Massachusetts College of Art

Art, Life and $
Spring 2005  
Syllabus

Tuesdays, 2:10 a.m.-6:00 p.m.Room North 181  

Instructor: Nita Sturiale
Email: nsturiale@massart.edu
Office hours: by apt.  

$$ Art, Life, Money Class Web Resources $$  

Course Description:This course is targeted towards soon-to-graduate art students who are thinking about the practicalities of continuing life as an independent artist after art school. Throughout the semester students will meet graduates of the Studio for Interrelated Media as well as others pursuing unconventional artistic paths. Through discussion, presentations, and field trips, issues surrounding the realistic struggles of maintaining life as an independent artist alongside the celebration of such a choice will be explored. The course will attempt to demystify tax responsibilities, non-profit organization opportunities, and grant-writing. Students will interview artists as well as research methods for balancing art, life and money after school. Students will also practice writing their artists statement and resume and create a personal illustrated 5 year plan.  

Course Objectives:The goals of this course are: to provide tools and inspiration for newly graduated artists to help them continue their art-making after leaving the safety and resources of art school; to provide students practice in articulating their intentions, questions and artistic goals; and to suggest resources for researching solutions and answers after leaving school.    

 

Assignments

Due Date

1.             

Prepare a list of specific Art, Life and $ Questions to ask the artists we will meet throughout the semester about how they manage to balance art, life and money in a novel or interesting way.

Feb 1

2.             

Prepare a Resume and short Bio. Submit this to an online artists database that meets your needs best.

Feb 8

3.             

Write an Artist’s Statement.

Feb 22

4.             

Research a local (or wherever you intend to be for the next few years after you graduate) Arts Organization or Exhibition Venue. Pick a person to talk to at this organization, ask them how best to get involved and/or submit work. Be prepared to share this info with the class. Write-up your research and include a description, contact person’s name and info, and steps for getting involved. These write-ups will be collected and dispersed to the class.

Each week. We’ll set a schedule during the first class mtg.

5.             

Mid Semester Self-Evaluation http://www.nitasturiale.com/massart/eval/mideval.html

Mar 15

6.             

Create an illustrated Personal 5 Year Plan using any media ­ this could be an illustrated time-line on paper, an interactive DVD, a narrative video ­ this is more an artwork than a research paper. It should be a finished work that is presentable without explanation. Be prepared to present your plan during one of the last two class sessions.

Sketches

Mar 22

 

Final

May 3

 

7.             

Make a List of Supportive Colleagues that you talk to about your artistic ideas and feel challenged and nurtured by.

Apr 12

8.             

Final Self-Evaluation http://www.nitasturiale.com/massart/eval/finaleval.html

May 10
   

Course Goals and Requirements:

Our goal is to learn things we don't already know towards the long-term goal of being effective and articulate artists. The instructors' responsibilities are to present information and provocations in a structured environment that will help your learning process. Your responsibility is to participate in this environment fully by voicing your interests, thoughts, and questions as well as listening to your classmates. Class participation, discussion and attention is fundamental and required. Learning takes patience, tolerance, a sense of humor and a willingness to try new things without fear.  

Many of the course materials, important schedule changes, and appropriate links are online via the following URL http://www.nitasturiale.com/massart. Please check the online syllabus linked from this page often throughout the semester.

 
Course Requirements:

Weekly Schedule (subject to change):        

Jan 25 Intros, Logistics, Expectations  
Readings:
Montano, Linda. Performance Artists Talking in the Eighties. University of California Press. 2000.
Feb 1 DUE - Art, Life and $ Questions for Discussion  
Readings:
Pressfield, Steven. The War of Art.
Feb 8

DUE - Resumes and Bios for critique
DUE - Arts Organization/Exhibition Venue short presentations are due each week starting today

GUEST - Jane Marsching, SIM faculty

Readings:
“The Job Interview”. Text adapted from http://www.artistresource.org/jobhunt.htm
Feb 15 GUEST - Maura Jasper, SIM grad and founder of Punk Aerobics 
Feb 22

DUE - Artists Statements for critique
GUEST - Linda Sevey, Director of Institutional Support at MassArt  

Readings:  
Myers, Susan. “How do I prepare a budget for an art project?”
http://www.artisttrust.org/4artists/grants/faqs/budget.html
Mar 1 NO CLASS - SNOW DAY
Mar 8 Mid-semester
NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK
Mar 15

DUE - Mid Term Self Evaluation
http://www.nitasturiale.com/massart/eval/mideval.html

begin organization presentations.
Mar 22

DUE - 5 Year Plan Sketches/Mockup/Idea

GUEST - Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts Representative to discuss copyright issues and non-profit organizations.  http://www.vlama.org
Mar 29 FIELD TRIP - Ean White,  SIM Grad and Technical Director, Harvard University Studio for Electroacoustic Composition. http://huseac.fas.harvard.edu
Apr 5  NASAD VISIT 

Critique remaining artist statements.
Apr 12 DUE - List of Supportive Colleagues (this is private, you don’t have to hand this in or share with anyone in the class, I’m strongly suggesting that you should be able to identify these people or work to find them at this point in the semester)

 TBA
Apr 19 TBA
Apr 26 CLASS CANCELLED - Nita installs Boston Cyberarts Show in Godine Gallery
May 3 DUE - Illustrated 5 Year Plan Presentations
May 10 DUE - Illustrated 5 Year Plan Presentations
DUE - Final Self Evaluation >http://www.nitasturiale.com/massart/eval/finaleval.htmlFriendly reminder - no course credit without both self-evaluations!

January 2005
N. Sturiale
http://www.nitasturiale.com/massart