syllabus — ART 392 — SENIOR STUDIO SEMINAR (CAPSTONE)

Project Proposal

overview:

Create a professional project proposal that clearly and succinctly describes an overview of your project concept, its form, and desired outcome. Your proposal will provide your reader with a sense of your artistic practice, its context and define a concept for a future work.

process:

STEP 1

CONTEXTUALIZE
Through visual proximity you will begin to contextualize your work among a larger canon of art and design.
Select 3 works of art that best represent you as an artist or designer. Place your works in context by laying them out on a page along with 3 examples of other professional artists' work you feel it is aligned with through content, form or media. Before you settle on the final examples, spend sufficient time researching a wide range of artists to find an appropriate fit for your work.

STEP 2

PROJECT PROPOSAL (2-3 pages written text)
Create a professional project proposal that clearly outlines a realistic self-directed studio art project for your final thesis that has a strong concept and will act as a continuation in your artistic trajectory. Your proposal should be a well-developed overview of your project concept, its form and desired outcome.

Describe Clearly articulate the significance of your work and its motivation. State your choice of media and why it is relevant to the concept. Your description should address both the conceptual and formal aspects of the work and your intention behind them. Succinctly tell the reader what your work is about. Include specifics of media, size etc.

Influence / Context What are the main influences upon your work as an artist? How does your past work inform your current project? Please use concrete examples, which may include other artists’ work or art movements (from step 1 or beyond). You might also include cultural or personal background information that is relevant to the work. You are further encouraged to find research/work from contemporary art theory or related theory outside the field of art that relates to your work. Speak on what your work as an artist means and how it fits into a larger context, be that aesthetic, social, philosophical, etc.

Audience Who are the specific audiences/communities that you hope to engage through this project (or future projects)? Please think beyond the classroom or a generalized art community where possible. What aspects of the work will connect with them or how are you hoping to reach them?

Impact / Outcome What kind of impact—artistic, intellectual, communal, civic, social, etc.—do you hope your project will have? What strategies will you employ to achieve the desired impact?

Growth How might your proposed project act as a catalyst for your artistic and professional growth? In what ways is it a pivotal moment in your practice?

STEP 3

TIMELINE Your proposed project needs to have a discernible beginning, middle, and end. Prepare a well thought out timeline for your project. This should include things like material research and studies, sketching phase, testing /mock ups, iterations, research meetings, technology self-learning, detailed various phases of production, points to get feedback from peers, details of transportation, logistics, installation, deinstallation etc. Consider all the variable logistics for making this project and any constraints you might have (size of work determined by what can fit in your car, what you have room to store after the exhibition, if you need to work with other people during production etc.) Organize all of this information into an outline that explains the sequence of steps required for its completion. You must use an 8 week timeline.
*See course schedule for details on major critiques, installation, deinstallation, pickup etc.

STEP 4

BUDGET Produce a detailed itemized budget for your project’s expenses. This should include material costs, research and travel, production/fabrication expenses, assistance (studio help, models, actors, sound/video capture etc.), administration, transportation, storage, studio rent, documentation, promotion, etc. These are some common budget items an artist juggles and may not apply to your current work but these examples are provided to get you thinking about expenses related to your specific art practice.

Professional Artist Budget Examples:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/creative-capital/dashboard/2018-Budget-Tips-and-Examples-Round-2.pdf

format and submission:

Upload all writing assignments to D2L submissions (WORD document preferred, PDF also appropriate) by the time and date specified in the schedule.

4-5 page paper (4-5 pages of written text; images not included).

Use standard margins, standard 12 pt font, Double spaced

Include supporting images. Images are not included in overall page count.

resources:

Readings posted on D2L (D2L > Content > Required Course Content > Readings)

Proposal information from ART 394: Capstone/Special Project Paper (Proposal)

Book: Art Inc.

Book: Art/Work (Revised & Updated)

DePaul Coleman Entrepreneurship Center