First Year Immersion

The FYI seminar supports students' holistic, responsible engagement in their FYI coursework and first-year experience, grounding it in practices required to thrive in any major: research, writing, and study skills; digital literacy, hygiene and responsibility; and participation in communities-both at ArtCenter (through major-specific project assignments and events) and in Los Angeles. Activities will include making projects led by visiting faculty from various majors and collaboratively critiqued; studio, museum, fabrication center, and other field visits relevant to work done in FYI studio classes, peer-to-peer coaching and support, and connection to ArtCenter resources such as online learning and library research platforms that will prepare each student to make work at their highest level once they enter a major program. Course Learning Outcomes: 1. Navigate communities and resources to support their understanding of their own work and the work of others. 2. Engage in discussion and critique that reflects a variety of critical interpretations (ie. Eurocentric and non-Eurocentric art, design and craft practices; feminism, social responsibility, etc.) 3. Practice generative research and writing as an integral part of their studio production 4. Effectively use a variety of software programs in the successful production of studio work 5. Narrow their preference of major through experience in preparation for choosing a degree program

The FYI Digital Skills Workshop is a 7 week course that teaches its students the fundamentals of becoming a digital artist using Creative Cloud programs Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. In the course, students will learn how to organize, create, and design a series of visual images and combine them into a short narrative booklet. This course focuses on photo imaging techniques and basic vector art techniques. Through the booklet project, students will be encouraged to create a visual narrative from their artwork to assemble their assignments into a final project demonstrating their digital skills. Students will create digital art, print it, and turn it into published pieces. Learning outcomes Students will be able to: 1. Exhibit proficiency in photo editing, photo collage and color correction. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of InkJet and laser printing techniques as applied to assignments and understand the difference between CMYK and RGB color spaces. 3. Adopt methods for using grids and guides for layout and typography to implement in various designs. 4. Use their hand skills to show precision and attention to detail in producing printed matter.

This course will cover the basics of drawing principles and materials, plus approaches to observation and ideation through drawing. This class will survey wet and dry mediums and their properties. Students will problem solve issues of value, mass, form, and explore the technical, perceptual and conceptual basics of drawing. Discussions will focus on what drawing is, how to read it and its relationship to the physical world. Students will begin to develop vital skills in communicating their ideas visually and expressively. Students will build confidence with handling a variety of drawing mediums while learning best practices for storing and archiving their drawings. Additionally, this course seeks to provide a foundation in how to interpret what the student sees and how to render that interpretation to a surface. Drawing is not an exercise in reproduction but a means of thinking and reflecting. Course Learning Outcomes: 1. Use representation and observation to effectively visualize ideas. 2. Employ drawing as a tool to generate ideas and connect with meaningful content. 3. Understand and apply principles of design and compositional structure as applied to drawing. 4. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of expressive and precision drawing media, materials and techniques. 5. Have an introductory understanding of the rules and conventions of typography,including consideration of the weights, widths and slants of typographic forms.

This 1-unit course instructs students in the safe operation of equipment including the table saw, band saw, lathe, laser cutting, drill press, 2-part Epoxy, sander and router, so students may have access to the shop for future projects. Students will receive a shop access pass after successful completion of this lab.

This is the first part of a two-term course: an introduction to 2D, 3D and time-based design. Assignments will engage different modes and strategies to visually communicate the fundamentals of design and communication across both analog and digital media, such as gouache paint, digital photography, 3D form-making (paper, wood, and plastics), and sequential media (film, motion graphics and processing). Communication strategies will emphasize narrative, metaphor, and cultural context. The structure of the course will integrate both conventional and alternative design methods as students investigate how "translation" functions in design: from 2D to 3D to time-based modalities, from one material to another, and from concept to actualization. The first term focuses on the development of skills based on discrete but related short term projects with less emphasis on the finish. Course Learning Outcomes: 1. Strategize design solutions across 2D and 3D. 2. Successfully utilize a variety of both analog and digital media. 3. Deploy solutions that utilize narrative, metaphor, and cultural context. 4. Translate design solutions between modalities. 5. Acquire the skills and knowledge for the safe operation of shop tools to fabricate their projects. 6. Effectively relate theory and practice to the urban environment.

This is a 2-unit course for FYI students introducing techniques, tools and methods for working in the Art Center shops on 3D projects. The class is taught in conjunction with Visual Thinking 1. Students complete a substantial project demonstrating an understanding and degree of facility with woodworking.

In the second semester of FYI Seminar 2, students will focus on the organization and dissemination of their portfolios. Using Creative Cloud, students will learn how to import, edit, layout and export their FYI coursework in various formats. Along with producing digital files, students will learn archiving techniques and best practices for presenting their work. In addition, the course will cover basic web structure, resolution, color correction and output as skills essential to the production and distribution of portfolios that show their work as broadly as possible and to its best potential. Course Learning Outcomes: 1. Navigate communities and resources to support their understanding of their own work and the work of others. 2. Engage in discussion and critique that reflects a variety of critical interpretations (ie. Eurocentric and non-Eurocentric art, design and craft practices; feminism, social responsibility, etc.) 3. Practice generative research and writing as an integral part of their studio production 4. Effectively use a variety of software programs in the successful production of studio work 5. Narrow their preference of major through experience in preparation for choosing a degree program

This is the 2nd term of a 2 term course, integrating the acquired skills from term one into a longer holistic project with a focus on research and concept (derived from the H&S Foundation course 1st term) and a high degree of finish. Field trips will be an integral part of assignments to relate theory and practice to the urban environment. Course Learning Outcomes: 1. Strategize design solutions for time-based design. 2. Successfully utilize a variety of both analog and digital media. 3. Deploy solutions that utilize narrative, metaphor, and cultural context.