FD 110B: November 2010

The following is a video by Memphis filmmaker Willie Bearden entitled "Horn Island Voices". It focusses on an annual expedition taken by Memphis College of Art students, faculty, and alumni to Horn Island, a small barrier island just of the gulf coast of Mississippi. Willie put it together in celebration of the expedition's 25th anniversary in 2009. Some of my good friends, Bob Riseling, Don Dumont, Lisa Tribo, and I (with considerably shorter--and not yet tamed--hair) are featured in the video being interviewed by Willie. In the spring semester, there will be meetings that will discuss the exhibition. If this sounds like something you'd like to do, then I'd suggest you attend those meetings and get information.

"Horn Island Voices," and all footage therein, is the property of Willie Bearden.

Welcome back everyone. I hope that your Thanksgiving weekend went well and that you were able to enjoy the company of family and friends. If travel wasn't possible for you, I hope that at least you were able to make the most of your time during what I am sure was a much-need break from the grind if nothing else.

We are truly down to the wire now. We have only two more weeks of class before you turn in your portfolios on December 14. THAT'S IT! Where has the semester gone? Doesn't it seem like just yesterday you were giving your muscles a workout erasing through layers of charcoal, making a mess all over the studio and your home, and picking black boogers out of your nose? I should hope that you feel your work is far more confident now. And hopefully you see why it was important to START there before moving on to more advanced drawings rather than diving straight in without any scuba gear.

So, then, allow me to give you a few quick reminders here so you can be ready for what's coming up:

1. Don't forget that December 7 is the final day to turn in any assignments you have reworked for the possibility of a better grade. I will accept any reworked assignment from any point in the semester, but I will NOT accept late drawings that weren't turned in on the date they were originally due. I don't have the time nor patience to grade, in addition to the reworked assignments, a bunch of drawings that were due weeks ago that you never turned in. This isn't make-up time. This is a final-shot chance to improve your grade through good, honest hard work. I will have them graded and returned to you on Monday so you can add them to your portfolio.

2. Make sure to have the correct materials for class each day. PLEASE DO NOT RAID THE STORE RIGHT BEFORE CLASS. If you come unprepared in these last few classes I will request that you just leave the classroom so that you will not disrupt the class nor waste our time. Especially remember the list of materials for next week. Make sure you gesso and sand your paper BEFORE class next Tuesday. DO NOT COME TO CLASS WITH A WET GESSO ON YOUR PAPER!

3. Don't forget that this is "Bring Your Own Music Week." Bring a CD or, if you have an MP3 player and a cord that will connect it to my radio's auxiliary jack, you can make a short playlist.

4. Here is what you need to do in preparation for your portfolio on December 14:

Don't wait until the night before!

Build your portfolio: Before you do anything else, gather all your work and make sure that everything is fixed and will therefore not get smudged or transfer onto other drawings. Place everything you have done in this class (both in-class assignments and homework) in chronological order into your portfolio. Find a way of organizing the work (dividers that separate assignments, techniques, or homework/classwork, etc.). The way you organize your portfolio is up to you, but it needs to be easily understood. EVERYTHING from the semester (homework AND classwork) should be inside the portfolio. On the outside of your portfolio HAVE YOUR NAME PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED.

Prepare your sketchbook: Make sure that YOUR NAME IS PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED ON YOUR SKETCHBOOK. I had a few at midterm that I had to guess by a process of elimination. You wouldn't want me to accidentally put your grade down by someone else's name, would you? Make sure that your syllabus and any handouts, articles, or research given to you or obtained on your own are in that pocket in the back. Hopefully your sketchbook is already in very good shape right now, but if you are one of those last-minute procrastinators, you have two weeks to make it look like you DIDN'T procrastinate until the last minute. Remember everything I wrote in your sketchbook at midterm and everything was said to you at the last sketchbook review and make sure it is well-designed, shows your progress and research, and is reflective of an entire semester's worth of diligent WORK.

Submit your final portfolio and sketchbook: You have until 1:30 PM on December 14 to bring your portfolio and sketchbook to the studio. After 1:30 I will lock the door and accept nothing later. There will be designated areas to place each item. Simply place your portfolio and sketchbook in their areas and you will be free to go. Return at 8:00 PM to pick everything up again. Inside your sketchbook I will write a sketchbook grade. This grade is for the sketchbook only and is not necessarily reflective of your final grade for the course, which will be averaged together just as I outlined in your syllabus and submitted to the dean. You will receive all of your final grades at some point over the winter break. I will grade your portfolio based on how well it is organized, craftsmanship, and whether or not everything is actually in it. Due to time limitations, and the amount of portfolios I need to go through that day, I won't write an actual grade on your portfolios. If you really want to know your portfolio grade, you can e-mail me after you pick up your portfolio and sketchbook. I will more than likely be too busy when you come into the studio to actually answer questions then. I will also be taking images of work that day, and I will leave a note in your portfolio to let you know if I used any of your work. If you are at all uncomfortable with this, let me know and I will not use them.

And that's all, folks! We are so near the end of the semester I can hear it squeak. (I don't know, it's something I used to hear oldtimers say and I always found it funny.) Good luck with all your academic endeavors for these last few weeks!