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02.04 Art Different Assignment

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Assignment Deliverables

  • Brief written statement describing the work and the decisions made. (.pdf)
  • Uploaded sketches, writing, and plan for work by 12:00 pm on September 18, 2023. (.jpg, .png, .pdf)
  • Completed work set up for critique by 12:00 pm on September 25, 2023

Overview

Inertia, the tendency of things to remain as they are, can allow humans to go about their life and activities without much thought, questioning, or analysis. Part of the creative process is to constantly push back against inertia and the status quo. At the beginning of the fall semester of the senior year of art school it is easy to accidentally end up at graduation without getting the most new knowledge, experience and growth possible.

To avoid this we will begin the semester by questioning our art practice assumptions. We will start with first principles to generate new ideas that are not recognizable as authored by us. Use the opportunity to dive into unknown processes and concepts at an early stage in your senior year artistic production so you have the longest benefit from the findings.

Process

  1. Examine the studio assessment from the previous class.
  2. Review the writing you created about your recent creative practice.
  3. Summarize this information as well as other thoughts about your work.
  4. Ideate about new art ideas and projects that if presented to your classmates would not be recognizable as your work based on their knowledge of your work to date.

Questions

  1. Does that mean I have to use different materials than my previous work? No. You can use any materials. Across the planet you are likely not the only artist working in those materials. It may be a good idea to seek out different materials as a way to distinguish this project from previous work but it is not a requirement.
  2. Do I need to change the content of the work? No. Many artists can explore form, space, portraiture, climate change, domesticity, and other topics in unique ways. It could be to your benefit to use this project as an opportunity to seek out new subject matter to make work that is more different than your recent work but it is not a requirement.
  3. I know what I want to do for my BFA. Why do I have to do something different? It is early in the year. This is not the time to place “restrictions” on your practice based on an eventual exhibition in May. You don’t have to change your ideas, concepts or intent. The work should not look like your work but it might have similar content. You can only move your brain so far away from previous thoughts. It is best to push against inertia as much as possible and explore new ideas and methods that will make previous goals better.
  4. Can I just throw a bunch of nails (or other material) around on the ground and call it an installation since that would be different from my work? Sure you can, but the work still needs to be good and well thought out. You can depart heavily from current practice but it should still involve effort and deliberative decision making.