ART SAMPLE COURSE DESCRIPTION

GS-EAST

Art students engage in an exploration of the full range of art as it has been manifested in the modern (the last one hundred years) era. The specific goals set forth in the curriculum mandate an engagement with historic and contemporary two-dimensional, three-dimensional and experimental art forms and the theoretical constructs/aesthetic underpinnings of these modes of artistic production. Additionally, the overarching goal of the Governor's School program, a broad and deep integration of the modalities of exploring, knowing, and creating in contemporary culture, is a specifically stated objective and a visible motivator behind the ideals of the visual art program.

The primary focus of the 2-D work is on drawing and the textual/totemic self-portrait projects, while the studio-based 3-D projects include personal found object sculptures. Student works are exhibited in Jones Auditorium during concerts, Belk Dining Hall, and Meredith College's Frankie G. Weems Gallery. Art students also take advantage of the non-profit and commercial galleries in Raleigh, including the North Carolina Museum of Art.

GS-WEST

Throughout the summer we analyze a body of aesthetic problems within 20th and 21st century art. Each week our inquiries take the form of individual and group discussions and exercises, collaborations with other disciplines, and field trips to contemporary art venues, culminating in more developed work to be examined in both the gallery and other predetermined spaces.

At the Governor's School, students have the opportunity to gain a foundational understanding of the evolving definitions and roles of art and art making in the 20th and 21st centuries. This knowledge base provides a context for our own explorations of new artistic strategies. Through our discussions we develop a formal vocabulary, not only to help us analyze contemporary art, but also to use this language in the inception, development, analysis, and critique of our own authentic work.

The students are asked to work in a variety of media, both traditional and experimental. They are encouraged to address content that is most relevant to their contemporary experience. In the studio, we emphasize the process of our explorations in art-making. Although there is time and space for seeking an end product, the main focus of our curriculum is discovering how our art practice can serve to not only frame statements, but, more importantly, to pose questions.