curriculum

UCLA Department of Art
Summer Art Institute

Session A: July 7-July 18 | B: July 21 - August 1

Art Curriculum

Curriculum

Painting and Drawing Track

The Painting and Drawing track, led by instructor Benjamin Britton, will expose students to contemporary and historical concerns in painting and drawing. Students will develop a clearer picture of the art-making practice at the university level.

Classes will work with traditional painting and drawing materials, stretching beyond the basics of composition, technique and color. Professional artists guide students towards innovation and exploration, using class discussion as a critical tool for growth and development. Instructors will supplement studio time with lectures in art history, field trips to local museums, and lectures by professional artists, including prominent UCLA faculty members. Classes are held on the seventh floor of the recently opened Broad Art Center where students can enjoy a view spanning the San Bernardino Mountains to the Santa Monica Bay.

The Painting and Drawing track will help students develop their skills in preparation for college and give them insight into creating a better portfolio for applying to undergraduate level art programs.

Photography Track

Immerse yourself in an entirely photographic experience!

Instructor Manya Fox aims to help students learn the language of visual literacy and use that vocabulary to develop their personal vision through photography.

Through workshops in traditional darkroom techniques, students will work alongside professional artists to discover the fundamentals of light, composition, exposure, and color printing. Students will practice their skills and realize their vision using private color darkrooms in the Department of Art photography labs. These techniques are bolstered by lectures and discussions in photographic theory, aesthetics, and history. Students will also explore UCLA and go on field trips beyond the campus.

We aim to cover the gamut of photographic genres: portraiture, photojournalism, studio lighting techniques, product photography, and an introduction to digital manipulation. Our goal is to create a portfolio of each student's work.

Material List:

1. 35mm SLR manual camera

2. 1 box Kodak Professional Supra Endura RA-4 Color Paper - 8x10/ 100 sheets (E) Lustre

3. 10 rolls Kodak or Fuji 35mm Color Priny Film (C-41) 400 ISO, 36 exposures

Sculpture Track - Offered during Session B only

When someone says “3-D” we think of digital modeling, virtual reality, and video games. In reality, for the past few thousand years “three-dimensional” referred first to the three dimensions in which we actually live. This is what has always separated Sculpture from all other mediums. It must be experienced directly and be built from materials that, unlike binary code, actually pour, split, bind, harden, fold, chip, and roll, for instance.

The Sculpture concentration is an introduction to the first principles of sculptural technique and interpretation. As one of the premier undergraduate sculpture labs in the country, the new sculpture lab in the Broad Art Center provides students with more than 8,000 square feet of space, dozens of stationary shop tools, 1,000 square feet of exhibition space, and expertise in a wide array of construction methods and materials. This is where the next generation of sculptors will begin.

For as long as we have carved wood in our likeness, measured the heavens by the placement of stones, or molded mud bricks into cities, the interpretation of sculptural representation remains as important as its corporeal place in the three dimensions we share. Readings and discussions will examine how objects accrue symbolic meanings. And, in conjunction with Summer Institute lectures, presentations, museum and gallery visits, students in the sculpture concentration will leave with an intense college level introduction to the lexicon of interpretation, semiotics and critique.

Video Art and New Genres Track - Offered during Session A only

Yes, video is also art!

Before YouTube and iMovie, artists were already experimenting with video and other new media. Avant-garde artists intent on challenging the boundaries between art forms began to embrace video technology in the 1960s, marking the inception of video art. Since the 1970s, video has been one of the most exciting and fastest-growing media in contemporary art.

So what is video art? Vishal Jugdeo, the New Genres Instructor teaches that it can be many things!. Video art can look like film and television, telling stories that unfold in time with actors and dialogue. It can look like sculpture. Projected onto walls and objects, it can turn ordinary rooms into complex moving spaces. With animation and digital effects, video can even look like painting.

The Video Art and New Genres Track of the UCLA Summer Institute aims to develop each student’s personal creative vision through time-based media. Students will use digital video cameras to explore a range of approaches, from single-channel videos to installation and performance art. Screening, lectures, and discussions will trace the history of these new genres as well as introduce students to the most recent developments in the field. Hands-on instruction will cover the fundamentals of video production, including composition, lighting, video and audio recording, and editing with Final Cut Pro. Students will build new media skills while expanding their vision of what art can be. At the end of the two-week session, students can burn their videos to DVD or export them to the internet for all of the world to see.

Sample Monday through Friday Schedule

8:30am – 9:00am Lab/Studio Demonstrations
9:00am – 12:00pm Studio Time
12:00pm – 1:15pm Lunch
1:30pm – 3:00pm Activity (museum visit, artist lecture, film screening)
3:30pm – 5:00 Studio Time

Extended open studio will be from 6:00pm – 9:00pm on the second Wednesday of each session.

Afternoon schedules vary with regard to the time and nature of the activity blocks.

Sample Saturday and Sunday Schedule

11:00am - 5:00pm each day.* Field trips to local museums.

*Hours are approximate.

Supply List

Please check the Fees page for required materials.

Grades

Program participants will earn 3 units of UCLA academic course credit. Please note that your official transcript is not automatically sent to you. Click here to view more information about UCLA grading policies and how to acquire grade transcripts.