Instructor: Jason Tannen, Curator, University Art Gallery, Department of Art & Art History Office hours: Tuesday, 11 AM - noon Email: jtannen@csuchico.edu Telephone: 530-898-5864

Required texts: Atkins, Robert. Artspeak, a guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords (second edsition). New York, Abbeville Press, 1997.

Lang, Cay. Taking the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist. San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 1998.

ART 205 provides students with basic hands-on experience in gallery production, exhibition planning, preparation and installation. Through a combination of installation work in the University Art Gallery, interactions with exhibiting artists, discussions and fieldwork, students will gain curatorial and professional skills that can be applied outside the classroom. The course also provides experience in shooting slides of artwork, creating labels and signage, writing an exhibition statement and developing a hypothetical thematic group exhibition.

Each student is expected to attend class on time, participate in gallery projects and class discussions and meet submission deadlines for all assignments. Each student is expected to work to the best of her or his ability. There will be no mid-term or final exams; grades will be based on the topics listed below.

*The class will meet for 2 rather than 3 hours, allowing for time spent installing exhibitions in the University Art Gallery.

Course topics include:

Students are expected to participate in assigned activities related to the preparation and installation of gallery exhibitions. Activities include unpacking artwork, prepping and painting the gallery, handling and installing artwork, hanging lights, producing and mounting signage and labels, deinstalling exhibitions, packing and shipping artwork. Students are also expected to participate in field trips and some out-of-class artist assistance.

Grading Criteria for gallery work includes:

• Participation in assigned gallery projects and field work (300)

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team (300)

Writing assignments include exhibition assessments, exhibition statements and a thematic exhibition proposal. Exhibition assessments and thematic proposals need not be formal papers, but rather your ideas, concepts and impressions. Exhibition statements are based on information provided to you by your instructor. Thematic proposals will be presented to the class in a role-playing exercise, in which class members will sit on a "review panel" and evaluate the proposals.

The grading criteria for written assignments and presentations includes:

• Exhibition assessment (50)

• Written thematic proposal (50)

• Thematic presentation (100)

• Participation on review panel (100)

Students will shoot slides of both gallery installation views and individual artworks in 2 phases. First, you will photograph a UAG show as a class demonstration/group project. Later, the class will evaluate slides in a review panel setting.

Grading criteria for slides includes:

• Exposure (25)

• Color balance (25)

• Focus (25)

• Framing (25)

Because this course is more closely linked to the gallery than the classroom, the course calendar may change on occasion to meet the needs of the gallery. Therefore, your instructor reserves the right to make any changes to this calendar deemed necessary. Students will not be penalized for any alterations in the class calendar.

Week 1 [gallery exhibition begins]

Introduction to the class; goals & objectives, requirements, evaluation criteria

Working with art objects

Field work – Turner Gallery

Fieldwork – Turner Gallery, continued

Demonstration & class project: photographing artwork

Shoot slides in gallery

Week 5 [gallery exhibition – last day]

Thematic exhibition exercise - distribute Artweek

Shoot slides, continued

Artweek – report

Deinstall exhibition

Thematic exhibitions – 1st look

Writing exercise – draft thematic proposal

Field trip – 1078 Gallery & Chico Art Center

Individual appointments, course assessment

Thematic draft due

Review slides

Gallery work

[SPRING BREAK; gallery work in FALL]

Thematic exhibition – final draft due

Gallery work

Review re-shot slides

Thematic exhibition - oral presentations

[FALL BREAK; gallery work in SPRING]

Week 14 [gallery exhibition begins]

Work with gallery artists

Gallery work

Gallery talks

Wrap up in gallery