Reproducibility Syllabus

Reproducibility Syllabus

Course Information

Course Number: VAT 202

Department: Visual Arts

Room: 212H Cleveland Institute of Art

Time: Wednesdays 9:00 am - 11:00 am + 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Faculty: Jimmy Kuehnle - jkuehnle@cia.edu

Office Hours: By appointment

Semester: Spring 2025

Canvas Course Page

Course Website 

Course Description

Though we often think of artworks as unique, this is not an intrinsic or inherent quality of the work itself, but the result of the choice of media. Consequently, since the Renaissance and the advent of Printmaking, the printing press, and bronze casting, multiplicity and reproduction have been a part of Western culture. The machine age, photo-reproduction, lithography, industrial standardization, modularity, fabrication, and multiplicity became part of artistic practice. Prints, posters, ready-mades, objects, books, comics, and designed utilitarian objects editions, multiples, modules, and reproductions are now a significant aspect of contemporary art making which abandons the notion of the unique work. Making works of this kind requires the artist to take into consideration how the act of reproduction, or replication constitutes part of their work’s form and content. Pre-requisite: VAT 200

Course Goals and Learning Objectives

Major Learning Outcomes

Students will be introduced to the importance of thinking about the choice of media and format for their ideas, and how those choices inform content. Students will be introduced to the issues that circumscribe the production of artworks intended to be realized as multiples, to be reproduced, replicated, or translated into another media. The goal of this course is to advance alternative approaches and understandings to the conventions associated with the artwork and its media and forms. The course will address technical issues as well as those of theory and history of art.

Specific Course Objectives:

Through demonstrations of technical processes, lectures supplemented by works from the departments’ collections, and through individual and group critiques, the successful student will develop skill and demonstrate knowledge related to the core learning outcomes:

Studio and Seminar

1. In the Seminar section of the course, lectures and discussions will review the history relating to “reproducibility” and how the topics of the class operate in the contemporary practice of the artist. Students are expected to participate in class discussion supported by presentation and assigned readings and are expected to respond to writing assignments based on class content.
2. In the Studio section of the course, students will use course content from the seminars to support investigations of in-class and homework projects. Students will be challenged to make connections between the ideas presented in the assignments and the images and objects each student creates. (The student’s work should demonstrate the evolution of their critical decision-making process and exploration through the display of related sketches, maquettes, and related works.)
3. After successful completion of this course, the student will:
   • Understand the concept of a matrix, and be able to use matrices (in both 2D + 3D) to successfully produce multiples at an introductory/intermediate level
   • Be able to demonstrate through discussion, critique and fabricated work, a working knowledge of the relevance and contemporary use of concepts of Reproducibility, including;
     • Appropriation
     • Multiple vs. Singular
     • Iteration
     • Found Object
     • Collection
   • At an introductory level, experiment with various material and process approaches relative to their assignment responses
   • At an intermediate level, create conceptually and materially resolved projects informed by experiments with materials and processes
   • Demonstrate the evolution of their critical decision-making process and exploration through the thoughtful display of projects created

Course Schedule & Requirements

Cleveland Institute of Art Recommended Policies

Credit Hour Definition

The Cleveland Institute of Art operates on a semester system comprised of Fall and Spring terms. Each term is at least 16 weeks in length, which includes final examinations and studio critiques. A credit hour is formally defined as 1 one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for a semester. At CIA, this is further defined as:

• A three-credit Studio course translates to 5 hours of scheduled class time per week plus 4-6 hours of preparation and homework.

Accessibility Statement

CIA is committed to ensuring that students with documented disabilities have equal access to our educational programs and activities. If you have, or believe you may have, a disability that may interfere with your ability to participate in the activities, coursework, or assessments of this course, you may be eligible for accommodations. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact Accessibility & Disability Services, located in Room 120, to arrange a confidential discussion about your need for accommodations. Accessibility & Disability Services can be reached at disabilityservices@cia.edu . Appointments can be made via AdviseMe in MyCIA. For more information, please visit my.cia.edu/ADS  .

Cleveland Institute of Art Required Policy Language

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

The Cleveland Institute of Art recognizes and embraces diversity and believes that an outstanding education in art and design should be accessible to all individuals regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, socio-economic status or disability. It is essential for the College to advance diversity by encouraging our community to share a responsibility in creating, maintaining and developing an environment in which difference is valued, equity is sought, and inclusiveness is practiced.

CIA Course Attendance Policy from the College Catalog

Course Attendance

Students are expected to attend all sessions of the classes in which they are registered and to attend all associated lecture programs and meetings. Progress as an artist depends not only on completion of assignments but also on full participation in dialogue with studio and academic classes. All absences will count towards a student’s absence total for the semester. Students are responsible for all missed class material, including assignments and tests, when absent from class. Each faculty member is required to take, and to maintain records of, class attendance. CIA’s absence limits are as follows:

*note: for studio courses that meet in 2 sessions over 1 day, missing one of the two sessions will be counted as 0.5 absence

A student who has missed the maximum absences per semester, as outlined above, must meet with their Academic Advisor to discuss their options. To uphold the integrity of the educational content and curricula, absences exceeding the limit as outlined above will result in failure of the course. Students must notify their faculty member if they will miss a class, and should contact their instructor(s) as soon as possible after an unavoidable absence. To protect a student’s privacy, written documentation of an illness, injury or obituary is not required nor requested. An absence from a final critique or exam will result in automatic failure of the project or exam.

Faculty may factor tardiness into determining if a student is absent or not. Tardiness policies should be stated on the course syllabus.

Absence Due to Religious Observance

Students who expect to miss classes or activities due to religious observances should notify their faculty members well before the expected absence. Students are responsible for the missed work.

Absences Due to Extenuating Circumstances

The absence limits as described above, are adequate for emergencies, minor illnesses, doctor’s appointments, transportation issues, etc. In the case of exceptional circumstances that would cause a student to exceed the absence limit, the student should contact Academic Services. A student who is hospitalized or has an extended illness is asked to give HIPPA permission to their academic advisor in Academic Services so they can communicate with their medical provider regarding the student’s illness and assist as needed. When protracted absence has been caused by illness or other extenuating circumstance, students may be given the privilege of making up lost work by arrangement with, and at the discretion of the instructor. Students approved to exceed the absence limit due to exceptional circumstances are still responsible for completion of any course requirements missed during their absence.

Extracurricular Life and Class Attendance

At CIA, we value students’ total educational experience, including its curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular components. All departments, academic and other, are encouraged to minimize the scheduling during established class meeting hours of events at which student participation is required or desired, including but not limited to extra class meetings, professional development opportunities, field trips, and other organized activities. When conflicts exist, all parties (students, faculty, and staff) should work together so that the student can meet their academic obligations and participate in extracurricular events. If agreement about an appropriate accommodation cannot be reached, the student’s obligations to classes meeting on their posted schedules will take priority.

Class Trips Policy from the College Catalog

All students attending instruction-related trips or tours that require them to travel away from CIA must sign an approved release form in advance of the trip that declares they will not make a claim against the college or its personnel/representatives for injury or damage sustained while on the trip. Release forms should be returned to the faculty member leading the trip before the event. All CIA policies are in effect during sponsored excursions away from campus.

CIA Grading Policies and Grade Descriptions from the College Catalog

Letter grades are a means by which faculty members communicate their professional assessment of students’ work. The primary purpose of assigning grades is to provide a realistic standard of reference by which students can measure their progress while enrolled at CIA.

Grades are reported twice each semester: mid-term grades after the first eight weeks, and final grades at the close of the term. The mid-term grade is a preliminary indication of progress to date.

Semester and cumulative grade point averages are reviewed by Academic Services each term to determine each student’s academic status. Each transcript includes the semester Grade Point Average (GPA) and the cumulative GPA. Letter grades have the following meaning:

A, A-: Work of consistently outstanding quality, which displays originality, and often goes beyond course requirements;

B+, B, B-: Work of consistently good quality, demonstrating a high level of proficiency, knowledge, and skills in all aspects of the course;

C+, C, C-: Satisfactory work that meets the requirements of the course and conforms to the standards for graduation.

D+, D, D-: Work deficient in concept or execution but acceptable for course credit in all courses.

F: Work unacceptable for course credit and does not meet the standards for graduation.

CIA Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty excerpted from the Student Handbook:

All acts of academic dishonesty diminish the integrity of the Institute and are taken very seriously by the school. Students being accused of Academic Dishonestly will participate in our judicial process and if found responsible, will be subject to appropriate sanctions. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to any one or a combination of the following:

• Formal warning/censure/academic alert.
• Reduced grade including a failing grade for the assignment.
• Reduced grade including a failing grade for the entire course.
• Forfeiture of student leadership positions, and/or restrictions on participation in Institute activities.
• Academic probation
• Suspension
• Expulsion from the Institute.

CIA Course Evaluation Policy

All students are expected to fill out a brief course evaluation for each class at the end of the semester. Your participation in the course evaluation process is critical to CIA’s evaluation of faculty teaching, assessment of student learning outcomes, and identification of opportunities for continuous improvement to course content and instruction. Please take a moment to respond to the evaluation when directed to do so at the end of the semester. Your thoughts matter.