AP 3-D Studio Art: 3-D Design Syllabus Overview The AP 3-D course is designed to educate students in ways of creating functional and sculptural works of art. Students will develop knowledge through research based assignments and assignments designed for the student to develop a personal voice. The development of creativity, skill, personal expression, and problem solving will be emphasized. Craftsmanship, design and skill will be addressed with each assignment. Assignments will be assessed through critique. Students taking AP 3-D must have taken Ceramics I and II. Additionally, students must exhibit the ability to work independently, create work that reflects skill, and show that they are capable of taking creative initiative with assignments. Strong work from Ceramics I and II should be saved to be put toward their portfolio. Students enrolled in the class will meet with me to discuss requirements and receive summer assignments. Students in AP 3-D must be committed to doing considerably more than the average art class. The class will have the rigor of a college level course. The class will be 48 minutes 5 days per week for one year. Students will have in class and out of class assignments. The first few days of class will be spent discussing the breadth assignments, journal, concentration, and timeline for assignments. Students will be active participants in the choice of their assignments. They will be allowed to follow the direction where they feel they have strength and also be challenged to explore new types of work. Pictures of work for the portfolio will be the responsibility of the student and should be taken as work is completed. Students will be allowed access to the classroom at lunch and after school to work on assignments. Portfolio Structure The following information is from the AP Central web site.
Section I- Quality 10 digital images consisting of 2 view each of 5 works that demonstrate mastery of 3-D design in concept, composition, and execution. Section II- Concentration 12 digital images of works; some may be details A body of work investigating a strong underlying visual and/or conceptual idea Concentration section includes spaces for a written commentary, which must accompany the work in this section, describing what the concentration is and how it evolved. Students are asked to respond to the following questions: 1. What is the central idea of your concentration? 2. How does the work in your concentration demonstrate the exploration of your idea? You may refer to specific images as examples. A concentration should consist of a group of works that share a single theme for example, an in-depth study of a particular visual problem or a variety of ways of handling an interesting subject. Some concentrations involve sequential works, such as a series of studies that lead to, and are followed by, more finished works. If a student uses subject matter as the basis of a concentration, the work should show the development of a visual language appropriate for that subject. The investigation of a medium in and of itself, without a strong underlying visual idea, generally does not constitute a successful concentration. The following are example of possible Concentration work. A series of wheel thrown or hand built lidded forms emphasizing the human form. A series of portrait bust that begin as representational and become abstracted. A series related to physical, visual, and emotional balance A series reflective of personal family history A series of sculptures that explore personal or societal fears A series of figure sculptures that explore methods of abstraction A series of sculptures that explore the concept of containment
A series of pairs of sculptures that affect each other either by the space they occupy or, supporting one another physically and/or visually A series of sculptures exploring human emotions depicted in non human subjects Section III- Breadth For this section, students are asked to submit digital images of 8 threedimensional works, with 2 views of each work, for a total of 16 images. Work submitted in the breadth category may be additive, subtractive, and/or fabricated; may include study of relationships among three-dimensional forms; and may include representational or abstract objects. The best demonstrations of breadth clearly show experimentation and a range of approaches to the work. They do not simply use a variety of media but rather combine a range of conceptual approaches and physical means of creating art. It is possible to do this in a single medium or in a variety of media. If the student chooses to use a single medium for example, if a portfolio consists entirely of ceramics the work must show a variety of applications of design principles. In this category, relief sculptures or very small works, such as jewelry, should be fully visible and should clearly address three-dimensional issues. The following are some examples of possible Breadth assignments. Ceramic jewelry An anthropomorphic coil sculpture A ceramic portrait bust A wheel thrown composite form made of three or more sections Slab built puzzle boxes Giacometti inspired Paris Craft sculpture Super Realism sculpture Geometric slab sculpture Architectural sculpture Japanese Haniwa or Jomon inspired work
Wheel thrown tea set Summer Assignments All summer assignment will be due by the end of the second week of school. They will become part of the students breadth work. Assignments will be graded as part of the first marking period grade. If a student does not complete the summer assignments, they will fail the first marking period. Students should also generate a list of at least potential ideas to pursue for their concentration. The list will be due the second week of school
Choose 3 of the Following 1. Assemblage sculpture- Create an assemblage sculpture. The sculpture can be an abstract design that emphasizes one or more of the elements/principals of art or it can be representational. You should research Assemblage before you begin. Some artists to look at are Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, Louise Nevelson, Joseph Cornell, Robert Rauschenberg, and Man Ray. Collect a large amount of objects that could be used for the sculpture. It is best to collect more than you can use so you have a lot to choose from. 2. Create a sculpture that is kinetic or produces sound. A mobile would be one example. A sculpture that can be played by tapping on like a drum or blowing into is another way to approach this assignment. 3. Create a sculpture inspired by an artist that you found on your museum visits. Your sculpture should not be a copy of the original work but take that idea in a new direction. 4. Create a figure sculpture that is a caricature or abstraction. Use yourself or a family member as your model. Think about elongation, volume, or distortion of some portion of the figure. Alberto Giacometti, Henri Moore, and Red Grooms are some artists to look at. 5. Create a piece of your choice. 6. Create a representational animal sculpture with wire. The sculpture should have volume. 7. Create a reliquary for an object that is sacred to you. Research what a reliquary is.
First Semester The first semester will be devoted to completing Breadth assignments and beginning Concentration works. Students should have the Breadth assignments completed by the end of the first nine weeks of school and have a clear idea of what their concentration will be. Weekly critiques will be conducted with suggestions for next steps. Second Semester The second semester will be devoted to the Concentration portion of the portfolio. Weekly critiques will continue with discussion of next steps. Plagiarism Students may not directly copy the work of another artist. This includes but is not limited to sculpture, drawing, painting, and photography. Works of other artists may be used as inspiration but the students work must move past duplication into an original direction.