Course Syllabus- Professional Artist SEN402

Fall 2010 – Tuesday 4-7pm

Instructor: Alison Williams
Instructors contact information: awilliams@nhia.edu, 603 391 8627
Recommended text:
 How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist; selling your art without selling your soul
Carol Michels, Holt Paperbacks, 2001 ISBN – 13: 978-0-8050-6800-9
 ART/WORK: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue Your Art Career by Heather
Darcy Bhandari
Publisher: Free Press; Original edition (March 24, 2009) ISBN-13: 978-1416572336

Course Description:
This course is designed to help NHIA seniors better anticipate and transition into a post-BFA world. Research and
discussion will attempt to make the many aspects of the profession of art understandable and attainable. In order
to approach commercial galleries, curators, not-for-profit spaces, and funding bodies, students in this class must
deepen their personal understandings of their work and learn to place it within historical and contemporary
contexts. As emerging artists seeking greater exposure for their work, students must also confront several writing
challenges, including developing effective resumes, artist statements and writing short papers connecting their
work to the traditions of their medium. Students will learn to establish, and work through, realistic goals. Finally,
all students of the Professional Artist class will generate professional quality PowerPoint presentations that,
among other things, chart the trajectory of their work, examine artistic influences, and explicate elements of their
process and style.

Course Learning Objectives:

• Students will develop a professional presentation. They will present their work both
in a historical and contemporary context and be able to define their artistic
direction.
• Students will complete writing projects that will include an artist’s statement and a
resume. They will be able to adapt these to fit a variety of audiences.
• Students will engage in research and write several short papers which will connect
and explore the tradition of their chosen medium and connect their work to that
tradition.
• Students will begin to work on creating a network of artist peer connections.
• Students will interact with curators, gallery owners, and others in the profession in order to understand
how to develop and place their work.
• Students will interact with guest presenters to gain specific skills and knowledge such as small business
legal, marketing and tax information.
• Students will develop self-sufficiency, objectivity and confidence.

Student responsibilities:
• Timely submission of assignments – UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will late work be accepted. No
exceptions. This class is founded on the fact that the real world does not operate within the realm of
excuses, bad time management and late notices. The Professional Artist class assumes an attitude of
responsibility and the highest level of work ethic.
• Attendance at all classes is mandatory. Tardiness is unacceptable for the reasons stated above.
• Commitment to reading all material presented
• Keeping a notebook/ folder of handouts
• Diligent email communication with faculty
• Diligent and frequent checking of class blog
• Contributing to peer review and group work. The Professional Artist needs to be able to interact and work
with a diverse range of individuals and groups.
• Participate in class critiques and discussions
• Give Oral presentations
• Do self-directed work and self-evaluations. The Professional Artist needs to be able to be objective about
their work and understand the market for their work.
 • Writing papers and other writing assignments done to the highest level.

Evaluation Procedures:
NHIA has instituted the following grading system
A = outstanding
B = above average
C = average
D = below average
F = failure
For fuller description of specific grading criteria please refer to the information below, in the student handbook
and to individual assignments descriptions.

Student Grades will be based on the following

Attendance: 20%
Students will abide by the attendance policy stated in the Student Handbook.
Tardiness is unacceptable.
3 tardy = an absence
3 absences and a conversation will occur with the faculty, student and the student’s advisor
On the 4th absence a grade of F for attendance will be assigned
It is your responsibility as a student to communicate any reasons for absences and to make arrangements to make
up any missed work. The faculty will not seek you out to address absences or tardies but it is expected that as a
professional you will seek them out to address these. Each absence, excused or not excused, needs to be
explained. Absences for illness or death of a family member or similar will be excused with documentation,
illness will only be excused with a Doctor's note.

Participation: 15%
Participation is essential in this class and in the Professional Art world. Students will be required to be fully
involved in discussion and dialogue with faculty and each other. This includes listening to all instructions, asking
questions in order to fully comprehend instructions, being involved fully in group discussions and critiques,
asking questions about and making comments on information given by presenters, responding to emails and
checking the class blog. Asking questions about and making comments on information presented by faculty and
other students.
NO IPODS, NO computer use unless specific to class.

Homework: 15%
Students are expected to complete homework assignments that supplement and/or prepare them for class work.
Homework for this class is essential and in part is established as a way of encouraging independent attitudes and
generating good work practices that students can bring with them into the art world. Grading will be on
completion, comprehension, timeliness and other factors presented as criteria for specific homework projects.
Homework is required to be presented in a Professional manner. No late homework will be accepted.

Real Life Projects: 10%

Students will identify one exhibition possibility then complete and submit exhibition application.
These projects will include:
Research and identification of (by visiting and reading about) exhibition possibilities
Research and Identification of marketing possibilities
Research and Identification of networking possibilities
Research and Identification of possible grants and residencies
Each student will be required to participate in at least one first Friday evening in Boston as well as field trips to
visit a museum and Galleries.

Materials for submission to exhibition will include:

Application completion
Resume completion
Artists Statement (specific to each future application)
Other required materials depending on submission requirements stated

Students will also be required to present:

3 variations of Artists Statement
3 variations of a cover letter
These materials are required to be presented in a Professional and Artistic manner.

Other Projects: 10%

In addition to the projects above there will be additional class work projects. Each of these will be presented with
grading criteria and will include completion, comprehension, and timeliness as well as other criteria specific to
each project.

Power Point Presentation: 30%

1. Each student engaged in class will present a 10-minute Power Point presentation to a gathered audience of
faculty, students and staff as their final project.
This is designed to instruct students on how to make successful presentations. Presentations will make use of
Power Point and Digital Projection as audio and visual aides. You will be allotted 10 minutes for your talk. Your
10-minute talk should present a case or argument for your work as well as showcase your development. You
should use your work in this class (i.e artists statement, essay, visual analysis) as the basis for this talk. It is
required that you present an artistic context for the development of your work during your talk -- influences,
references and visuals -- alongside representative samples of your work.

2. You should think of your talk as a performance and therefore you should practice it. One page of double spaced
text can be read in 5 minutes, so plan accordingly.

3. You should try to bring up at least these 4 issues in your talk:

• The content of your work and how it has developed over time, including the artistic context in which you
have developed it as outlined above. These are the artistic ideas that underpin your work.
• How the work is made and how this has effected the development/subject matter choices in your work
• The art world context(s) and other general contexts in which you expect your work to be understood
(historical, contemporary as well as subject matter) for example if your work is about mechanics you
should be able to explain the mechanics as well as the work itself.
• Which direction your work is going after NHIA

4. You will be evaluated on:

• Preparation – knowledge of material and equipment
• Clarity of message – what is the point of message
• Clear transmission of message – select words and images carefully to get across the point
• Appropriateness – knowledge of audience
• Delivery

IN ADDITION:
The due date for all homework assignments and all class assignments will be given at the time of assignment. One
goal of this class is to encourage independent thought and organization, this date may not be repeated by the
teacher but should be recorded by you in a place that you can locate it and therefor hand all work in on the due
date. NO LATE WORK will be accepted, no exceptions. Given the inconsistencies that can sometimes be part of
email communication all assignments must be completed in hard copy.

Academic Student Accommodations:

Students with disabilities, who need accommodations, should contact Student Services Director, at 603 836 2527
or the Office of Student Services, NHIA, 153 Concord Street, Manchester, NH 03104. Please also refer to student
handbook.
Academic Integrity/ Plagiarism:
Please refer to the student handbook for NHIA policy and procedure regarding Plagiarism

Date Class Info

31-Aug Introduction discussion of class - goals and objectives - myths
7-Sep Glen images - first friday
14-Sep Alec Longstreth all go to talk (during lunch) - goals and objectives
21-Sep library resources
28-Sep goals Resume, Business card and Statement exercises
5-Oct visual analysis exercise web resources - annotated bibliography - introduce
introduction and work projects
12-Oct visual analysis exercise presentation
presentation
19-Oct reflection piece introduction work on this in class
26-Oct reflection piece - mid term reports mid term reports to students
2-Nov presentations introduction introduction and prep - First Friday visit
9-Nov artists statement - business of art with stuff in hand
16-Nov applications to gallery letters, packages, instructions
23-Nov presentations 12 minutes each
30-Nov presentations 12 minutes each
7-Dec last day feed back