About

OPEN MEDIA STUDIO // Spring Quarter 2008
School of Art and Art History at the University of Denver

Prof. Charles Roderick
(download syllabus pdf here) /// facebook group

Required for BFA majors
Prerequisites: 3 Art Foundations courses for majors;
for non-majors permission of instructor
5.000 Credit Hours | 5.000 Lecture hours
Levels: Undergraduate
Schedule Types: Lab, Lecture/Lab, Lecture, Seminar

COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is a topic* driven, interdisciplinary research studio. Students
will investigate the topic and their relationship to it in a variety of media,
and supplement their inquiry with research that occurs outside the
classroom. An exploration of different processes, materials, expression,
and connection with the larger world will be emphasized. Our aim is to
attend equally to the formal, contextual, and technical aspects of each
subject we address. More specifically we will cover:

LANGUAGE // A continued exploration of an art vernacular, experimenting
with ideation and articulation.
TECHNIQUE // Further exploration of methods and materials, experimenting
with modes and tactics of producing art, widening a resource
base for making. Greater emphasis on presentation strategies, providing
alternative platforms for exhibiting work.
RESEARCH + RESOURCE // Creating a research archive to accompany a
portfolio of projects, informing their intent and purpose.
COLLABORATION // Explore collaborative projects, placing emphasis
on networking and resourceful management. DIT (Do-It-Together).
THEORY // Research relevant artists and artifacts, creating source materials
and examples for critical approaches to dialogue about the topic.

TOPIC
This course will investigate the way(s) in which artist can and will adopt resourceful strategies and tactics to produce works in a pragmatic, inventive and critical manner. Presented with a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Landscape* as a platform for a series of experimental collaborative projects, we will explore art as a mixture of traditional and non-traditional practices and methodologies stemming from multiples societal spheres, pushing to redefine current DIY culture as potentially a DIT (Do-It-Together) culture. Our platform will house a series of exercises and project steeped in introductions to unique cultural producers, challenging art theory, and art that operates outside conventional art institutions and art production. Our projects will produce relationships between what it means to be an art student with institutional facilities and an independent artist pursuing an art practice–the carrying out or exercise of a profession*.

• 40% – Technical and creative proficiency
  Participation in class – studio work + critiques
• 40% – Cultural events (3) TYPED
  Portfolio + Research
• 20% – Final: Monday, June 2 11-1:50 P.M.
• http://www.du.edu/registrar/calendar/springfinals08.html

Scheduled Mandatory Event: CO-LAB//dorkbot303 presentation May 16, 2008 // Lindsay Auditorium, Sturm Hall (details TBA)

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY! More than two absences for the entire quarter will lower your grade one grade point per absence, for example, with 3 absences a B becomes a B-. Exceptions may be made for family and medical emergencies as well as religious holidays. Five absences will result in automatic failure of the course. Tardy (more than 5 minutes) and/or late back to class from break x 2 = one absence. Please communicate with the instructor to avoid any misunderstandings.

Safety Information:
• Students are aware of safe studio practices, and instructed in regard to the safe and responsible use of materials and tools.
• Students are introduced to Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS.) The information contained in these documents can aid in the selection of safe products, help understand potential health and physical hazards, and explain how to respond effectively to exposure situations. MSDS are easily available online, or through the manufacturer.

Note: The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus at any time during the course. You will be notified of changes.

Cultural Event Requirement:
All students enrolled in a class within the School of Art and Art History are required to attend 3 cultural events over the course of the quarter. Cultural events may include lectures, dance, musical performances, poetry, trips to museums or galleries, etc. These events can occur on or off the DU campus, and should take you out of your normal range of experience. Going to see a band or a movie does not necessarily count as a cultural event. Art house films will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions as to what constitutes a “cultural event”, ask before you go!

After you’ve attended an event, you’ll need to type a short (one page +) response to it on forms provided by the Art Office and attach any ticket stubs or flyers that may have accompanied the event. All three are due by the end of the quarter, and will be reviewed by faculty when grading.

PLEASE EXERCISE THE APPROPRIATE SPELLING, PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR IN THESE ESSAYS!

I encourage you to take advantage of the Writing and Research Center’s services; getting feedback benefits writers at all skill levels. The Center offers one-on-one consultations that address everything from brainstorming and developing ideas to crafting strong sentences and documenting sources. For more information, visit www.du.edu/writing/wrc.htm or call 303-871-7431 or stop by the Writing & Research Center in Penrose Library Monday-Thursday 9 am – 6 pm, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings until 8 pm, Fridays 10 am – 2 pm, and Sundays 4 pm – 8 pm.

*Pass It On! Connecting Contemporary Do-It-Yourself Culture at A+D Gallery of Columbia College,
Chicago IL in Spring 2007 (http://www2.colum.edu/adgallery/diy-home.html)
*Oxford American Dictionaries