fee, which goes towards the replacement of consumables as well as equipment repairs, replacements and other shop related expenses. Students can opt to pay a one-time use fee of $5 to work for one day only. However if they come back in for further use they must pay the $25 lab fee at that time. This will mean that in total they will be charged $30.  The students will be U-Billed by the lab coordinator before they begin working. Students must also complete safety training and fill out a woodshop safety release form every semester to work in the shop. To do this they must see the Woodshop Lab Specialist, Adam Krueger. Woodshop open hours and schedules are posted on the door of the woodshop.  

Students enrolled in classes that require the use of woodshop as part of their class instruction will be U-billed at the time of use.

SCHEDULE:

Jan 21• intro to course and each other; Safety Procedures & ICON (Each student should have a copy of the woodshop safety proceedures); Discuss Sculpture, what it is, how we understand it; HW research into artists and links above, be ready to discuss an artist of your choice.

Students must complete the ICON safety training for the Woodshop and Sculpture Area: https://icon.uiowa.edu/support/int/saahs/

Jan 23• Introduce wire project. Students bring in one object to copy ( 6-8" ).
HW: Deacon's extensive website; Richard Deacon reading- takes notes for discussion on Tues 1/28.

Jan 28• Discussion of Deacon reading. Work on wire project.

Jan 30•Woodshop safety with Adam Krueger.

Feb 4• Begin Box Joints.

Feb 6• Finish Box Joints, Discuss Wood Project: Tension: 2x4 & 1lb of Nails.

Feb 11• Students have drawings of ideas to discuss methods with professor.

Feb 13• Studio work day.

Feb 18• Studio work day.

Feb 20• Studio work day.

Feb 25• Studio work day.

Feb 27• First Critique.

Mar 4• Introduce Assemblage Project.

Mar 6• Review artists related to Assemblage Project..Go over various adhesives, pop rivets, other joining techniques.

Mar 11•Students should have a book from the library, word cluster, 10 drawings and an idea to discuss with professor. Studio work day.

Mar 13• Studio work day.

Mar 18 & 20• No Class...Spring Break.

Mar 25• Studio work day.

Mar 27• Studio work day.

Apr 1• Second Critique.

Apr 3• Introduce Final Project: Plaster. Disscuss Plaster Project: Hybrid Mythology?? You have one month to be as ambitious as possible.

Apr 8• Demo on plaster working methods.

Apr 10• Studio work day.

Apr 15• Studio work day.

Apr 17• Studio work day.

Apr 22• Studio work day.

Apr 24• Studio work day.

Apr 29• Studio work day.

May 1• Studio work day.

May 8• Studio work day.

May 10• Final Critique.