Group Critiques
Room 213: Anne Barnes, Steven Cabral, Cicely Carew, Tracy Gaan, Marc Morin
Small Group Leaders: Deb Todd Wheeler, Jan Avgikos, Sarah Ernst, Taylor Hayes
Individual Meetings: Matt Sanders, Juan Santos, Amanda Fischetti, Tayler Hayes, Caitlin Daly, Michelle Side, Kelsy Patnaude, Deb Todd Wheeler, Laurel Sparks, Oliver Wasow
Seminars
Critical Theory IV, Jan Avgikos
Elective Seminar: Word and Image, Deb Todd Wheeler
Visual images and words - written or spoken - are inextricably intertwined in the life and work of the contemporary artist. We use text as an element, in our own paintings, performances, and artist books. Increasingly we read art criticism and essays written by artists, as well by scholars, critics, and art historians. Not only is writing a significant form of self-expression for many artists today, the ability to write has also become an increasingly important practical skill necessary for success in our chosen field.
This seminar will address “real world” skills and situations by concentrating on the written thesis and artist talk required for graduation. For context, we will consider artists who write (books, letters, diaries, essays), as well as artists who use words significantly in their own visual work (Jenny Holzer, Lesley Dill, and the Gerlovins, among others). As artists we write about our projects for fundraising or self-promotional situations: grant proposals, cover letters, artist statements. For exhibitions and publication (on paper or on websites), we generate wall text, image captions, and project narratives. As artist/educators, we write course descriptions, reports, letters of recommendation, and applications for funding. Finally, as artists and as educators, we speak about our work often – whether during studio visits, in classrooms, and at professional conferences.
A course outline and suggested book list will be provided at our first meeting. Practical exercises will include in-class writing, brainstorming, and discussion. A representative from Lesley’s Center for Academic Achievement will visit to introduce us to the university’s on-line and on-campus tutorial services, a useful resource. Highly recommended for purchase: A Short Guide to Writing about Artby Sylvan Barnet (latest edition). Highly recommended as a resource (in library): Stiles and Selz, editors, Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artist’s Writings.
For our first meeting, please bring multiple copies of your current artist’s statement (one for each fellow student plus one for me) and a list of topics you wish to cover in your artist’s talk. You will also need a notebook or sketchbook for our in-class writing exercises.
Documents and Images
Artist Talks and Final Grad Presentations, June 2019
