Purple Dreamscape and Soft Green Haze

>“Soft Green Haze” and “Purple Dreamscape” are two oil paintings on wood panels by Olivia Ross, a Studio Art student at Montana State University. In creating these two works, Olivia looks to examine how narrative and aesthetic choices draw a viewer into a piece. Olivia removed any indication of a clear narrative or recognizable spaces and instead relies on abstraction to prompt an audience to engage. Olivia found even with the absence of these the viewer is enticed to explore further, not only in physical proximity to the work, but in projecting their own ideas onto it. Olivia thinks that this inclination to create one’s own relationship with a piece when there is no clear narrative to grasp makes a nontangible, abstracted space that’s much more reactively powerful.

Purple Dreamscape and Soft Green Haze

“Soft Green Haze” and “Purple Dreamscape” are two oil paintings on wood panels by Olivia Ross, a Studio Art student at Montana State University. In creating these two works, Olivia looks to examine how narrative and aesthetic choices draw a viewer into a piece. Olivia removed any indication of a clear narrative or recognizable spaces and instead relies on abstraction to prompt an audience to engage. Olivia found even with the absence of these the viewer is enticed to explore further, not only in physical proximity to the work, but in projecting their own ideas onto it. Olivia thinks that this inclination to create one’s own relationship with a piece when there is no clear narrative to grasp makes a nontangible, abstracted space that’s much more reactively powerful.

REFLECTIVE OBSERVATIONS ON THE DESIGN AND STUDIO ART PROGRAMME AT A UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The Central University of Technology (CUT) in South Africa compels that all programmes without a Mathematics module to offer Numeracy to first-year students. Initially, the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at CUT was requested to facilitate this module from 2014 within the first semester. However, Numeracy was offered in a general manner without considering the applicability to the Design and Studio Art programme. The aim of this study was to revise the current curriculum and modify it to be applicable to the Design and Studio Art programme. Thus, the objectives of this study were firstly, to identify the gap in the current curriculum, which related to mathematical concepts within the Numeracy module which seemed to be not applicable to this programme. Secondly, to identify the mathematical concepts within the Numeracy module that could possibly be applicable to this Programme and modify them, accordingly. These concepts were identified as geometry, ratios and proportions, scale drawings, grid system, units and conversions. The final objective of this study related to the teaching of these concepts into the programme. The purpose of this paper report on the reflective observations on the revision and modification of the curriculum, more specifically on the application of these concepts in the Drawing module of the Design and Studio Art programme. A qualitative research approach was employed through reflective observations by the lecturer in the drawing lesson of 38 students who were enrolled on this programme. An analysis was further done on students’ abilities to apply mathematical concepts in their drawing project and what they have learnt in the Numeracy module. Findings revealed students’ abilities to apply mathematical concepts with ease- this after the lecturer explained the relations amongst these concepts to drawing. It appeared as though this intervention benefited mostly the students who were struggling with drawing. A key recommendation is that the application of the stated mathematical concepts be practiced in other modules within the Design and Studio Art programme at CUT.

Quantum Leap beyond the Frontiers: ‘Currentism’ in Visual Arts Production in the Nsukka School

There exists no scholarly publication espousing on the driving force behind the restless aspirations of the Nsukka artists towards searching for and using commonplace materials that the potent environment provides for supports and media for studio art production. Following this, my intent is to discuss the Nsukka artists’ creative inclinations, bordering on styles, ideas, forms, materials and technique. Through hermeneutical analysis, I examine some useful insights in the formal and conceptual principles for which their recent and current artworks are foregrounded. Relying on historical, interpretative and analytical methods of data illumination, I engage some selected unusual artworks executed between 1999 and 2017 by some selected Nsukka artists to authenticate the fact that Nsukka artists have taken a quantum leap beyond the frontiers of the human consciousness and in so doing, have mastered their oeuvres, bringing about great ingenuity and some unprecedented innovations in the execution of breath-taking postmodernist artworks whose formal contents and thematic probing interrogate germane issues.

Remix and Reproduction in the Post-Internet Age: A Contemporary Art + Design Pedagogy

Having taught many university-level studio art courses, I have noticed in my students a surprising investment in the notion of originality and authorship in their own creative practices, even as they freely participated in the exchange, reuse, and remixing of visual languages on social media and the internet. This paper focuses on techniques to incorporate remix practices into studio art and design classrooms, arguing that students benefit significantly from a focus on what I term “remix pedagogy,” meaning a method and practice of teaching that brings together both the concepts and the creative use of remix tactics. I argue that remix pedagogy offers four key benefits to visual arts pedagogy. First, it productively reconfigures outmoded notions of originality and authenticity, freeing students from the high-pressure myth of the artist as a lone genius. In doing so, remix pedagogy offers a second benefit: it introduces students to new modes of making that promote ideation, design thinking, and creative production, including the support of collaborative frameworks in artistic processes. Thirdly—and crucially—these new modes of making teach visual art students how to use artistic practice as social commentary with a cultural fluidity previously unavailable to them. Finally, remix pedagogy familiarizes art and design students with the principles of fair use, promoting complex critical reasoning by forcing them to reason through what makes a work “transformative” and to distinguish fair use from plagiarism. This paper provides examples from my own teaching in Copy Culture, a course I developed at the University of San Francisco.

Virtual Reality Considerations for Curriculum Development and Online Instruction

For virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) to become effective learning modalities, they must be considered in the context of experiential or constructivist learning which could disrupt traditional instructional and educational practices given their interactive quality. How might educators assess these applications and their implementation to determine their learning potential for online instruction? By applying the studio thinking framework (STF) and the presence pedagogy (P2) model, unique insights may be gained in terms of virtual reality's value to the learning process. Current research shows many similarities between the skills taught in studio art classes and opportunities to learn the same skills in virtual educational applications, while the P2 model has demonstrated its effectiveness in applying pedagogical strategies to collaborative VR environments. Tactics to prepare, apply, assess, and evaluate (PAAE) this technology in educational programs for teachers and school leaders provide a guide for implementation.

Artwork

“The Surgery” is the product of a live model study and an intuitive collage that evolved into the representation of my memories observing a surgical procedure. My most prominent memory is the anesthesiologist comforting and holding the patient’s hand, asking her to count downwards from ten as her time and sensations slowly vanished. The elements in “The Surgery” are inspired on visions and sensations described by people that have been under the effects of anesthesia. Salma Kazmi moved to Canada from Mexico in 2018 to pursue an undergraduate degree. She is now in her third year of B.Sc. Double Honors Biology and Studio Art. Kazmi describes her work as dynamic and often inspired by the anatomical and ecological aesthetics. Furthermore, Kazmi is interested in studying movement, narrative illustration and perceptions of sexuality.