Monday, August 30, 2010

Hull House Tuesdays

Just a PSA:

At This Week's Farmers' Market......
Honey Crisp Apples, Fresh Baked Bread & More!


Tuesday, August 31, 2010
11:30am-4:30pm
UIC Parking Lot at Polk & Halsted Streets
(across the street from the Hull-House Museum)

The Farmers' Market is open to the public.

HONEY CRISP APPLES AND FRESH BAKED BREAD IN THIS WEEK! Pair them with some
delicious cheese and fresh veggies, and make yourself very happy.

Bread from the Heart is this week's new vendor. Bread from the Heart,
founded by Jacqueline Vasan, is dedicated to providing nutritious food that
tastes good. They bake with organic, locally sourced wheat, eggs, and milk.
Their mission is to restore bread's good name as the staff of life. They use
organic sweetners, such as honey, evaporated cane juice, agave nectar, fruit
juices, and vegetables and experiment with various grains. Gluten-free items
are also available.

Bread from the Heart was incorporated on March 9, 2009 as a Division of
Colors, IT. Inc. In addition to baking, Jacqueline enjoys cooking and
teaching.

Can't feed your mind until you feed your belly? Ready to stretch your legs
and take a short walk over to the most happening place at UIC? Come to the
Hull-House Farmers' Market and get healthy! Meet farmers who grow your food,
pick up your lunch, or prepare a farm-to-table dinner for friends and family
or yourself.

Buy fresh, locally grown veggies, fruits, sample fresh dee-licious ice
cream, yummy pork products made with care and love, and get a whiff of
stinky, local cheeses made by artisans. Help make UIC more green,
sustainable and more delicious by supporting the Hull-House Farmers' Market
every Tuesday through October 26.

We are excited to partner with the Office of Sustainability at UIC and a
variety of farmers and vendors to support sustainable farming and
agriculture and locally grown scrumptious produce. We look forward to seeing
you on Tuesdays!! Stay tuned for a list of farmers and artisans! Check here
to visit our website for details and the list of local farmers.

Friday, August 27, 2010

sculpture, public, related issues


miranda july

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/arts/design/27outdoor.html?_r=1&ref=arts

Schedule for the month

(Our schedule beyond September 8th will be announced on Monday.)

Schedule:

Week One

August 23 Introduction 
Obtain materials ASAP

August 25
 Lecture and assignment of Reading 1/ Begin Project 1

Week Two

August 30
 workday

September 1 workday

Week Three

September 6 
no class, Labor Day

September 8
 CRIT 1 / assignment of Reading 2 / Begin Project 2

*This is a working crit. If your work is complete, great. If not we will critique it in progress.(It's always more satisfying to have pursued ideas and work to the limit, and receive feedback at that point.)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

welcome to AD332/Fall 2010 /syllabus + first reading assignment due wednesday, august 25

AD332 / Topics in Painting / Fall 2010
Professor Pamela Fraser
MW 1:00-3:40
5110 A+D Hall
office hours by appointment
pfraser@uic.edu

This is our course blog, the place where you will find all information about the course.

“Morality is not a system of abstract truth which can be derived from some fundamental notion, posited as self-evident…It belongs to the realm of conduct, or practical imperatives which have grown up historically under the influence of specific social necessities”. —Emile Durkheim


The development of a meaningful painting practice and of meaningful paintings involves the development of an ethic, an ethics, and an ethos. With an understanding of the instrumental values of making and presenting works, students will be immersed in issues around what it is to paint, make images, and address an audience. In consideration an an ethic, this course will conflate ideas of craftsmanship with issues surrounding painting and the public sphere. Related subjects will be differences between intrinsic and instrumental value; differences between significance and meaning; the cultivation of individual and collective values; relationships between aesthetics and ethics; and the historical precedents for ethical concerns in painting. The course will ask students if it is possible to consider painting as an act of civil engagement, as well as a mode of conduct.

The course will ask students to begin with the notion of painting as conduct (in the sense of both behavior and performance), as such a practical imperative that Durkheim (above) refers to, through which we may make decisions about how and for whom we act. Taking into consideration the functional aspect of painting, we will think about it in relation to a personal ethos that extends to civic concerns. This necessarily involves evaluation of principles, ideals, and strategies. Implicit in the study is consideration of the social realm, for there is no ethics without group, or community. The course presupposes an understanding of painting as a dialogue, and thereby a social activity that involves some level of public address. Also implicit in this matter is a concern for the made object, a.k.a. craft. Both concern with public and concern with craft involve the issue of care.

Turning away from approaches to painting that concentrate on individual voice and/or aesthetics without connection to function and meaning, this course asks students to consider the aspects of painting that involve communication, participation, and consideration. Furthermore, instead of the encouragement of originality and innovation, this course questions the value of these qualities. Instead of asking what kind of paintings to make, we will ask what can our paintings accomplish.

The connection of art and ethics has many historical precedents, beginning with the Greeks. Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle of ethos, logos, and pathos were seen as the three artistic proofs, or modes of persuasion that are essential to the development of an argument or position. Ethos has many components of it’s own meaning, including moral competence, expertise, and knowledge. Ethos forms the root of ethikos (ἠθικός), meaning "moral, showing moral character". To the Greeks ancient and modern, the meaning is simply "the state of being", the inner source, the soul, the mind, and the original essence, that shapes and forms a person or animal. Late Latin borrowed it as ethicus, the feminine of which (ethica, for ἠθική φιλοσοφία "moral philosophy") is the origin of the modern English word ethics. Note that the meanings apply to both individuals and communities.

ethos
1. in Sociology. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period: In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.
2. the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.
3. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion.

ethic
1. the body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group: the Christian ethic; the tribal ethic of the Zuni.
2. a complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual: a personal ethic.
3. A set of principles of right conduct.
4. A theory or a system of moral values

ethics
1. a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.
2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.
3. moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.
4. that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.

Civic concerns are not necessarily political concerns. Students will look at examples of art and writings within what is often termed the critical tradition, and more recent social and participatory practices. Consider how work in painting may be related or distinct from these realms.

Projects:
Students will devise their own projects that will relate to the course material. There are no direct assignments. There will be four project periods, with a mandatory critique for each one. Since the course involves consideration of the public domain, off site work is encouraged, and either documentation or sitevisits will be considered for critique.

Materials:
There are no mandatory supplies.
Canvas, gesso, and acrylic paints are available for your use (purchased from lab fees).

Readings:
This will be a reading-heavy course. There will be readings with subsequent discussions every other week. Occasional slide lectures will augment readings with visuals about the material.

Reading 1 consists of the three short articles below. Read these by this Wednesday, August, 25. Each student will be asked to make thoughtful contributions to the discussion.

1. “The Impoverishment of American Culture,” Dana Gioia, WSJ, July 19, 2007
http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB118480114206570926-search.html

Stanley Fish, Plagiarism is not a Big Moral Deal
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/plagiarism-is-not-a-big-moral-deal/

Stanley Fish, The Ontology of Plagiarism: Part Two
please Google this one (it is also a New York Times article). I cannot seem to get the link to post here.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

course guidelines for AD332

Here below you will find all important policy information for the course.


PLEASE READ.


On Grading:
Please keep the following School of Art and Design guidelines in mind.

A=outstanding accomplishment, innovative thinking, strong participation, full attendance, excellent progress
B-above-average accomplishment, solid participation, full attendance, good progress
C=accomplished all assignments, average participation, full attendance, little progress
D= lack of completion or accomplishment in assignments, disinterested participation
F=failure to complete basic course requirements and/or attendance

Your final grade will be based on the following percentages for coursework, with participation a part of the project grade.

Projects 50%
Participation 50%

The success of each project is assessed by the student’s level of engagement and experimentation; the incorporation of knowledge gained from course material; and high level of craftsmanship. Successful participation means to be alert and engaged, to demonstrate understanding of course material and to contribute to class discussion.

Late work is not accepted; projects not received on time will receive an "F". If you are going to miss class on the due date of an assignment, you must e-mail me to make arrangements to get the assignment to me.

On Attendance:
Good attendance is presumed and not rewarded or reflected in the final grade calculation. After three unexcused absences, one’s grade will drop one letter grade. After five absences-excused or unexcused-one may fail the course. Three times late, leaving early or arriving unprepared will equal one absence. Absence from class is not an excuse for missing handouts or assignments, or not handing in work. In the event of absence, check the blog to see what you have missed.

Miscellaneous Information:
• Religious Holidays: students who wish to observe their religious holidays shall notify faculty by the tenth day of the semester of the date that they will be absent for observation of that holiday.
• Turn cell phones off (no texting, no hallway calls, etc.)
• Laptop use in class only with permission.
• Please clean up work area after use.