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Visual Studies Emphasis Proposal (Final Approved Version)


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Index

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
II. DESCRIPTION
III. JUSTIFICATION/NEED
IV. EXPLANATION OF COMPARABLE AREAS
V. PROGRAM GOALS
VI. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS
VII. PATTERN OF COURSEWORK
VIII. IMPACT ON FACULTY AND FACILITIES
IX. LIBRARY SUPPORT
X. TIMETABLE
XI. BUDGET

XII. SUPPORT MATERIALS


NEW COURSE PROPOSALS


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I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The field of Visual Studies combines established practices in Contemporary Art involving digital, temporal, interactive, and presentational practices with a theoretical discourse specific to such practices. Visual Studies reflects the interdisciplinary approaches that are increasingly used in contemporary art practice. It is interdisciplinary across visual media (painting, video, installations . . .) or "disciplines" in the arts and interdisciplinary by engaging knowledge and methodologies from various fields of study. The Visual Studies emphasis would increase the Department's capacity to present these areas within a studio context.

The interdisciplinary approach and structure of this proposed emphasis reinforces curricular connections across disciplines for students and can lead to the development of cross-disciplinary affiliations that benefit students but also work toward the University's goal of supporting more interdisciplinary research and learning.

(For description of contemporary artists whose work is representative of the practices served by such a program, see Appendix A: Artists • Projects. For a preliminary bibliography of theoretical texts relevant to this program, see Appendix B: Preliminary Bibliography. For a description of other institutional venues recognizing such practices, see Appendix C: New Institutional Forms.)

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II. DESCRIPTION

This new emphasis reflects two major shifts in the visual arts: the use of digital media and context as a primary consideration in the creation and presentation of visual works.

Many New Media artists, educators, and theorists are currently shifting their focus from the technology to the social, cultural, organizational and collaborative aspects of using new media in context. Instead of using expensive, highly specialized equipment in technical investigations, the focus is on structuring cultural exchange using inexpensive or freely accessible technology that can be distributed widely. Although these developments come with special technical challenges and distinct conceptual, theoretical and historical considerations, organizing educational programs by distinct technologies (video, audio, web) works against the integrative and social nature of real situations outside of education. Much of the work to be done is creating new contexts of presentation and effective public discourse. Educating artists (and other students) in the presentational, critical, organizational, and technical capacities required to lead in this work is important for students and for society. To teach these effectively requires specific physical and technical requirements and specialized theoretical knowledge on the part of faculty.

Consequently, the emphasis would focus on:

1. Incorporation of new technology: Much contemporary visual work (art and design) utilizes digital media as a primary means of production and presentation. As networked digital distribution systems such as the Web expand in scope and enable new devices to receive and replay content, new contexts arise for visual art. Mobile wireless computing and devices such as ipods, mobile phones, and other net devices create new forums for visual culture. As this content and mobility combine with global positioning systems, new uses emerge for virtual and actual space. These technologies make possible the annotation of any site with historic, cultural, or imaginative content. New public forms of presentation are made possible by the increasing quality and decreasing cost of printed images and the ubiquity of screens and projection technologies. The proposed emphasis incorporates technology in general areas demarcated by experiential form and use, not by particular "technology". This is a long-term strategy intended to withstand the particulars of technological change and integrate with the experiential forms and practices existent in other curricular areas. The program creates opportunities for curricular exchange across Units and disciplines within the University in a way that is efficient, flexible, and effective in supporting the learning of a range of students. Courses in the emphasis that address digital technologies focus on introducing these technologies as they are used in visual art contexts. Courses that specifically include new technologies are: Image Studio, Time Studio, and Interactive Studio.

However, the emphasis aims to be "post digital". It incorporates digital technologies, but does not focus on them as an end. The emphasis is structured to always consider "use" and "context". Artist and MIT professor John Maeda created the term "post digital" to make "...a distinction between those that are passed their fascination with computers, and are now driven by the ideas instead of the technology". -Maeda Studio Blog

2. Expanded Contexts of Studio Practice: Increasingly art and design exists in contexts other than those of the traditional studio or professional practice. The Museum and Gallery are no longer the only sites for the presentation of visual art. The traditional line separating the production and presentation of art has become blurred. Artists, curators, and gallerists work in much more complex and situational configurations. Artists become curators or organize and institute the creation and presentation of art in varied contexts. New media (dvd, web, cd, ipod, mobile phone) make possible new, inexpensive, self-organized contexts for the presentation of visual work. Artists are engaging a wide diversity of non-art disciplines. Not just using other knowledge as content in their artworks, but engaging and employing methods and practices from other fields: From the Critical Art Ensembles work with Biomedical Science to Casey Raes creation of a new computer programming language. For art to be relevant to our society where issues are increasingly complex and cross-disciplinary, the domain of art needs to include ways of connecting with other fields. Courses that directly address the creation of context include the Civic Studio, Curatorial Studio, Interactive Studio, and Space Studio.

The design of this program works to add these capacities to the department in a way that reflects their importance while being very careful to not overextend our curriculum with multiple new programs.
We do this by:
1. Combining the use of multiple (current and future) technologies into one emphasis.
2. Shifting to a curricular organization based on experiential form and context of presentation rather that specific media or discipline. This reflects current practice in Art and Design. It also creates new opportunities for us to contribute to GVSU's goals of incorporating liberal learning throughout the University and reinforcing knowledge across disciplines.
3. Responding to the dramatic increase in accessibility of new technologies. The creation and presentation of digital visual works no longer require access to expensive and exclusive technologies. (See “Technology” section of “VIII. Impact on Faculty and Facilities”)

Structure and Department Impact
The primary degree in the Art and Design department is the BFA (Bachelor of Fine Art). There are currently approximately 285 Majors in the Art and Design Department. These divide into 3 general areas:

Applied Studios Fine Art Studios Art Education
Current Emphases Graphic Design, Illustration Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics, Metals, Sculpture Art Education
49% 36% 15%

The Visual Studies emphasis is closest to the model of the Fine Art studio in that the primary focus is on the production and presentation of things in an art context. More detail about how the courses fit with current department curricula can be found in the course proposals, but generally the department does not offer courses that directly address the technologies and considerations that are contained within the new emphasis. In the past these have been incorporated in projects and studio work on an individual basis. The current program (curriculum and faculty expertise) does not include them at a level appropriate to their importance in the field or comparable to other schools that demonstrate "best practices" in the study of Art and Design. (See section IV. Explanation of Comparable Areas on page 8)

We expect the number of majors in the Visual Studies emphasis to begin at a small scale and to grow gradually to a stable size of 10. This is normal in the art department where we have several emphases that have less than 10 majors. Students majoring in other emphasis areas enroll in these courses largely as studio electives. There was some concern about the impact that adding this emphasis might have especially on the smaller existing emphases. This concern is somewhat reduced by the flexibility and large number of electives built into the Visual Studies Emphasis. BFA majors take a total of 14 studio courses after completing foundations. The other "applied" and "fine art" studio emphases all require a 5 course sequential program within their emphasis and prescribe studio electives of between 3-6 courses. This leaves between 3-6 studio electives that are open for the student to select. The Visual Studies emphasis is structured more laterally and flexibly. It has a non-sequential set of 6 studios each of which can be taken twice. Majors in the emphasis are required to take at least 4 different studios. They can take a minimum of 5 and maximum of 8 studio courses within the emphasis. There are no prescribed studio electives; students in the emphasis complete the remaining studios in whatever combination serves their learning plan. The emphasis also extends the idea of studio elective to any other course in the University that is relevant to the student's studio learning. This option is structured through a regular advising process (described in more detail later in this proposal). This structure fits the nature of practice and learning in this field, allows for students to customize their program to meet their interests and needs, adds fluidity to departmental scheduling, minimizes the penalty for students who change emphases, and reduces the overall impact that adding the emphasis will have on the department. It is structured to create connections between areas rather than establish an additional distinct area of expertise.

Existing emphases BFA Visual Studies BFA
Required courses in emphasis 5 course sequence 5-8 courses non-sequential
Prescribed studio electives 3-6 courses none prescribed (customized based on learning plan)
Open Studio Electives 3-6 courses 6-9 (coordinated through learning plan)
14 courses 14 courses

The Visual Studies emphasis makes special connections with the applied studios through its focus on technology and consideration of broadened contexts of visual practice. Majors in these applied studios will be able to take non-applied courses that use technology in the creation of experiences and events. This offers important learning that can be applied and extended in subsequent Design and Illustration studios. Much of the traditional curricula in Art and Design are based on a separation between "art" (in which the maker is acting as an expressive human in the creation of culture) and "design" (in which the maker is serving a technical role in the creation of commercial products). The Visual Studies curriculum as a whole works to break down the distinctions between culture and commerce that are often made in considerations of production, context of presentation, and critique. It reflects how these practices are increasingly organized in the world and also creates new opportunities to programmatically incorporate liberal learning values in the curricula. This opens up possibilities for how students might apply what they learn in practice after graduation by modeling more options for how to impact culture and commerce.

There is anticipation and excitement in the Art Education area about the prospect of the Visual Studies Emphasis. There are strong programmatic echoes in the methodologies introduced in the emphasis and current theory and practice of Art Education. Art Education students will specifically benefit from the increased focus on the analysis and construction of cultural contexts and the use of new technologies in the creation and the teaching of art.

This proposal represents a minor shift in the program and resources primarily within the Department of Art and Design. The largest impact on the department will be the regular offering of the courses incorporated in the Visual Studies Emphasis. Additionally students who wish to focus on techniques and contexts addressed in the emphasis will have an appropriate program to support this learning. When the emphasis was discussed, department faculty commented that the emphasis would likely attract new students to the University and the department.

The ongoing development of society (culture, commerce, and civic life) is being driven in part by new visual technologies. Some of the ways in which these technologies can be used fall within the context of the practice of art. It is essential that Art and Design students be equipped to participate and lead in these developments. The inclusion of this technical and organizational learning along with other studio practices is essential to an effective program in Art and Design.

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III. JUSTIFICATION/NEED


External Substantiation
The proposed emphasis represents established practice in the field of art and design. Striking a curricular balance between responsiveness and stability is a challenge especially for fields primarily focused on the production of new knowledge like art and design studio.

It is important for us to juxtapose these new studio areas with our other studio areas to present a program relevant to the world Art and Design majors will engage. It is also important in our role of service to the broader campus and community. For art to connect effectively with other disciplines, serve non-major students, and benefit the broader community it needs to incorporate the dynamic new tools and practices of the field. Given the current state of visual practice we think this emphasis is a measured and deliberate proposal for Grand Valley.
The status of these practices as established and significant in the field is substantiated in the Attached materials (on the web site these link to web pages with more information):
1. Appendix A: Artists • Projects provides an index of 20 contemporary artists whose work is representative of the studio specialties served by the Visual Studies emphasis. The artists on this list have received major recognition by mainstream arts institutions. This document also includes information and indexes of two highly respected projects that regularly select the most important artists. The Whitney (Museum of American Art) Biennial is widely considered one of the most important compilations of important art of the day. The linked web site demonstrates how a significant proportion of artists included in this exhibit work in ways that are addressed in the Visual Studies emphasis.
2. Appendix C: New Institutional Forms describes Institutions and Projects that demonstrate practices we are proposing in the Visual Studies Emphasis. These projects represent acknowledged important developments in the visual arts.

For local substantiation of the importance of the forms addressed in the proposal see the letter of support from UICA Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, the Grand Rapids based nonprofit center for Contemporary Art. UICA is recognized nationally as an important regional center for Contemporary Arts.

Internal Development
The Visual Studies Emphasis proposal emerged in response to the work of the Department Curriculum Committee. It was also developed in response to numerous requests at faculty meetings (culminating in 2004-5) to develop a detailed plan for a New Emphasis area.

The Department of Art and Design has recognized the need for the proposed curriculum for a long time. In 2002 four of the six courses currently in the Visual Studies Emphasis proposal were presented to faculty at a faculty meeting. They were supported unanimously as important courses that should be prioritized in the development of the Department.

In the fall of 2004 a Curriculum Committee was formed. Over the 2004-5 school year the committee met weekly. It began by having broad discussions and working to assess the department curriculum. This assessment was determined to be necessary to guide future curricular development. Three documents were produced out of this work:
  1. New Subjects List. This was a listing and description of all of the major areas that were thought to be weak or lacking appropriate curricula and resources.
  2. Faculty Teaching/Interest Inventory. The department Curriculum Committee surveyed all art faculty and compiled this database of all areas of interest and ability covered by our faculty at that time. The list was cross-referenced with the "New Subjects List". The result was the determination that the areas from the "New Subjects List" that had no faculty ability/interest overlap where: Interactive Studio, Video, Web, and Craft/Art.
  3. In the spring of 2005, the department had created a draft mission, but had not completed its Goals and Objectives. As the committee worked on curricular matters Goals and Objectives emerged. The committee drafted suggested Goals and Objectives and passed them along to the Department. Among other things these called for the development of a new emphasis in "Studio Visual Culture Practices".

A draft New Emphasis proposal was presented at a regular faculty meeting in the spring of 2005. It was met with support, but requests were made for further development. The full Visual Studies proposal was developed and presented to Department Faculty in January of 2006. The Department voted to proceed with the proposal with a 12-3 vote.

The Visual Studies emphasis addresses 8 of the 17 curricular items on the "New Subjects List" including 3 of the 4 in which the "Faculty Inventory" indicated we had no faculty expertise/interest. The remaining 9 items on the "New Subjects List" each have an area in which courses could be offered and at least some faculty expertise already in the department.

The emphasis would provide institutional validation of experimental and interdisciplinary practices as they are broadly manifested in the contemporary art world. While some of these practices are already occurring within the department, an emphasis area devoted to them would formalize our departmental commitment to them.

The department (its faculty/ curriculum/ facilities) is an important representation of what comprises the visual arts, for students, the University, and the community. Including these areas within the regular curriculum and instating designated faculty at the proposed levels is reflective of current practice in the visual arts and culture. It organizes appropriate resources for the department to do its work for students, the University, and the community.

  1. The emphasis would ensure regular offerings of courses that incorporate digital technologies into studio practice. These technologies easily combine with other studio disciplines and as such would connect and inter-relate other Art and Design emphasis areas. All students would benefit from regular access to these courses. A regular schedule would also allow patterns of enrollment from non-art students.
  2. As an emphasis these areas can be institutionally supported and developed with proper faculty and organizational support.
  3. New faculty with these capabilities would add greatly to our aggregate faculty knowledge base and contribute to more informed interdisciplinary work in the department.
  4. Each of the studios in this emphasis extends in specific ways to other departments in the University. The emphasis would naturally connect with other departments contributing to the development of more interdisciplinary exchange.
  5. The technical and organizational skills addressed in these courses provide readily transferable practical skills to those in the emphasis as well as those who take the courses as studio electives. Possible futures include work or further study in studio, criticism, curatorial, education, technology, and arts administration.

Several of the proposed courses have been implemented as 380 offerings. Interest and enrollment numbers have been normal for upper level studio courses in Art and Design. After the emphasis and courses are established we expect interest and enrollment to be consistently high. Interest in the Civic Studio has increased as awareness of the course increases. Additionally, the Art and Design Curriculum Committee have identified advising as an area in need of some attention in our department. Historically, formal advising has not been consequential because many of our programs are largely prescribed. As we have grown and begun to offer a wider assortment of curricular choice, there are more substantive advising options. The Committee has acknowledged that more diverse curriculum will need to be accompanied by a shift in department culture to more engaged and consistent advising process. This is part of the plan for the Visual Studies Emphasis. Visual Studies courses are also designed to engage the non-art student. Departmental procedures have not encouraged non-art students from enrolling in Studio courses. The Visual Studies emphasis would work to directly engage non-art majors to its courses.

Here are enrollment numbers for the courses when offered as 380's. They are consistent with the norm for upper level studio courses. The enrollment consistently increases upon being repeated.

civic studio winter 2003 10 students
civic studio fall 2003 12 students
civic studio winter 2005 15 students
civic studio fall 2006 18 students

image studio fall 2004 10 students
image studio winter 2006 14 students

4-D Time Arts winter 2005 11 students -similar to Time Studio

Installation Art winter 2003 8 students -similar to Space Studio

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IV. EXPLANATION OF COMPARABLE AREAS (Locally, Regionally, Nationally)

At present, there are no other programs in West Michigan with which this emphasis would compete.

The Visual Studies emphasis is inline with best practices at other Universities and Art Schools.
  1. Such courses and emphasis areas are established practice and exist in one form or another at the most respected Schools.
  2. These programs and courses at other schools are understood as distinct and non-redundant with courses that use similar technologies in other disciplines such as journalism, entertainment-based media, film and cinema, and computer science. Programs in Art increasingly value connecting with other disciplines, but each of them work from a foundation of teaching the technology as it applies to the historic and experiential context of art.

The question of how to best incorporate the continuum of new Contemporary Practices into program curricula has confronted all programs in Art and Design. There are three basic models that have emerged for BFA based programs.
  1. Disciplinary Model- In this model new areas are added in parallel to the traditional "disciplinary" divisions (i.e. Painting, Sculpture . . .). In the earliest formulations these were divided by technology (video art, computer art) and distinct areas were started for each new discipline. This model is exemplified in the programs at the School of the Art Institute where are at least 5 distinct programs parallel areas in our Visual Studies emphasis.
  2. Cluster Model- The cluster model also leaves the traditional "disciplines" intact, but adds clusters of new courses together in emphases with hybrid names. This can be seen at Alfred University with their "Expanded Media" and "Electronic Integrated Art" programs. This model is also in use at Ohio State and Virginia Commonwealth.
  3. Reconstruction Model- A third model starts from scratch and restructures the whole department in response to the new demands of Contemporary Art practice. These programs see the new challenges of Visual Practice as requiring a complete rethinking of the assumptions and structures of learning in Art. The programs are designed to maximize the integration of new media throughout the curriculum. They privilege connections to community and other academic disciplines. They end up incorporating traditional disciplines, but make a point of how these disciplines are altered in this new context. This model was established at Carnegie Mellon approximately 10 years ago. A very similar program is in its fourth year at the University of Michigan School of Art. This model is new, but also old. It is also exemplified in MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies, which was established in 1967.

Our proposal is a Cluster Model but on a comparatively small scale. We worked to incorporate good qualities from each of the models. The University of Buffalo recently created a very similar concentration of the same name: Visual Studies. Like ours their program formally encourages and allows an expanded interpretation of studio electives. This blurring of the past lines between "studio" and "academic" courses is also happening at other schools on a more informal level.

We feel the design of this emphasis is compatible and complementary to the existing program in Art and Design and is appropriate to the resources and mission of the University.

We gain some benefits by organizing our program at this time because the technologies and practices involved are at an evolved point in their development. This affords us several efficiencies in the design of an effective program.
  1. We are able to take a more general approach to specific technologies in the structuring of the curriculum. In our design we focus on experiential form (time, image, space, interaction) rather than particular technology. This allows us to address multiple technologies that come into play with a given form, and resist attaching the emphasis and department to deep investment into particular technologies that may become obsolete.
  2. We can apply more recent thinking about teaching with technology by organizing the curriculum to address the social and cultural dynamics engaged by technologies rather than structuring the program around the operational variations of the technology itself. This shift to a more situational and contextual organization of the material connects to other areas in the emphasis that address spatial, community, and curatorial studio practices.
  3. We benefit as well from the progress that has been made in technology itself: it continues to get easier to use and less expensive to access. There is an increase in quality of output and expansion in potential sites of presentation.
  4. Our accrediting body, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), has established guidelines for such programs. This ensures that the program is within established practice in the field, gives assurance that adding this emphasis won't jeopardize our accreditation, and has been informative in the design of structural details of the program.

Our program is designed to avoid one drawback to both the Disciplinary and Cluster models; they can end up as essentially separate from the rest of the program. Our Department values an integrative model in which flow and exchange happen among the emphasis areas. The large number of Studio Electives in the Visual Studies emphasis makes it necessary for students to engage and connect with other studio areas. The courses in Visual Studies are broadly accessible (few pre-requisites) and designed to serve as studio electives for Art majors in other emphasis areas as well as non-art GVSU students.

Here are details and links to the programs mentioned above organized by model:

Disciplinary Model

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's Undergraduate Programs exemplifies the Disciplinary Model in which new distinct emphasis areas are added in parallel to traditional discipline areas. Summarized here are several majors that correspond to the areas in our proposed emphasis.
Additionally, the School also has a new BA program in Visual and Critical Studies. This new area consists of a combination of academic and studio courses. It includes courses in Curating and exhibition design including: Exhibition Prosthetics. It also offers several courses that address similar things as Civic Studio: Art of Crossing the Street, Visualized Communities, and Extreme Arts Administration. Courses in Criticism are offered in the Department of Art History, Theory and Criticism.

Cluster Model

Several schools exemplify the cluster model in which clusters of new courses are combined in emphases with hybrid names. These cluster emphases exist in parallel to the traditional emphasis areas.
Alfred University School of Art has added an Academic Division called: Expanded Media that is comprised of: Video Arts, Print Media, Sonic Arts, Design, Digital Interactive Arts
Alfred also has an MFA program in Electronic Integrated Art

Ohio State University has an Art and Technology Concentration that incorporates digital imaging, multimedia, holography, interactive robotic sculpture, electronics, 3D computer animation, installation and sound.

Virginia Commonwealth has several areas of study that correspond to the proposed emphasis; Kinetic Imaging: Video, Animation, Sound, Sculpture and Extended Media, Communication Arts which is separate from Communication Design.

University of Buffalo's has a new visual studies BFA concentration is very similar to the proposed program.

Reconstruction Model

Carnegie Mellon and University of Michigan exemplify the Reconstruction model in which the design is built from scratch structuring the department in response to the new demands of Contemporary Art practice and to maximize interdisciplinary connections.
Carnegie Mellon's curriculum groups their advanced studios into 3 areas:
They also have a curricular component called Art in Context

University of Michigan has undergone a huge round of hiring new faculty and redesigning their curriculum. Their new curriculum emphasizes both media and concepts. It uses a 2-year foundation program that covers a range of foundations-like courses in traditional and new media (these serve also as introductions to specific disciplines) and a set of concept-based courses. In the third and fourth year program, students don't declare an "emphasis" but develop a plan for 8 upper level studio courses. The student's program concludes with an integrative project that culminates in a public presentation. The same needs we are addressing in the Visual Studies Emphasis are being addressed at U of M through a complete curricular revision and assertive project to hire new faculty with these capacities.

MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies The Center for Advanced Visual Studies was founded in 1967 by Gyorgy Kepes as one of the first venues where artists and scientists could meet and exchange ideas. It continues as a small but important center of development.

The Index of Majors from the AICAD (Association of Independent Schools of Art and Design) gives an idea of related programs being offered at a range of schools. The new emphasis proposal would integrate content from the following recognized areas:

While technology is not the sole area addressed by the proposal, here is a listing of programs that address technology and art.
educational programs in technology/art

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V. PROGRAM GOALS

Extend and Strengthen Departmental Capacities
Rooted in the strong visual skills of our foundation program and organized as a complement to our existing discipline-specific emphases and art history curricula, the Visual Studies Emphasis brings together practical, technical, and conceptual skills in preparation for engaged studio practice within the broad world of visual culture. The addition of these courses would provide readily transferable practical skills to those in the emphasis as well as those who take the courses as studio electives. Possible futures include teaching, work, or further study in studio, criticism, curatorial, or arts administration.

The new emphasis will benefit the department by structuring regular offerings of courses that represent important and distinct areas of studio production. Students will be able to get an appropriate introduction to these areas and use them in combination with what they learn in other studios. Also, by including these new media and practices in the department the context of consideration for the other discipline areas is broadened and strengthened and the department as a whole presents a more comprehensive representation of the practice of visual art. Further, students who wish to focus their studies in these areas will have an appropriate program (curricula and faculty) support in which to work.

The resources and knowledge in these areas will also be informally available to students and the department as a whole. A significant part of the program in Art and Design is essentially co-curricular and implemented through reviews, experiences, and contact that happen outside the curricular structure. Having faculty in structured roles of responsibility for keeping abreast of the technical and conceptual considerations keeps these things current in the studios and departmental discourse. Having them present in the studio environment makes this knowledge regularly available to students and allows it to be part of the mixture of ideas in the Department.

The emphasis also extends and connects our curriculum to the rest of the University in some new and exciting ways. It does this while maintaining the central focus and value of a major in visual art. The Visual Studies emphasis expands the number of studio electives to 9 and extends the idea of studio elective to any other course in the University that is relevant to the student's studio learning. This option is structured through a regular advising process that requires the student and advisor to meet each semester and create, revise, or confirm the Student Learning Plan. (For complete detail see BFA program in Summary of Requirements)

Interdisciplinary Exchange: Structured to Affiliate
Through it's interdisciplinary approach and program the Visual Studies Emphasis establishes a structure that would facilitate increased interdisciplinary exchange within the department and many possible affiliations across campus and in the community.

The emphasis is structured to foster the development of connections with other disciplines. These affiliations are not fixed program structures, but are made possible through the flexibility built into the design. The flexibility of the Studio Electives enables such affiliations to evolve from student interest and faculty dialogue. These Electives will be incorporated in the individual student learning plan and regulated by the advising process. The program is not dependent on affiliations, but encourages and supports their development.

This opens up the BFA degree and gets our students working with other students in varied contexts, all connected to their studio learning. It mirrors what is happening in the real world in Art and Design and models important processes and values we wish them to have in their work after graduation.

Because the Studio Electives outside of the department will operate on an individual basis and be distributed to a wide range of other Units, we expect the increase in load for other Units would be minimal. As patterns emerge more formal connections can be made with other Units that could accommodate significant loads as they develop.

Areas of likely affiliation for the Visual Studies Emphasis area include:

Additional connections could be made with programs that organize social and cultural exchange or address issues of visual culture and critical thought:

Community Affiliations
Community affiliations are already established through the Civic Studio. Various community entities are engaged in temporary and ongoing affiliations. Civic studio has worked with the following organizations. Primarily in placement for the Neighborhood Service component of the project:
Art From Scratch
Creston Neighbors
Community Media Center
Division Avenue Arts Collective
Dwelling Place
G-rad.org
GR Child Discovery Center
GR Pennant Shop
Grandville Academy of the Arts
Grandville Avenue Neighborhood Library
Interurban Transit Partnership: the RAPID
Kent Hills Walking Program
Leonard Terrace Retirement Village
Native American Community Services
Native American Program at West Middle
New Development Corporation (formally West Grand Development Corp)
Passport to Music in Creston Neighborhood
Palmer Elementary Tutoring Program
Roosevelt Neighborhood Association
Sibley Elementary School HOSTS Reading Program
St. James Elementary School
UCOMM United Church Outreach Ministries
West Grand Neighborhood Association
West Side Complex

In each of the other studios "context of presentation" is fore-grounded. This encourages the initiation of other community engagements. The UICA is very interested in partnering with the Curatorial Studio course. (See letter of support) The Space and Image Studios offer broad and flexible possibilities through projects that can be situated in various environments.

The practicum/internship option for one Studio Elective provides a structured way to form these community affiliations with individual students.

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VI. SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS

Courses in the Emphasis:

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BFA Program

Each student must establish a learning plan with their advisor that projects the intended combination of emphasis studios and studio electives. Any plan that calls for significant incorporation of other studios will be done in consultation with faculty from that area. The plan will be kept on file in department student file. Student and faculty sign-off on the changed or continued plan each semester.

Studio Courses (after foundations)credits
5-8 emphasis courses (at least 4 different courses, max 2 times any one course) 15-24
6-9 studio electives (at least 6 studio electives outside the emphasis) 18-27
1 Senior Seminar 401 3
1 Issues in Art (capstone) 495 3
1 Senior Project B.F.A. 498 6
total 54
Studio Electives
The Studio Elective courses are an important feature in the design of the Visual Studies emphasis. The design expands the number of studio electives to 9, which makes significant room for students to customize the focus of their studies with combinations of courses in various areas. These may be other studio courses within Art and Design, other courses across campus that involve the creation of cultural forms, or more broadly any course that contributes to a student's studio inquiry and learning. Traditionally studio electives are other studio courses within the Department of Art and Design. In the Visual Studies emphasis students can concentrate their electives in one area or distribute them across many studios. Courses in Departments other than Art and Design may also serve as Studio Electives be they other creative and cultural practices or any discipline in the University that can be reasonably substantiated as relevant to the student's studio inquiry. Through this Studio Elective feature the program can accommodate the vast diversity of ideas and forms artists engage in the world, and do this in a way that keeps it's relation to the visual arts studio intact.
(There will be no allowance for counting courses for both General Education credit and Studio Elective credit)

Learning Plan and Advising
The openness of the emphasis would be structured through a regular advising process that requires the student and advisor to meet each semester and create, revise, or confirm the Student Learning Plan.

The learning plan learningplan.pdf includes a report of Learning Objectives. These are not courses, but explanations of what the students would like to learn. They are also asked to discuss and substantiate any areas of investigation that are not standard visual art practice. The plan also includes a Remaining Course Plan, which identifies what courses are intended for the remaining years in the program. Any Non-art studio electives listed in the Course Plan will not be approved until authorized by the advisor on a separate Alternate Studio Elective studioelective.pdf form. This approval must be documented by the Advisor's signature on the form prior to enrolling in the course to have it count as a Studio Elective.

A practicum/internship may be counted as one studio elective. These follow the Alternate Studio Elective process.

Students will be encouraged to do situated senior projects requiring the organization or establishment of particular context of presentation. This will be administered through the existing course structure for Senior Project Art 498.

The design of the Visual Studies emphasis meets the guidelines of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) our accrediting agency. NASAD recently developed new guidelines for Disciplines in Combination (Inter-, Multi-, Co-Disciplinary Programs, etc.) In particular studio electives, Learning Plan and Alternate Studio Form meet the guidelines set out by NASAD.

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VII. PATTERN OF COURSEWORK

Students may begin work in the emphasis upon successful completion of the Art and Design Foundations Program. In the semester prior to beginning the emphasis, the student will meet with a faculty advisor to create a learning plan that project the intended combination of studios within the emphasis and studio electives. Throughout the course of study value is placed on broad experience with a diversity of art media and practice as well as time for focused, deep engagement within an area.
Each semester the student and faculty advisor meet to discuss and revise the learning plan. Whether or not changes are made each signs the plan.
See the attached sampling of 3 possible patterns of coursework. sampleprogrev.pdf. The samples show how the program can support varied foci of the Student's learning plans. These samples focus on: "public organization", "media and space", and "digital web". Again, these are not fixed programmatic tracks, but just 3 possible patterns.

The combined Faculty and Course schedule works out to offer the necessary courses to student in a reasonable frequency. Three of the courses are offered once a year: three every 3rd semester. Here is a pattern of how the schedule could work in a 3-year cycle.

YearFall Winter
1time, civic image, interactive, space
2time, curatorial image, interactive, civic
3time, space image, interactive, curatorial

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VIII. IMPACT ON FACULTY AND FACILITIES

There was some initial concern in the department that because the areas addressed in the new emphasis are not traditional image or object making practices that there would be an increase in the indirect and informal burden on other studio areas; both in terms of studio resources and faculty time.

Department faculty recommends that we be respectful of how we informally shift loads to various areas. All faculty should advise students to engage various studio technologies through enrolling in formal courses in those areas. Students should be guided to understand the distinction and meanings inherent in various materials, media, and processes. Casual use of media is different from deep practice. The new emphasis adopts a more formalized advising system that requires student and advisor to concur regularly on a learning plan. When such plans involve studio work in other studio areas, faculty in those areas will be included in advising a course of study.

Faculty needs:
The program could be started with the addition of one faculty member: someone with knowledge in digital media (web, video, audio, interactive media) who could teach time studio and interactive studio. Paul Wittenbraker and the additional faculty could be primary faculty in this area and would both teach most of the Art 153:Creative Problem Solving sections in the department. Current Faculty could also teach several of the courses in the emphasis: image studio, curatorial studio, and space studio. Paul Wittenbraker is leading the development of the emphasis as needed.
The program could begin with a full-time visiting position instead of a tenure-track faculty.
The emphasis would also employ work-study student workers to maintain the studio and equipment.

Technology:
New technologies are continuously gaining in quality and dropping in cost. Consumer quality today is equal to professional quality 5 years ago. These courses are designed to use technology that is closer to the consumer level. This makes it possible to include these things without huge costs for equipment. We would recommend that students who choose Visual Studies as their emphasis purchase their own portable computers for use in the studios. Either Macbook Pro or Ibooks are workable for any work done in the studios. New Macbook Pros are $1,800, Macbook's $1,000. Used portables are also workable for many uses. The department maintains numerous older portables and makes them available for students to use for projects.
Systems for requiring that students have computers in Art Departments are established at several peer institutions including: Miami of Ohio, Michigan Tech, University of Cincinnati, and University of Michigan. Our Department has been in discussion with our Information Technology department regarding doing this for the whole Department of Art and Design. We would use the best practices from these sources and implement our program accordingly. With fewer than 10 students in the emphasis, the implications for this are at a small and manageable scale.


Software: There are numerous software programs required for the work involving technology. This software is available in all of the University Macintosh labs and on an additional 20 student accessible computers in the Department of Art and Design. Students who major in Visual Studies will be encouraged to purchase their own computer and software. Future arrangements can be made to lease the software through a University agreement.
Software will be used for the follow functions:
•web design: dreamweaver, flash, fireworks, photoshop, cyberduck.
•image and graphics: photoshop, illustrator, indesign
•video: imovie, final cut pro and support programs
•many free and shareware programs will also be used on servers and computers: textwrangler, dokuwiki, squeak, gallery2, copermine

Input and storage: Digital input devices continue to drop in cost and get much better in quality. A good 5 mega-pixel digital camera is available for less than $500. 3ccd video cameras with a decent lens can be acquired for $700. Microphones and digital recording devices are available in a variety of formats. Storage device options are also increasingly affordable (nearly .50 cents per gigabyte); hard-drives, ipods, and other removable media. Increasingly inexpensive server space can be contracted for low prices. The studio would also run several servers as part of the Visual Studies emphasis.

Facilities:
The emphasis could be fully accommodated in an existing studio space: CAC 1718, which is used primarily for Art 153 Creative Problem Solving. The program would frequently work off-campus. Relationships are already established with the appropriate University staff in Facilities and the University Councils office regarding such arrangements.

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IX. LIBRARY SUPPORT

We originally determined that the current books in the collection are adequate in all of the areas in the emphasis. Periodical selections are also adequate. We thought keeping up with this literature is well within the existing library budget of the Department of Art and Design.

The only significant library resource lacking is a small collection of works from the history of video. Compilation copies of an adequate collection would cost approximately $2,500. These are available through the Video Data Bankin Chicago.

The Library Staff determined that the collection is marginal in these areas. Since all of the areas in the emphasis are under theoretical development, the Library Staff recommended that the Art and Design Department base library budget be increased by $2,000 to $3,000.

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X. TIMETABLE

Proceeding with the Visual Studies Emphasis requires 2 things: 1. Approval of the Emphasis and Included courses. Winter 2007. 2. Securing of Faculty to teach the courses not able to be covered by existing faculty; Time Studio and Interactive Studio. These courses could be initially taught by a visiting professor.
The emphasis could begin in 2007-8 and be fully operational in the academic year 2008-9.

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XI. BUDGET

(See our budget on the official form here in the document: VS budrev.pdf.)

The bulk of students in the courses would be students in art and design who take the courses as studio electives as well as students from outside the department. Because several of the courses have been in the mix of the schedule as 380s in the last few years the impact on other courses is not expected to be significant. The courses are designed to accommodate students from outside the department. We expect a few students (5-10) who take Visual Studies as their emphasis in Art and Design.

The primary impact on the budget is the addition of one full-time Faculty. This new faculty is needed to add areas of expertise. Several of the courses proposed are already projected in the department schedule (currently taught by Paul Wittenbraker). The rest of the new Faculty persons teaching would be teaching sections of Art 153: Creative Problem Solving, an existing and established course in our first-year Foundations program. 9 different visitors have covered the Art 153 load in the last 10 years. Converting this visitor position would also add stability to the Art 153. The cost of a new faculty line is listed at $61,700. We consulted with the University budget office to arrive at this amount, which includes benefits.

We have also included Student wages at $2,000. This would be for maintenance of Studio areas and equipment.

Additional resources already exist in the Department and University. An initial $13,000 would serve to establish the area with various technical and programmatic necessities. Subsequent area budgets from the Department would be on the low end of other emphasis areas at $3,000 per year.

The civic studio is projected to cost $5,000 per instance. This is included in the projected budget as a program cost. However, it has been consistently offset by grants from the GVSU Johnson Center for Philanthropy. We expect our relationship with the Center to continue but have included to amount in the budget. Also, the course is projected to run every 3rd semester so the budget amounts lower by $5,000 every 3rd year.

The total annual cost of the program is $71,700. The initial year the cost is $88,100.

We are pleased that the proposed curriculum is highly efficient in adding important areas of art practice to our overall program. The costs of other strategies (see IV. EXPLANATION OF COMPARABLE AREAS) are significantly higher.

Visual Studies Emphasis Curriculum Resource Statement

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XII. SUPPORT MATERIALS


NEW COURSE PROPOSALS

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Catalogue Copy

This would replace the first paragraph in the Art and Design section of the Catalogue on page 151

The Department of Art and Design offers courses in studio art and art history with degree programs leading to a B.A. or B.S. degree in studio art and a B.F.A. degree in studio art with an emphasis in ceramics, graphic design, illustration, jewelry and metal-smithing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, or visual studies.

This would be added in the Degree Requirements section next to Sculpture on page 154
Visual Studies
(Learning plan revision and signatures required each semester)
5-8 Courses in Emphasis
(4 different courses at least once, max 2 times any one course)
391 Civic Studio
392 Curatorial Studio
393 Image Studio
394 Interactive Studio
395 Space Studio
396 Time Studio
Studio electives 6-9 1
Senior Seminar 401 3
Issues in Art (capstone) 495 3
Senior Project B.F.A. 498 6
54

added to footnotes on page 154
1 Alternate Studio Elective form required for any non-Departmental Studio Electives

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