Visualizing Ideas: Arts 188.001 SPRING 2013
Instructor: Tamara Zibners
tammyzibners@gmail.com
Classroom: Art Building Room 109
Hours: Tuesday & Thursday - 3:00pm-5:45pm
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday - 4:30pm-5:30pm, Art Room 107, and by appointment.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Students will use the basic skills they acquired in 187 to approach photography as an art form from a critical and conceptual perspective. Regularly scheduled assignments, lectures, demonstrations and in-class critiques will give students the tools for creative exploration and expression. We will review the basic principles of the camera and Adobe Lightroom, and will go more in depth in Photoshop and digital printing. We will spend some time on technique, but the focus of this course to develop a sophisticated conceptual approach to thinking about images and making photographs. We will study other artists and critical writings to inform the work made in this course. Expect to spend a minimum of eight hours a week outside of class to accomplish the requirements for this course.
Assignment values and grading
Evaluation: Assignments will be graded on how well you understand and use the camera, printing technique, the compositional qualities of your work and your effort and creative engagement with the assignment. Prints must be shown in critique. Your work must be made during the duration of this course, and by your own hand.
Grading:
Participation & Attendance: 15%
Personal Projects: 30%
Artist Analyses: 20%
Technical Assignments: 10%
Class Presentation: 10%
Final Project: 15%
A: Exceptional work. Successfully fulfills the requirements of the assignment, demonstrates superior technical skill and creativity.
B: Meets the requirements of the assignment while demonstrating good (or improving) technique exceeding the requirements of the assignment.
C: Requirements of the assignment are met with a need for improvement.
D: Work is below average, poor technique, more time needed in preparation of the assignment.
F: Incomplete work, extremely poor technique, no time or thought put into assignment.
Expectations and Academic Honesty
The work presented in class MUST be made by the student from initial idea to final finished product. Any print made by anyone but the student will not be accepted; nor will work that was made previous to this class. If you have questions about academic honesty, please ask the professor. Turning in the work of others as your own will result in automatic failure of the course and possible University suspension. ARTS 188, like all studio classes, demands a great commitment of time in order to do well. Much of the lab work can be done in class if you come prepared (film processed or memory card full, and ready to retouch and print).
Attendance
A majority of your learning experience in this class will involve in-class demonstrations and individual work during class lab hours. Attendance not only means coming to class on time but coming to class prepared to work. It is in your best interest to take advantage of in class work times in order to lessen time needed outside class to complete the assignments. Not coming to class with the required materials needed, leaving class early and tardiness exceeding 20 minutes will all result in an unexcused absence for that class. CRITIQUE DAYS ARE AN EXCEPTION; ANY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE (INCLUDING 20 MIN LATE) WILL RESULT IN A DROP IN LETTER GRADE FOR THAT ASSIGNMENT. AFTER FIVE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES YOU WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE CLASS – NO EXCEPTIONS. Excused absences will require official documentation stating why the student was not able to attend that particular class period and must be worked out with instructor beforehand whenever possible.
REQUIRED Supplies and equipment
Camera: A digital camera of 8 megapixels or more that allows you to control the shutter speed, aperture, and manual focusing is required for the course.
External hard drive: You must also have a portable external hard drive of 40 Gigabytes or larger. It is best you get a drive capable of being powered off of a USB cord.
Resources
Camera and Darkroom (camera and supplies, film processing)
3225 Central NE, Abq. 505-255-1133
Kurt’s Camera Corral (camera and supplies)
3417 Central NE, Abq. 505-266-7766
B&H Photo (mail-and-web-order camera and supplies)
1-800-947-6650 www.bhphotovideo.com
Adorama (mail-and-web-order camera and supplies)
1-800-223-2500 www.adorama.com
Conduct
It is expected that all students enrolled in the course will abide by the terms and conditions of student conduct, and academic honesty, as cited in the UNM Student Handbook and University Policy. The University is committed to creating and maintaining a community in which students, faculty, administrative and academic staff can learn and work together in an atmosphere that enhances productivity and draws on the diversity of its members, an atmosphere free from all forms of disrespectful conduct, harassment, exploitation or intimidation, including sexual. No form of harassment will be tolerated in this class.
Lab policy/Operation
Our photo lab has a web page that lists hours of operation, policies, and proper procedures. Make sure you read them before attempting to work in the lab. http://www.unm.edu/~photolab The photo lab staff can be reached by email at: photolab@unm.edu. The telephone at the equipment check-out desk is 277-6678.
For this class, you will have access to the digital printing lab, once I fully train you on the printers. You will only be approved for certain printers in that lab; others are for more advanced students. I will take you to that lab and explain which printers you are able to use. You may sign up for 2-hour blocks every day, and must sign in when you get to the lab. You will receive a print card in the second week of classes, which entitles you to 16 8.5 x 11 prints in the labs. After that, you must pay for paper and ink through LoboCash.
**BECAUSE YOU ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THE DIGITAL LAB, I WILL NOT ACCEPT PRINTS FROM WALMART/WALGREENS/ETC. MAKING YOUR OWN PRINTS IS CRUCIAL TO THE CLASS. YOU WILL ALSO BE GIVEN TIME TO PRINT IN CLASS.**
