Preparation for Sustained Investigation

Assignment

1. Read the full outline for the Sustained Investigation (below) and view the work of others.
2. Create a scrapbook of inspirational art/images for your own mini-Sustained Investigation series
3. Brainstorm five to ten possibilities for your Sustained Investigation. That is, at least five different series/themes (Don't just list; describe them.), and...
4. Write (type) a one-page proposal (Due Tuesday 3/16) for presentation to your peers

OVERVIEW: SUSTAINED INVESTIGATION

The Sustained Investigation is an in-depth exploration of a particular design concern. Studio Art Honors III students will create at least 8 artworks that comprise a series or set, a personalized focus of artistic study on which you will be working for several weeks.  Students will be involved in an inquiry-guided investigation through practice, experimentation, and revision. The emphasis is on a coherent development of an idea through a body of artwork.

You will first write a short essay (2 paragraphs) describing your Sustained Investigation idea and how you plan on exploring that idea. Through the late winter until mid April, you will be completing at least one Sustained Investigation artwork per week. Along the way, you will document and write about your process. There will be mini-lessons and exercises to complete in class as well.

Goals:

• Investigate the materials, processes, and ideas that artists and designers use
• Practice, experiment, and revise as you create your own work
• Communicate your ideas about works of art and design

PREPARATORY STEPS

• View student samples/exemplars.
• Study the work of master artists from the past and from the contemporary art world
• Dig into the books and magazines on art history and contemporary art that are available in the Studio Art Honors classroom.

I. Decide on Your Direction (Drawing, 2D Design, or 3D Design)
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A DRAWING portfolio will focus on the use of mark-making, line, surface, space, light and shade, and composition. Students should consider marks that can be used to make drawings, the arrangement of marks, the materials and processes used to make marks, and relationships of marks and ideas. Students can work with any materials, processes, and ideas. Drawing (analog and digital), painting, printmaking, and mixed media work are among the possibilities.

• AP Drawing Samples 2020
• AP Drawing Samples Archive
• Kevin Buxton - AP Art Show (BHS 2020)
• Nicole Benjamin - AP Art Show (BHS 2020)
• Sarah Schissler - AP Art Show (BHS 2020)
• Martello Cesar - AP portfolio exam (BHS 2019)
• Marley Gainley - AP exam (BHS 2017)
• Anne Zhang - BHS sustained investigation
• Irina Grigoryeva - BHS sustained investigation
• Pablo Aguilar - BHS AP exam
• Jake Ursino - BHS Sustained Investigation
• ​Toula Papadopoulos - BHS Sustained Investigation

A 2D ART & DESIGN portfolio will focus on the use of two-dimensional (2-D) elements and principles of art and design, including point, line, shape, plane, layer, form, space, texture, color, value, opacity, transparency, time, unity, variety, rhythm, movement, proportion, scale, balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, figure/ ground relationship, connection, juxtaposition, and hierarchy. Students should consider how materials, processes, and ideas can be used to make work that exists on a flat surface. Students can work with any materials, processes, and ideas. Graphic design, digital imaging, photography, collage, fabric design, weaving, fashion design, fashion illustration, painting, and printmaking are among the possibilities.
The Principles of Art (slideshow)
Elements and Principles of Art (glossary)
Color Theory

• AP 2D Design Samples 2020
• AP 2D Design Samples Archive
• Danielle Spinosa - AP exam (BHS)

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A 3D ART & DESIGN portfolio focuses on the use of three-dimensional (3-D) elements and principles of art and design, including point, line, shape, plane, layer, form, volume, mass, occupied/unoccupied space, texture, color, value, opacity, transparency, time, unity, variety, rhythm, movement, proportion, scale, balance, emphasis, contrast, repetition, connection, juxtaposition, and hierarchy. Students should consider how materials, processes, and ideas can be used to make work that involves space and form. Students can work with any materials, processes, and ideas. Figurative or non-figurative sculpture, architectural models, metal work, ceramics, glasswork, installation, performance, assemblage, and 3-D fabric/fiber arts are among the possibilities.
The Principles of Art (slideshow)
Elements and Principles of Art (glossary)

• AP 3D Design Samples 2020
• AP 3D Design Samples Archive
• A Pinterest collection
• Example AP 3D Design portfolio with fashion emphasis - score 5
• Youtube introduction from an AP 3D class

II. Understand What QUALITY Looks Like

Each artwork you turn in for the Sustained Investigation is to be a FINISHED, PORTFOLIO-QUALITY artwork. Refer to the Student Samples above for expectations on quality. Make each drawing, design, or sculpture portfolio-worthy. Concentrate on design principles and good composition, mark-making, technique, and expression. 

As is always expected, spend AT LEAST 2 - 3 hours on each of your projects outside of regular class sessions each week.

Other examples of high quality high school work:

• The AP College Board’s  2020 AP Art and Design Digital Exhibit showcases outstanding artwork created by students who submitted portfolios for the May 2020 exam. Amid a global pandemic, AP Art and Design students worked with diverse ideas, materials, and processes to create incredible, impactful art. The exhibit features student and teacher reflections on these works, providing compelling insights into how artists make choices and approach art making.

 

• The National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. Entries are judged on: ORIGINALITY; TECHNICAL SKILL; and EMERGENCE OF A PERSONAL VOICE OR VISION, characteristics similar to what the AP College Board is judging in the exams.

II. Look to Master Artists for Inspiration

To enrich your own art-making, learn about the materials, processes, and ideas that artists and designers use.

Engage with a wide variety of potential sources of inspiration. In the art room, you can access an extensive collection of art magazines going back decades, as well as a small but rich library of books on art history, contemporary art, illustration and other applied arts. Engage with a wide variety of potential sources of inspiration, including:

Visit the websites of or about particular artists and designers to get an in-depth understanding of influences, inspiration, and process.

Explore these websites:    

• Google Arts & Culture. You can use the Art Camera to zoom into famous master paintings, experience culture in 360 degrees, and tour the world’s greatest museums and other landmarks using “Street View”. Or choose categories to discover the most well-known artists and masterworks in history.    
• Art 21: Art in the 21st Century (PBS) - video series on working artists. Art21 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring a more creative world through the works and words of contemporary artists. Click the Artists tab to learn about individual contemporary artists, and the Watch tab to explore by theme:
• Art School: PBS Learning Media - a web video series that introduces contemporary artists who discuss their careers and intentions, then demonstrate hands-on techniques or concepts. Art School provides resources for learning how to draw comic strips, create animations, and much more. Engage with contemporary art and discover new ideas for creativity from a variety of professional artists through this fun and engaging series.
• The Art Assignment (PBS) - A weekly PBS Digital Studios production that takes you around the U.S. to meet working artists and solicit assignments from them that we can all complete. For more, subscribe to The Art Assignment on YouTube: youtube.com/theartassignment.
• Abstract: The Art of Design (2 seasons on Netflix)
• PBS Learning Media: Visual Art

• TED.com: Visual Art

Explore art museums from home:

• Boston Sculptors Gallery
• DeCordova Art Museum and Sculpture Park
• Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
• Harvard Art Museums
• The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
• Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
• The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMOCA)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Museum of Fine Arts Boston
• The Museum of Modern Art
• Peabody Essex Museum
• The Smithsonian Museum of American Art

Find more resources on our own websites’ Resources Pages at:

• https://studioarthonorsivap.weebly.com/resources.html and
• https://bpsk12art.weebly.com/remote-learning--enrichment.html

II. Understand What an Artist Statement Is

Visit the following pages to view/read Student Samples (Not all portfolios are meant to be exemplars; note the scores -- 5 and 6 are the high scores.):

• AP Drawing Samples 2020
• AP Drawing Samples Archive
• AP 2D Design Samples 2020
• AP 2D Design Samples Archive
• AP 3D Design Samples 2020
• AP 3D Design Samples Archive

III. Develop Your Own Ideas; Challenge Yourself from the Start

Each artwork you turn in for the Sustained Investigation is to be a FINISHED, PORTFOLIO-QUALITY artwork. Refer to the Student Samples below for expectations on QUALITY. Make each drawing, design, or sculpture portfolio-worthy. Concentrate on design principles and good composition, mark-making, technique, and expression. 

As is always expected, spend AT LEAST 2 - 3 hours on each of your projects outside of regular class sessions each week.

1. PART 1: In your sketchbook, create a scrapbook of art that you find interesting or inspiring and/or that you may like to try yourself.
2. PART 2: Develop a list of possibilities. Brainstorm and write down 5 - 10 ideas for your own Sustained Investigation (That is, at least five different series/themes). Not just a simple list; be as thoughtful and detailed as you can. How would you be challenging yourself by creating each series? What would you be learning? What would success look like for each potential series?
3. PART 3: Decide on and commit to your Sustained Investigation, a personalized focus of artistic study on which you will be working for several weeks. Answer the following questions in a two-paragraph (approximately one page, typed) essay: 

• What inquiry or question(s) will guide your sustained investigation?
• How do you plan to explore that question/idea? (Be as descriptive as possible. See tips below.)

Tips:

• Think about your artistic interests and passions.
• Notice what’s being done in the contemporary art world.
• Make research an important part of your art-making process.
• Brainstorm possibilities.
• Be clear on what you will be learning, how you will be growing as an artist.
• Foresee and plan for problems/challenges.
• Be clear on how you will know when/if you are successful.
• Be prepared to discuss your plans and be challenged by your peers.

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