VA4012 - Strategies in Studio Practice

What will I learn on this module?

You will develop an understanding of the term ‘practice’ and its meaning in the context of art making. Drawing on a range of specific case studies from recent historical and contemporary artists, you will be introduced to a range of strategies for making work in the studio. These approaches will integrate formal, material and conceptual strategies of making. They will afford you the ability to improvise, to work responsively with the qualities of a given material, to establish generative processes, to work within set limits or rules and to employ metacognition in your reflection.
You will learn an appreciation and responsibility for the studio environment. Collaboration and group critique will help initiate a studio culture that is open and constructive. ‘Good studio practice’ will be embedded in the learning and will include induction to technical resources available to the programme.

How will I learn on this module?

This module will be taught in the Year 1 Fine Art studios. Your learning will be activated through a series of studio briefs. These briefs will be delivered in studio workshops by staff teaching into the module. Initial tasks will be collaborative and students will be expected to work in groups together; follow on tasks will allow the student to respond individually to the approaches established and initiated in the tasks. Critical reflection and formative feedback will be built into the studio workshops. There will be opportunity for smaller tutorial groups to develop understanding on specific tasks and receive feedback on individual developments. Technical resource inductions will be delivered by technicians in specialised workshop areas and in the studio depending on the task undertaken.

How will I be supported academically on this module?

You are supported by an academic team, which teaches you across the various modules and a personal tutor to aid your wellbeing and provide general support. Your learning is mapped out for you in a series of briefs given to you during the semester. You are provided guidance notes and key dates for the semester to help you organise and plan your time. Teaching materials, notices and guidance are made available to you through our online electronic learning portal. This is accessible online both on campus and externally. You will have a University email that we contact you through, and all teaching schedules are published in your online timetable. To support you we provide you with on-going formative feedback through the teaching contact. You have twenty-four-hour access to the University Library.

What will I be expected to read on this module?

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

What will I be expected to achieve?

Knowledge & Understanding:

1. Produce complete works and works in progress that demonstrate awareness of contemporary art contexts and an understanding of the role practical experimentation, peer interaction and risk-taking take in developing your creative practice.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

2. Demonstrate a development of your personal organisation, oral and written communication, and technical proficiency.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

3. Demonstrate understanding of safe and ethical studio working.

How will I be assessed?

Summative Assessment
1. Practical work presented in studio
2. Critical Reflection of 500 words

You will submit your practical work for this module in studio, alongside a research folder of supporting materials


Summative Assessment Feedback
You will receive verbal feedback from your Studio Tutor within seven days of the submission deadline. Feedback is individual and provided in the context of the assessment criteria given to you at the start of the semester in the module guide. Written feedback is delivered within 20 working days via the eLP..

Formative Assessment
. To prepare you successfully to undertake the summative assessment(s) on this module, formative assessments will be set by the module team. These may take the form of in-class tasks or projects, developmental activities undertaken between classes, or learning exercises/activities set over a longer period. Feedback (written and/or oral) will be provided to help you learn from, reflect on, and develop in light of these formative assessments.

MLOs
The assessment task tests all of the MLOs.

Pre-requisite(s)

N/A

Co-requisite(s)

N/A

Module abstract

This module will introduce you to strategies for studio engagement, integrating both material and conceptual approaches. The academic team draw on their subject expertise and unique positioning in the North East of England, which is known for its radical cultural movements and histories, to introduce interdisciplinary, expanded, and critical approaches to artmaking. The module will challenge preconceptions, and enhance the adaptive and responsive attitudes necessary to establish a foundation for working independently in the studio. The module will help develop your confidence and your ability to experiment, critically reflect, and collaborate as part of a studio community.

Course info

UCAS Code W105

Credits 20

Level of Study Undergraduate

Mode of Study 3 years Full Time or 4 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad

School Design Arts and Creative Industries

Location City Campus, Northumbria University

City Newcastle

Start September 2027

Fee Information

Module Information

Accuracy of information

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Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning.

 

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The photography and video on this page are used for illustration. They may have been taken at different times and in different parts of the University, and may show facilities, equipment, staff, students or activities that are not part of this course. They are not a guarantee of the specific facilities or equipment you will use.

The course content, entry requirements and fees sections of this page, together with the Programme Specification, set out what this course includes. Our facilities are updated over time and may change during your studies. 

 

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