BA (Hons) Fine Art and Contemporary Arts Practice

The aim of this module is to deepen your understanding of professional issues relating to your practice and to prepare your next steps as professional practitioners. You will choose and research an art opportunity or an agreed alternative relevant to your practice. In response to your findings you are going to produce practical work, for example a response to a public art commission or competition. In seminars we will be addressing professional issues such as the roles of artists in society, budgets and funding in the art world or how to create and maintain a professional profile. You will be supported by regular group and 1:1 tutorials throughout the module, seminars and presentations.

Portfolio of practical artwork: 50%

Portfolio of documents relating to professional practice: 50%

You'll be developing self-critical awareness and evaluative thinking around the production of preparatory works in a range of media and the writing of an ongoing proposal for sustained, self-motivated, study. It is expected that this proposal will be subject to regular change and updating as your ideas evolve. You will then begin to develop your proposed project with an investigative approach to themes, theories and practices that have been identified. A creative attitude to the module is engendered through an engagement with ideas that is inherently experimental. As the module progresses, increasingly evaluative critical reflection leads to a synthesis of these ideas into works that represent them. Whilst all practical work (including research and experiments/ sketches) contribute to Assessment 001 of this module, you will be asked to give a 10-minute presentation as part of your assessment (element 002) in which you review / evaluate your work and lay out a proposal for FA6003 allowing you to move straight into this module after assessment.

Portfolio of practical artwork: 85%

Individual presentation of a proposal for FA6003: 15%

This module aims to develop your studio practice to a high level and enable the ideas and methods you've developed over the previous modules to find expression through the completion of resolved works to a professional standard in chosen media. You will develop your Fine Art practice based upon the project proposal you presented as part of module FA6002. You will use previously acquired skills and knowledge and build upon these. Extensive research, practice and debate and on-going critical evaluation will inform your progress and outcomes. The module will be supported by seminar discussions and group critiques in order to share individual intentions within the cohort. You will present work as required within the module timetable to consider the progress and appropriateness of your work developments. Formative feedback will be given through regular 1:1 studio tutorials. Assessment will be through the presentation of a body of work suitable for exhibition.

Individual portfolio: 85 %

Coursework: individual, standard written 15 %

This module will lead you to write a dissertation about an art related topic of your choice and gives you the enjoyable opportunity to follow your interests through primary and secondary re-search. A series of 4 dissertation skills workshops at the beginning of the module will equip you with relevant skills and help with practicalities of research and planning. A schedule of regular 1:1 tutorials with your supervisor will support you on the way. This module will run between October and April giving you plenty of time to use independent study time for reading, research and writing. In January there will be an assessment point in the form of a 15-minute presentation, followed by a 5-minute question and answer session. This is a key opportunity to present your dissertation work and receive tutor and peer feedback. Before the final deadline we will ask you to submit a draft of your dissertation in addition to gaining detailed feedback on your dissertation work, this will also enable you to manage your time appropriately. There is also an option to carry out a combined practice and theory project.

Dissertation: 75% (6000 words OR 3000 words plus practice-based outcome)

Presentation: 25% (15-minute presentation, followed by a 5-minute question and answer session, on your chosen dissertation topic)