Art

Program: Arts and Communications Lab Fee: $25/semester
Path: Visual Arts
Prerequisites: None
Length: One Year

Welcome,
My name is Robert M. Sotelo and I will be your (daughter/son’s) visual arts teacher for the 2010-2011 school year. This is my first year teaching and I hope that it will be successful for you. I received my BFA and completed my credential program at CSU Fullerton. I also hold an AA from Citrus College with a major in Social/Behavioral Science. In addition to teaching, I currently show work with the Los Angeles Art Association at Gallery 825.
Email: [email protected]

Course Description:
Art consists of two qualities: technique and concept. During the next year, we will be exploring both of these through introduction to various fine art techniques, short and long-term projects, individual and group work, aesthetic and historical exploration, creative problem solving, and writing/planning/critique activities. Through these strategies, you will explore your creative instincts.

Art is not about filling your head with knowledge; it is about tapping into your experiences, emotions, ideas, beliefs, and philosophy and communicating these qualities through visual means. Art is a human characteristic and a language that explores individual existence.

Class Expectations:
This is a participation-based course. As such, you are expected to stay busy utilizing class (studio) time to complete projects and planning activities. You will also be compiling a sketchbook that will maintain your research, ideas, and designs (more on this later).

The rules of the classroom are non-traditional but encompass needed qualities:
1. Responsibility
2. Work
3. Work
4. Work
5. Respect
6. Creativity
7. Originality
By following these rules, we can all work together without complication.




The following policies will also be in place:
Tardiness: The first three will receive in-class consequences.
Discipline: Warning, In-class consequences, parent notification, parent meeting.
Restroom: 10-10 rule, blue hall pass
Dress Code/Electronics: see school policy
Late/ Make-up Work: Any work can be made-up from an excused absence. You will be given the appropriate time frame based on your absence. Late work is acceptable with appropriate loss of credit.

You will also have the opportunity to re-do any assignment for a higher grade within the 6-week grading term it was originally assigned.


Grading:
Assessment of art work is always subjective. This means that it is judged by an individual who brings their own ideas, philosophy, etc. to the work. Think about it, an artist makes the piece but a viewer looking at that piece is an individual who may not understand the artist’s intention. For this reason, your work in this class will be graded (primarily) on the perceived amount of time you spend creating any given piece.* This is where class time becomes essential. Unless you have a special circumstance, all projects should be completed in-class allowing me time monitor your progress.

Some work such as research, practice activities, and planning can be done at home. These will be graded purely on a pass-fail basis or a quantitative requirement.*

The overall class grade is simply an accumulation of points based on the allowable points from each activity. Projects will be weighed heavier than planning and writing. Longer projects will be weighed heavier than shorter ones. The basic break-down is:
Projects: 60%
Aesthetic Writing/Planning/Critique: 20%
Sketchbook: 20%

Sketchbook:
This will be a basic accumulation of various activities we do in class. All planning, brainstorming, research, sketching, critiques, and aesthetic writings will be kept in one place for easy turn-in. You will be responsible for (a minimum) one page a week aside from the assigned activities. This means that any down-time in class (and there will be down-time) should be spent working in your sketchbook. I will collect them as needed and you will receive credit for your work.

A sketchbook can mean many things. You can buy one from Michael’s or some art store, it can be a simple spiral bound notebook, or you can create one from some other materials. As long as it is organized and sequential I will accept (almost) any form.

Student (name)___________________ Parent(name)______________________
Signature ____________________ Signature __