February 27 – March 2  “Trickery Draft Workshop”

Outcomes

• Activate the process of making, as a way of knowing.
• Technically execute a work of digital art, and apply formal decisions that communicate ideas visually.
• Produce ethical, informed, multi-dimensional, work that is situated in contemporary concerns.

Lecture

Activity:  Critiquing work
I will have sample projects for the students to critique, and will be holding a lecture-wide critique on the work, in order to help them see how a work is ‘read’ and what they will be going through in critiques, and how to go through the actions of critique.  During the lecture, we should ‘travel’ around the room to help the students with their critique.

Lab

— break —

Peer Conversations on Drafts of Trickery (45 minutes)

Divide students into groups (probably aligned to the number of monitors in the room, no more than 5 in a group or else it gets too big). Have students show drafts of their work and take turns giving and getting feedback on one another’s work.  Some possible questions for them to consider, or at the end of the class you can have them nominate work from the group that they wish to share with the entire class that might respond to these suggested questions:

• Is this work to be taken seriously or as a joke?  What does this mean to the subject matter and how an audience receives it?
• Did any work bring out anything that may have been unintentional?  How did the artist respond to it?  Might the artist make changes because of this -or not?
• Are there any works that defy expectation?  Something you have never seen before that is a unique and original approach?
• Does it remind you of something or have specific references?  How do these references inform the work?
• Does the work give a full and complex understanding of  the subject? Is the idea sophisticated?  Do the works negotiate the complication or do they reduce it to shallow conventions? 
• Are there any images that do well to test conventions of representational systems? 
• What thoughts or ideas might be missing, overlooked, purposely ignored or deleted, taken for granted, or broken down to normalized/general/common conventions? 
• Which work complicated the idea of ‘truth’ and used the behaviours of looking and trusting as a part of the act of manipulation?
• Did any of the works use the medium specificity of the computer and photoshop to bring attention to the medium as being the message?
  (For example, I once had a student ‘clean’ their room using photoshop, so it looked like a neat and tidy room, but there were small evidences that the cleanliness was all a manipulation, so they used their performance of making the image and the tool of photoshop as part of the subject matter of their cluttered being)

Feel free to add your own questions, especially in conversation with what the students bring in!  Have students discuss the following prompts as a large group or in smaller groups, record participation as a part of their lab grade.  If a student does not bring in their draft then there will be deductions, however not as severely as if they did not come at all.

**Please note, this is the first time students are expected to write about their peers work before this class, you can also have them review their online peer critique feedback in class and work through what they should do with that feedback with you or their peers.

Further Resources

Some media literacy sites that might help:

• Seeing is Believing
• Body Image – Photo Manipulation
• Retouching Reality
• The Camera Always Lies
• Direct Effect

If the students are up for a challenge, higher learning levels would have them discuss how the works function in the world. Have them dissect how the images are working to relay meaning and a bigger picture of what this meaning suggests to ideologies that occur in representation.  To do this, the following activity is useful. You can give students “scales” or “bridges”  of binaries to rate the effect of the images and discuss why they might read that way.  I’ve provided some scale ideas here, but please feel free to add more of your own in class or as a post/comment below.  Everyone will have binaries to share as we all think of things in very different ways, and our students might also inspire new scales in their generalizations or conventions.  Do take some time to talk about the benefits/challenges of each side, or how they may limit space for an audience, why this is good or bad for each particular case on each particular end.

Trite or Cliché ————- Authentic/Particular
Scared ————————————– Brave
Subjective —————————- Objective
Representational ————–—– Abstract
Didactic ———————-—— Ambiguous
Personal ————————-—- Universal
Cynical ———————————–Idealistic
Break Down (Deconstruct) — Build Up (Construct)
Apolitical ——————————- Political
Culture ———————–———— Nature
Violent ———————————– Passive
Autobiographical ——————-Detached
Poetry ————————————-Thought
Topical/Timely ———————– Timeless
Retinal ————————-——— Cerebral
Conventional ————— Creative/Unique
Generous ———– Mean or Ungenerous
Ugly ——————————— Pleasurable
Transcend —————————-Actualize
Action —————————— Knowledge
Abstract ———————Representational
Spiritual ———————————Scientific

• Discuss if there were images that led to different ways of reading the images function in the world and why, and might want to talk about the place of the viewer in reading images, and what they bring, perhaps something about their background, gender, age, culture, etc… might have different references that see the images in a different way.  For ones that always led to the same interpretation, why did you think it worked out that way and what did that mean for the reception and codes of the image?  Where does that leave the viewer? (passive vs. active)
• Lead on to ideas of how images create meaning through messages that lead to powerful ideas, we absorb the ideas and internalize them as images speak to a very innate part of us. Perhaps this is manipulative, to direct our desires to purchase produces or to believe certain things? Images can create codes that we then believe to be true, how does the creation of representations influence certain ideas as the norm, and others as not the norm?  As well, if it keeps coming up you might want to dissect what beauty means and to who, to what effect, is it surface or depth, and why beauty might actually be manipulative. Have your students practice being critical viewers.

Homework Reminders

• All projects are due next week, in-class critiques start on February 13 and go until February 25 (10 critiques a class for 2 weeks)
• Reading week is in between the critiques.  Their projects should be done so they can have a little fun and relaxation, but remind them about the next set of technical tutorials (Module 4) due on March 4.

January 23-27 “Medium Specificity”

Outcomes

• Identify the characteristics of medium towards the interpretation of an image, in order to make informed material choices for their own work.
• Enact a critical outlook as visual readers, recognizing how meaning is cultivated and perpetuated through representation.

Lecture 

This lecture will focus on properties/medium specificity and innate characteristics of photography, and delve into its implication on how medium can influence how we read an image.  An overview of art history featuring photography to show the evolution of how one understands document, indexical, objectivity and ‘truth’.

Lab

Please use this lab to exercise concept models for photographic series projects.  For example, have them write out a formula and then pass it on to another person, does the other person have enough direction to execute the project themselves?

You may also wish to look at select works that use a formula, have the students debate the effects of developing and carrying out the formula.

TECHNICAL GUIDANCE:  You may wish to show them how a project would look in Photoshop – different layers all in one document.

Reminders

• Module 2 is due January 28, end of day
• Critiques for the formula will take place during the February 6 labs
• If you wish to set up individual meetings for next week’s lab time, you might want to have them sign up for specific times this week.

January 16-21 “Practice-led Research”

Outcomes

• Activate the process of making, as a way of knowing.
• Identify personal inspirations and interests as a way to see their own artistic agency as self-reflective practitioners.
• Practice poiesis in an artwork that demonstrates sensitivity of intuition transferred to intellect.

Lecture

How the studio can expand knowledge will be introduced.  What does it mean to engage in practice-led research?  How do we do it?  How have others discovered through practice.

Assign Artist Poster due January 23, 27 & 28

Lab

“Artistic Research” Group Work & Meetings

This lab is dedicated to making groups of particular topics and for students to pursue a discussion.

• Have students display their topic lists, then arrange students into groups of like-minded or crossover disciplinary interests, be careful not to have more than 4-5 students per group (3-4 per group would be best).
• Have them talk about their topic/themes with each other and particular threads within the themes they are most interested in.
• Visit each group and after a bit of listening and discussion, recommend a few artists for students to research that will become the group connection via an artist.
• Please ensure recommended artists have been making work within the last 40-50 years and that their practices are somewhat contemporary.
• A list of disciplines and suggested artists is here, please feel free to add more!
• Students will have the week to research and pick an artist as a group (the entire group must pick one artist), and inform you of their choice by next week lab time (this can be during next week’s lab or in an email).
• Artists must be approved by the TA or Christine, they can ensure this by using one of your suggestions but if they find another artist they are more interested in then they need to get approval before pursuing.
• They will each make a poster on the same artist, but each poster will feature a different work.
• When you are not there they can also help each other evolve their topics and find details within them.  A suggested “question” game to further expand their questions is below.

“The Question Game” (optional)
Students can do this with the questions they brought in as a jumping off point.  Two or more participants pick a topic and generate as many questions as they can about it.  One person starts with an open-ended question, then the other person responds with another open-ended question, and the other responds with a related open-ended question.  This goes back and forth as long as they can continue without making a statement, or repeating a previous question.  For example, the game might begin by exploring questions related to an object I the room, such as a light bulb:

• Why is it important to have light?
• Where does light come from?
• What is the difference between light types?
• Can blind people see light?
• What is the opposite of light?
• Is darkness lack of light, or is it an entity of its own?

When the ‘players’ run out of question, it is then time to reflect.  What is the most interesting question that came up, and have them explain how they would learn more about it.  The most important thing about this exercise is not to stop the conversation with an answer.  As Mikhail Bakhtin once said “If an answer does not give rise to a new question from itself, then it falls out of the dialogue”. This exercise is to have students start to construct new ideas from their pre-conceived notions of how they ‘know’ topics, and go beyond information known.

Homework Reminders

• Module 2 with accompanying quizzes are due January 22, remind them to keep on track!
• Final selection of artist for posters needs to be finalized this week!
• Poster presentations will happen in lab on January 23-28

March 5-10 “Appropriation”

Lecture

On March 3, Penelope Umbrico will be giving a lecture starting at 5:30pm in the Life Building at UBC, this will replace the lecture

Lab

For this class some might take students out on a class trip to a gallery, or we the “Sherrie Levine” activity.  You can also go ahead to Week 9 plans, and use the class time to discuss ideas for the appropriation draft.

Gallery Trips booked this week are:

Monday March 9 (CAP)

• • 2:45-3:15pm – Audain Gallery, 149 West Hastings – Ale
  • 4:45-5:15pm – Audain Gallery, 149 West Hastings – Ale

and

Tuesday March 10

• • L14 – 11:45-12:15pm – Audain Gallery, 149 West Hastings
  • L16 – 1:45-2:15pm – Audain Gallery, 149 West Hastings

SHERRIE LEVINE ACTIVITY
Walker Evans’ work of Allie Mae Burroughs, an Alabama farmer tenants’ wife from 1936, depicts an ambiguous face of how one can depict poverty in the American south during the depression.  Levine, hijacks the discussion from how we can subject people to images and ideas, acting as representations, to ideas of authorship and what it means to make an image, representation, thus idea. Appropriation changes the way we dissect the image because we must bring in previous meaning to understand new meaning.  I ask students to give a reason why the image could be seen as ‘theft’ as well as come up with a way it could be seen as ‘art’.

Top Hat Screen Shot:

I will select approximately 50 of the most interesting and diverse student answers from the TopHat activity from the previous lecture, and print them out on index cards.  The cards are available in the lab classroom, where you can facilitate a debate of the various answers.

Appropriation Workshop Outcomes:

• Enact a critical outlook as visual readers, recognizing how meaning is cultivated and perpetuated through representation.
• Produce ethical, informed, multi-dimensional, work that is situated in contemporary concerns.
• Identify the characteristics of medium towards the interpretation of an image, in order to make informed material choices for their own work.

Debate Map Lesson Plan

(50 minutes)

• Please have students continue from the first appropriation in-lecture activity, continuing the debate of Sherrie Levine’s work.  You will be provided with a series of responses on index cards that comprise interesting answers from TopHat by students in the class, (these will be passed on from teacher to teacher as there is only one set!) there will be some empty index cards for students who wish to add more responses to the debate of Sherrie Levine’s Art vs. Theft.  Leave the students’ additions in the pack for the next class, and let us see where this goes.
• Have students arrange a “debate map” with the different answers either on the white board (with magnets) or flat on tables lined at the side of the room.  Have them order the various answers in a way that makes the divide between “Art” and “Theft” (and everything in-between or even both sides!) towards the creation of a skeleton of reasoning.  If they wish to add in more labels, such as “both” or “neither” or anything else that may come up

• On blank index cards, have them fill in areas or add points that would complete the map that seem to be missing, if they haven’t already done so.
• By the end, go over some of the answers which ultimately give evidence of our values and how they reside in art-making. You may want to ask them to place themselves on an area on the map, or to pick up a card that most represents how they feel about the work.
• In particular, in our contemporary day is skill the main indicator of a work of art work or artist?  Does an artist sometimes have to take a wrong step (stealing) in the right direction (questioning authorship and expertise/authority) in order to bring out larger issues?  How does a retelling or appropriation use the initial agency of the work in its new meaning?  (This question is vital as for the most part the appropriation projects become music video’s or trailers and lack any uncovering of how the initial footage projected particular ideologies, and how appropriation can expose these and break them down, rather than perpetuate them).  You may also want to question if the theft makes them angry, could that affect not be considered art?  If they show that they prefer the answer “there was no point” question if there really wasn’t any idea or if they just didn’t like the idea, or if they are somewhat focused on originality you can question if the gesture of re-authoring the work was not original? Etc
• For further information on a debate maps, visit Derek Bruff’s Agile Learning Blog

Sample of an ordered debate map of the various readings of Sherrie Levine’s work.

Homework Reminders

• The rest of the online Modules are due March 11, end of day.
• Appendix Video “Chronology” is a recommendation, there are no quiz questions as it is optional

January 9-12:  Introductions

Lecture

Lecture introducing what we will be doing in the course, how to approach art, and questions by which they approach the world.

*Please note that the Add/Drop date is January 23, therefore some students may not be as prepared as they could be, you may want to give them a bit of time.

Lab

Introductions (30 minutes)

• Introduce yourself & background, subject position, view on art, details on availability/how to contact you
• Introduction to the class syllabus, clarify lab rules and your own rules and procedures
• Structure/Expectations of the class
• Introduction to Canvas & Online Technical Demonstrations
  Please show them how to work with the online technical demonstration video library via Canvas.  Please let them know that although there are due dates for the quizzes online, the videos will always be available for them to use if they need to re-watch or find something out.
  Show students where to find lecture notes, assignment description updates, readings, links, etc…
• Have students introduce themselves to each other
  A classic introduction game is to have students write 3 questions on a piece of paper, then pass the questions to the person on their right.  Ask everyone to take a turn saying their name to the class, and introducing themselves by answering the questions.  Please remind students that these are not meant to be imposing questions, for example warn them not to ask “at what age did you loose your virginity” -as that is inappropriate.  Some common questions are, “what is your favourite movie of all time?”  or “who is your favourite artist” or “what do you like to do on your free time?” etc…

Give Students a Break

Potential Activity:  Classroom Guidelines (20 minutes)

To aid in a healthy classroom environment, I suggest you start the process of creating your particular lab’s “code of conduct” together with the students that will set-out guidance for productive critique and discussions.  The activity might go something like this:

• Discuss how important a welcoming and comfortable classroom climate is to their success in the class and Visual Arts as a whole
• May want to talk about critique not as judgement, but as discussion, the respect and generosity it takes to ‘read’ another’s work, articulate what you are interpreting and considering it enough to give feedback
• Bring up that art making can be very personal and vulnerable and this is encouraged, and therefore we will be making a ‘guide’ for the class to follow for the rest of the term, these will be specific to this particular lab and is why we are coming up with them together
• Explain how a supportive critique and the overall role of critique in the Visual Arts is to help their growth, and that it is a necessary part of the Visual Arts classroom environment, so how can we encourage this outlook in our particular classroom, what is important to note?  (Greenberg story can be useful)
• Have all of them write out at least one element, (but they can contribute more) on one index card/post it note each, that they think would create a good environment, and at least one element that they think would create a bad environment, and either put them on a common table or wall to see them together
• The students can then look at each others, and see what comes up, what repeats, etc…
• Some points you may want to bring up if they don’t come up by the students are things like censorship, (does your class want to censor… is this a good idea in an institution that promotes academic freedom?) trigger warnings (does your class want a warning if something about to be shown is controversial in some way – politically, sexually, religiously, etc), clapping, discuss what is considered helpful, describe what kind of engagement would be defined as thoughtful, and may want to address how to take and what to do with critique feedback, you may also want to talk about how it would feel to others if someone decided not to show their work for critique
• Allow students to find links, contradictions, comparisons and like-mindedness and organize these on a table/wall as a group.  When there are conflicts in ideas, try to come up with resolutions that speak towards academic freedom rather than rules, but if there are major concerns allow for “warnings” so that students can decide whether they want to stay in the class or not during a more controversial work critique, therefore it is the responsibility of the student showing to provide that warning
• Come up with a set of guidelines for the class, bring them home and type them up so that you can hang them in the class during workshop and critique days in the future.  You can also type them up and post them on your lab’s discussion board on Canvas.

Suggestions
Students probably know the basic rules of classroom etiquette, but everybody can use a refresher. You attend a top-ranked research institution and you should conduct yourself in a professional, responsible manner, but what does that mean? What happens when, and some things to consider:

• • How do you want to be addressed?  (Pronouns, titles, etc)
  • Turn off your phone when class begins, or more broadly “what is respectful behaviour?” and have them define the rules of phone use.
  • Discuss lab top and phone usage – when is it okay to use your phone and when it is not, (emergency circumstances, leave the room to talk, volume of ring or buzz) . But other uses (e.g., emailing, web surfing) distract your fellow students. Can instigate a rule such as:  Inappropriate laptop use will result in the student being required to turn off the laptop and it may affect their participation mark.
  • Allowed to check your text messages for family emergencies, etc (tolerance of different responsibilities of members of the class)
  • If you are late, enter quietly and discreetly, and avoid walking in front of the monitors.
  • Do not record or take pictures without explicit permission from the instructor and fellow students.
  • Sleep/tiredness.
  • Leaving class and coming back 20 minutes later.
  • Consistently coming to class late.
  • Let others do all the work during a group process.
  • Pack your bags and look eagerly at the door when there are 3 minutes of class left.
  • Talk to your neighbour (when a fellow student/TA is trying to share their ideas with the rest of the class.)
  • May wish to note that students who exhibit open disengagement from in-class learning (e.g., texting, side-conversations) or other disrespectful behaviour will be asked to leave the classroom.
• Helpful Links:
  Art Teachers Guide to Critique
  Art Critiques made Easy
  Rethinking “The Critique”
• Useful resource to shape our own anti-oppression guidelines. (Thanks Alejandro!) https://shihtzustaff.wordpress.com/queer-exchange-lower-mainland/#_bbx8vffwx6g9

*This workshop interaction can be a holistic part of the “Lab Participation” grade.

Reminders

• Tell students to work on Module 1 “Digital Workflow” & Quizzes (Due January 21) and Module 2 “Digital Imaging Essential and Introduction to Photoshop” including self-assessment Quizzes, (Due: January 28, 11:59pm) tell them to stay on track and to practice!
• Please remind students that (voluntary) technical workshops are available Monday and Thursday for those who need in-person instruction, show them the schedule.
• Please warn everyone that January 23  is the final add/drop date for all classes.