In this course students are introduced to the central place of concepts in contemporary art practice and simultaneously, how to work with those concepts using sculptural materials to make their own artworks. Through various group critique and discussion formats, students develop critical skills to evaluate and understand contemporary artworks in relation to their historical context. Students are introduced to essential skills, techniques and processes of three-dimensional construction and installation. Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) instruction is an integral part of this course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. use, create and discuss methods and strategies in Modern and Contemporary art practice;
2. make artworks that critically engage with historical and contemporary art practices;
3. conduct research into the practices and discourses around Modern and Contemporary Art and apply findings to creative production; and
4. substantiate artistic outcomes with research and rationale.

Field Trips

In Week 7 (tentative) the class will make an excursion to a local artist-run initiative and a major institution.

In Week 11 (tentative) the class will make an excursion to a local art fabricator.

Additional Course Costs

Students may incur additional costs for excursions (transportation, food, and drink) and for art materials.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying remotely, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction. Plinths
2	Hanging
3	Welding. Studios.	Due: Assessment 1 (10%)
4	Conversations
5	Projectors. Cables.
6	Begin manuals project (Assessment 3)	Due: Assessment 2 (30%)
7	Excursion to ARI and arts institution	Location: Offsite. Details to be provided before class
8	Install manuals project	Due: Assessment 3 (30%)
9	Shipping, packing, distribution
10	Collectives, contracts, institutions, unions
11	Excursion to arts fabricator	Location: Offsite. Details to be provided before class
12	ARI presentations
13		Due: Assessment 4 (30%)

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Reflections for weeks 1, 2	10 %	09/03/2022	16/03/2022	1
Model studio complex model	30 %	01/04/2022	13/04/2022	1,2
Manual	30 %	27/04/2022	30/06/2022	1,2,3
ARI	30 %	08/06/2022	30/06/2022	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Reflections for weeks 1, 2

Value: 100 points (10% of final mark)

Due date: 9 March 2022, 2pm

Return date: 16 March 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements: Participation in the Weekly Forums on Wattle

Make notes, photographs, and documentation for the activities that you do in class in Weeks 1-2. You will post some of these (the ones that visually depict or demonstrate some idea, phenomenon, or finding) to the Weekly Forum along with responses to some prompts for reflection. If you have missed a class, you can instead make a post that reflects on the images, responses, and work of at least 3 others from class.

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Posting after weeks 1-2 to the forum	Reflective response considers alternatives Visual material and/ or reflective response meaningfully reference the other Discusses the work of other students, or other historical or contemporary artists	Responds thoughtfully to prompts for reflection Includes photographs, drawings, and/or diagrams from notebook	Fails to respond to prompts or responds carelessly Fails to include visual material or visuals seem unrelated to the reflection

Assessment Task 2

Model studio complex model

Value: 100 points (30% of final mark)

Due date: 1 April 2022, 11:59pm

Return date: 13 April 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements:

• Upload the completed PowerPoint template to the Wattle submission point by 11:59pm at the end of Week 6.

For many artists, the studio is a kind of ground, the basic support for their practice. In this section of the course, we will spend a lot of time discussing studios, how we work, and how that shapes the art we make and the art worlds we inhabit.

In Week 3, when not welding, students will begin discussing studios.

By Week 4, students will make diagrams, sketches and scale drawings of their "ideal studio."

By Week 5, students will construct a rough scale model (1:10) out of cardboard and present this to the rest of the class.

Between Week 5 and Week 6, students should discuss and plan how they might resolve their individual studios into a complex on Week 6 so that they can prepare materials, and modifications and leave as much time to working and fabrication in Week 6 as possible.

In Week 6, students will work together to combine their model studios into a complex. How do the pieces fit together? How might the individual pieces change in connection with the other pieces? What negotiation and compromises an new possibilities are there in such an arrangement?

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Completes provided template	An appreciable level of editing and attention to format and detail in the visual material. Reflection considers alternative approaches to critically evaluate work and suggest future directions	Each of the 4 weeks is completed with text and images Reflection on the tasks is completed within each week that goes beyond description to consider strengths and weaknesses	Work for any of the 4 weeks is not complete, with visually documented No reflection provided for one or more weeks, or superficial reflection that is merely descriptive
Experimentation	Explores unconventional ideas of the studio or model making in a self-directed way (trying to answer a question through process of making)	Tries one or more unconventional forms of studio or model making in a materially playful way	Lack of risk-taking in approach to the work for this project
Discussion and collaboration	Reference relevant formal and conceptual examples from contemporary art Gives constructive critical feedback to classmates Facilitates collaborative processes	Explanation of studio and thought process behind it Comments occasionally on classmates Contributes to discussion of complex between Weeks 5 and 6	Not able to explain motivation, process, or decision-making Doesn't engage with the work of classmates Doesn't contribute ideas or feedback about complex

Assessment Task 3

Manual

Value: 100 points (30% of final mark)

Due date: 27 April 2022, 11:59pm

Return date: 30 June 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements:

• Install on Week 8 in Sculpture Modelling Room (you can use the first three hours of class to finish installing)
• Upload a 2-page PDF (a spread of 2 A4 pages is OK) of your work to the Wattle submission point before class, by 2:00pm that same day

We are going to make a "Support Manual" and each person in the class will be responsible for one entry. (In Week 6, we will discuss what topics everyone will be responsible for. The idea is that the entries will be connected to your ideal studio or the studio complex, or something useful for supporting your own practice or your collective practice.) Because it is a manual, you will approach your topic with the idea of giving practical advice to a potential reader. You might give a step-by-step tutorial; or explain the Dos and Don'ts; or summarise a few different approaches for the reader to choose between. You should also include at least 2 references (including images) from contemporary art. So if your topic is "how to hang a painting," then you would look for some example of a painter who has made the hanging a part of the experience of the artwork, rather than just hiding it.

Rubric note: Everyone in the class will receive the same mark for installation

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Useful manual entry	Challenging topic that requires more original research Visual design includes original diagrams, considered typography	Clear topic chosen Entry gives practical advice Visual layout supports the entry	Topic is unclear Entry is purely descriptive without being practical Unclear or sloppy layout that distracts from entry
Research	References chosen are original and discussed meaningfully in the entry	2 relevant references from contemporary art, including images	Fewer than 2 contemporary art references, or inappropriate references, or lack of images
Installation	Display system is in dialog with the manual entries, which are organised in a considered and conceptually interesting way.	Material from the entries is displayed spatially in a way that shows some experimentation in presentation	Material from the entries is displayed on walls or tables with little thought to presentation

Assessment Task 4

ARI

Value: 100 points (30% of final mark)

Due date: 1 June 2022, 11:59pm

Return date: 30 June 2022

Late submission: Minus 5 points per day

Presentation requirements:

• Presentation of ARI in Week 12 in School of Art & Design
• Statement of intent due on 1 June 2022, 11:59pm

Small groups of students will form Artist Run Initiatives and develop a statement of purpose. The group statement will be presented in class on Week 12 (but not officially submitted on Wattle for assessment until Week 13) and will clearly communicate the group’s key values and intentions based on their research into ARIs. What is lacking in the cultural landscape of Canberra that the proposed ARI fills? Students will give an account of the current social and political context and their priorities as artists/producers/curators. 

The presentation on Week 12 will be in the context of the first installation/ exhibition/ event/ publication/ etc. of the ARI. The first 2 hours of the class can be used to set up the work and the second two hours will be devoted to viewing the presentations.

The collaboratively written paper should be 500-600 words long and include: 

Vision / goals / aims 

At least 2 reference projects/ organisations

Structure / principals of operation 

What kind of works are exhibited 

How decision making is conducted

Rubric

	Exceeds expectations	Meets expectations	Does not meet expectations
Experimentation	Makes room in process for unknown outcomes and surprises and adapts according to results	Tries something new based on research Takes risks	Imitates precedents Imitates without awareness
Research	ARI is in dialog with the references, building on the work or asking a new question	2 references to relevant projects and artists that relate formally and/or conceptually to the ARI	Insufficient reference to other artists or projects that connect to the proposed ARI
Idea & Context	Identifies a gap in Canberra's cultural context in relation to wider national or international context Awareness of broader global concerns of contemporary art and politics Strong connection of values to context	Identifies a gap in Canberra's cultural context Describes social and political context Outlines priorities as artists/ producers	Unclear description of Canberra's social and political context Unclear sense of what gap in the cultural context is being addressed Unclear what the priorities of values of the group are
Execution	Writing creatively furthers the conceptual ambitions of the ARI Use of physical supports and display systems critically reflect on the aims of the project	Writing is clear and correct, with consistent formatting referencing Use of physical supports and display systems are appropriate to the aims of the project	Writing has noticeable unintended errors in grammar, formatting, and other conventions Use of physical supports and display systems undermine or distract from the aims of the project
Independent and collaborative working (individually assessed)	Critically challenges and lifts collaborators Develops operational processes that are consistent with values of the ARI	Contributes to the writing and production in an equitable and constructive way	Poor communication Leaves others to do extra work without prior agreement Undermines collaborators

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students