MWCC College Catalog — Art

ART101 INTRODUCTION TO PAINTING

3 credits
This studio course familiarizes the non-art major with the art of painting. The student will paint several paintings in acrylics and/or oils from teacher-directed setups. Some art materials must be purchased for this course. Not open to art majors. Prerequisite: None. Fall and spring.

ART103 INTRODUCTION TO SCULPTURE

3 credits
This studio course introduces principles of sculpture and three-dimensional design to the student with little or no previous art experience. The emphasis will be on learning to skillfully manipulate different materials and to develop an understanding of art concepts as they apply to the practice, viewing, and discussion of art. The student will gain an appreciation for three-dimensional work as he/she directly experiences the process inherent in creating art. A range of media will be used. Not open to art majors. Prerequisite: None. Fall and spring.

ART105 INTRODUCTION TO DRAWING

3 credits
This course is designed as an introductory-level course for those with little or no previous experience in drawing. Its aim is to expose the student to a range of media and working approaches to the various problems of drawing. The task of learning to see will be met as a combination of close observation and spontaneous response to the media of drawing. In class, as well as out of class, drawings will be initiated by the students themselves. Subjects will include landscape, still life, interiors, portrait, and the clothed human figure. Prerequisite: None. Fall and spring.

ART109 ART HISTORY I

3 credits
This course is a chronological survey of the visual arts of the Western World from prehistoric times to the Renaissance. The course presents significant sculpture, architecture, and paintings of this period through slides, films, textual reproductions, and actual museum pieces. Lectures include critical, visual, and technical analysis of these works, biographical sketches of contributing artists, and relevant cultural and historical details that influenced the art of these centuries. Several works of art from non-Western cultures will also be studied. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.

ART110 ART HISTORY II

3 credits
This course is a chronological survey of the visual arts of the Western World from C.E. 1300 to 1950. The course presents significant sculpture, paintings, and architecture of these years through slides and textual reproductions. Lectures include critical, visual, and technical analysis of these works, biographical sketches of the contributing artists, and the relevant cultural and historical events and personages that influenced and were influenced by the art of these centuries. Prerequisites: RDG100, ENG100, or placement. Spring.

ART113 INTRODUCTION TO STUDIO

3 credits
This studio course introduces the fine arts to the student with no previous art experience and is geared toward progressive development of skills in handling materials and understanding art concepts as they apply to the practice, viewing, and discussion of art. The student will gain an appreciation for the visual arts by directly experiencing the process inherent in creating art. A variety of media will be used and concepts relevant to design, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, or ceramics will be presented. Not open to art majors. Prerequisite: None. Fall and spring.

ART241 WATERCOLOR PAINTING

3 credits
This course explores the basic techniques of working in the medium of watercolors. Exercises using transparencies and opaque techniques will be assigned. Slides of historical works by masters of the medium will be screened and discussed. Prerequisites: ART251 or ART263 or ART264 or permission of instructor. Spring.

ART242 ADVANCED WATERCOLORS

3 credits
This course is a continuation of ART241 Watercolor Painting with an emphasis on experimenting with the medium of watercolor and working in mixed media. Slides, museum visits, matting, and exhibiting works are incorporated into the course. Prerequisite: ART241. Spring.

ART251 TWO-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN

3 credits
This course teaches the principles of expressive design through directed activities in painting, drawing, and collage. In these assignments students learn to use line, shape, color, value, and other design fundamentals. Lecture, critique, and discussion further engage students in the exploration of what constitutes good design. Students will need to buy most of the course materials. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement; ART263 is strongly recommended as a prerequisite, though not required. Spring.

ART252 THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN

3 credits
This course provides students with the processes to create three-dimensional shapes. The first part of the course is a study of geometric and organic forms. By using materials such as cardboard, styrofoam, plaster, and clay, forms are constructed that explore the relationship of parts to the whole in their spatial context as the basis of good design. Additional problems stress the tectonic aspects of design and how they are used to create sculptural forms. An assigned portrait study in clay, along with procedures for plaster molding and casting, will be completed by the end of the course. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.

ART253 PAINTING I

3 credits
This course offers basic instruction in oil painting and is intended for art majors and other students with an art background. Class and home assignments allow the student to practice mixing colors and manipulating paint. Accurate translation of observed color, form, and space is emphasized. Personal expression is encouraged. Students also learn about brush selection, surface preparation, pigment composition, and the use of various media. Students are responsible for supplying most of the materials needed for the course. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement; ART251 and ART264, or permission of instructor/division dean. Fall.

ART254 PAINTING II

3 credits
This course is a continuation of ART253 Painting I. Students paint from nude models and from the surrounding landscape in an effort to (1) better understand the relationship of light, color, form, and space; (2) improve their ability to translate a three dimensional experience onto a flat surface; and (3) expand their transfer portfolios. Outside of class, Painting II encourages the development of more personal motifs in order to further explore painting as an expressive medium. Students must participate in a show of work at semester’s end. Students are responsible for supplying most of the materials needed for this course. Prerequisite: ART253 or permission of instructor/division dean. Spring.

ART257 PAINTING III

3 credits
For independent study students only. This course is for the advanced student who is in pursuit of creating work for a portfolio, after completing all other course offerings in Painting. Emphasis is on the individual work of the student, thematic development, and aesthetic considerations unique to the painting process. Recommended for the student who is motivated, directed, and able to work independently. Admission to the course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART253, ART254, and permission of the instructor. Fall and spring.

ART259 CERAMICS I

3 credits
Students create functional pottery, sculptural, and traditional clay forms as they develop skills in handbuilding (pinching, coiling, draping, and slab building) and begin to work on the potter’s wheel. Different clay bodies, glazes, glaze applications, decorative techniques, and kiln firings will be presented. Individual expression will be encouraged as the student gains an appreciation for the history of ceramics and clay as a medium. Students will be given outside reading assignments and be required to keep a sketchbook throughout the semester. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall and spring.

ART260 CERAMICS II

3 credits
This course focuses on developing skills on the potter’s wheel to create functional forms (cylinders, bowls, jars, mugs, etc.) and handbuilding clay pieces of a large scale. Ceramic work will be presented, ranging from traditional pieces by ancient potters to work by contemporary ceramists. Individual expression and aesthetic decisions will be encouraged as students visualize and build pieces that challenge their individual skills. Different clay bodies, glazes, glaze applications, decorative techniques, and kiln firings will be explored. Students will be given outside reading assignments and be required to keep a sketchbook throughout the semester. Prerequisite: ART259 or permission of instructor/division dean. Spring.

ART263 DRAWING I

3 credits
Students will explore a wide range of media and working processes common to the art of drawing as well as the historical context on which contemporary views of drawing are based. Assignments will center on the ability to translate objects in actual three-dimensional space onto a flat two-dimensional surface. Learning to see will be a primary focus of class work. All aspects of style and technique will be discussed or demonstrated. A certain portion of the semester’s work will be devoted to drawing from the human figure. Clothed and nude models will be used for this purpose. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement. Fall.

ART264 DRAWING II

3 credits
This course is aimed at developing the artistic areas begun in ART263 Drawing I so that students can achieve an overall confidence level with a range of different media and approaches. Areas of concentration will focus on composition, perspective, and illusionary, as well as two-dimensional aspects of space. A significant amount of time will be spent developing drawings from the human figure from both nude and clothed models. Portfolio development in this area will be encouraged with critiques aimed at enhancement of individual drawing strengths. Assigned problems beyond class time will focus on individually initiated work aimed at a clearer definition of the student’s own goals in drawing. Aid in preparing portfolios will be provided by the art department for those actively pursuing transfer. Prerequisite: ART263 or permission of instructor/division dean. Spring.

ART269 DRAWING III

3 credits
This course is designed for the art student to develop advanced level drawings and creating work for a portfolio. The student should be capable of individually directed work in drawing and have completed all other drawing courses. Emphasis is on thematic development, the individual work of the student, and aesthetic considerations unique to the drawing process. Clothed and nude models may be used. Prerequisites: ART263, ART264. Fall.

ART270 DRAWING IV

3 credits
For Independent Study students only. This course is for the advanced student who is in pursuit of creating work for a portfolio, after completing all other course offerings in drawing. Emphasis is on the individual work of the student, thematic development, and aesthetic considerations unique to the drawing process. Recommended for the student who is motivated, directed, and able to work independently. Admission to the course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART263, ART264, ART269, and permission of the instructor. Fall and spring.

ART271 SCULPTURE I

3 credits
The aim of this course is to teach sculptural working principles that hold true of good sculpture, whether from earlier traditions or more modern ones. The course is structured with assigned problems that will engage the student in aspects of the traditional figure study in clay using nude models, and assignments aimed at exploring the “object” aspect of form and the varying spatial aspects that form its context. Subtractive techniques will be introduced. A wide variety of sculptural examples from cultures in prehistory or modern era will act as a source of sculptural precedent for individual initiatives in problem solving. The tectonic or building aspects of construction involving weight, mass, and durability will be put on par with the intellectual aspect of the creative process. Success in the course will depend on both. Prerequisites: ENG100, RDG100, or placement: ART252 or permission of the instructor/division dean. Fall.

ART272 SCULPTURE II

3 credits
This course is structured so that students who have begun to develop skills in the sculptural building processes can practice and further refine these skills at the higher level with increased creative problem solving. More attention will be paid to work from the model. Problems will be given to expand the student’s familiarity with a broader range of material and ideas. An option to learn subtractive techniques in wood and stone will be made available. Students will learn lost wax bronze casting procedures. Prerequisite: ART271 or permission of the instructor/division dean. Spring.

ART273 SCULPTURE III

3 credits
For independent study students only. This course is for the advanced student who is in pursuit of creating work for a portfolio, after completing all other course offerings in sculpture. Emphasis is on the individual work of the student, thematic development, and aesthetic considerations unique to the sculpture process. Recommended for the student who is motivated, directed, and able to work independently. Admission to the course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART252, ART271, ART272, and permission of the instructor. Fall and spring.

ART274 SCULPTURE IV

3 credits
For independent study students only. This course is for advanced students who are in pursuit of creating work for a portfolio, after completing all other course offerings in sculpture. Emphasis is on the individual work of the student, thematic development, and aesthetic considerations unique to the sculpture process. Recommended for the student who is motivated, directed, and able to work independently. Admission to the course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART252, ART271, ART272, ART273 and permission of the instructor. Fall and spring.

ART284 CERAMICS III

3 credits
For independent study students only. This course is for the advanced student who is in pursuit of creating work for a portfolio, after completing all other course offerings in ceramics. The student is expected to create a thematic body of ceramic work and further develop their technical skills and conceptual abilities. Further exploration of clay bodies, glazes, and kiln firings and aesthetic considerations unique to the ceramic process will be presented. The student should have some previous knowledge of working with clay, understand methods of hand building, and have basic skills using the potter’s wheel. The student is expected to be self-motivated, able to work independently, and to have specific goals. In addition to creating the body of work in individual proposal, that is developed with the instructor, the student will complete an assignment on glaze chemistry and mixing, and give an oral presentation on his/her research of a significant potter, ceramist, or sculptor. Admission to this course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART259, ART260 and permission of the instructor. Fall and spring.

ART285 CERAMICS IV

3 credits
For independent study students only. This course is a continuation of ART284 Ceramics III and is designed for the art student interested in further advancing skills for working with clay, and creating advanced level work for a professional or transfer portfolio. The student should be capable of individually directed work and have completed all other ceramic courses. Further exploration of clay bodies, glazes, glaze chemistry, kiln firings and aesthetic considerations unique to the ceramic process will be presented. Emphasis will be on the individual work of the student. Admission to this course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART259, ART260, ART284, and permission of the instructor.

ART286 PRINTMAKING I

3 credits
An introduction to printmaking that may include monotypes, relief, and intaglio. Thematic development and individual expression will be encouraged as the student develops a portfolio of monotypes, drypoints, etchings, and linocuts. The student will learn the process of plate preparation, applying a ground to the plate; the proper use of the press and the matting and care of prints will be presented. Safer approaches to printmaking will be covered. Prerequisite: ART263 or ART105 or permission of instructor/division dean. Spring.

ART287 PRINTMAKING II

3 credits
The student will focus on intaglio printmaking and the use of color or multiple blocks in relief printmaking. Different grounds, aquatint, etching a plate, registration, and the printing of a consistent edition of prints will be presented. Individual expression and aesthetic considerations will be encouraged in the development and printing of the student’s original image.

Traditional and contemporary innovations in printmaking will be emphasized. Prerequisite: ART286 or permission of instructor/division dean. Fall and spring.

ART291 PRINTMAKING III

3 credits
For independent study students only. This course is for the advanced student who is in pursuit of creating work for a portfolio, after completing all other course offerings in printmaking. Emphasis is on the individual work of the student, thematic development, and aesthetic considerations unique to the printmaking process. Recommended for the student who is motivated, directed, and able to work independently. Admission to the course by permission of the instructor only. Prerequisites: ART286, ART287, and permission of the instructor. Fall and spring.