Semester Courses

Critique Seminar:

The Critique Seminar is required for all students at The Siena Art Institute.  The course designed to be an open forum for students to show and discuss their work in a critique format led by a faculty moderator.   Weekly group critiques of students’ artwork will be supplemented by occasional discussions of required readings and presentations by the faculty on artists, writers, or theorists whose work relates to topics that arise during the critiques.   Students will also have bi-weekly individual advising meetings.  

In the weekly group critiques, the work of 3-5 students will be discussed, but all students are required to attend these sessions and give feedback to their classmates.  A schedule is set at the start of the semester so that students are allocated equal critique times paced throughout the semester.  Since the course includes students from all if the Siena Art Institute’s disciplines, it is highly interdisciplinary.  In any given week, students may be presenting work in drawing, creative writing, printmaking, installation, performance, photography, book arts, etc.  The critiques benefit from the students’ broad array of experiences and backgrounds.

In addition to the weekly group critiques, students will also have bi-weekly one-on-one critiques with an assigned faculty advisor.  These sessions will last appx 45 minutes and allow the student to receive additional feedback on their work outside of the group critique setting.  Students will be able to choose the faculty advisor they work with, and may choose to work with a faculty member whose artistic practice is similar to the technical or thematic interests of the students’ own work. 

During the group critiques, and their one-on-one advising sessions, students may present work that was created in the context of their classes and/or work that has created independently.  It is up to the students to determine what work comprises the core of their developing portfolio, and what work would be most useful for them to receive feedback on during the critique sessions.

Students are expected to prepare ahead of time for their critique sessions.  They are welcome to present works-in-progress but they should ensure that their work is in a state in which it can be discussed and in which they can receive useful feedback.  In addition to presenting “finalized” projects or works-in-progress, students are also encouraged to present preparatory work or reference/inspiration sources, if these supplemental materials will facilitate the critique of the student’s own work. 

Above all, the goal of the critique sessions is to give students useful feedback on their work: to assist students in understanding how their work is perceived by others. On occasion, other faculty members, resident artists, and staff may sit in on the class critiques.  The lead faculty serves the moderator of the critique, ensuring that the student is receiving useful, relevant  feedback.  The student whose work is being critiqued is also expected to take a leadership role during the critique sessions by asking questions that can help answer and questions or uncertainties they have regarding their own work.

 
Student Learning Objectives: 
  • To assist students in their ongoing portfolio development by providing constructive criticism and offering other feedback including useful references such as related artists, writers, or other reference information. 
  • To explore work from a variety of creative perspectives and techniques, to strengthen students’ ability to discuss cross-disciplinarily work and to determine the most effective artistic platforms for students’ planned projects.
  • To foster a supportive atmosphere of thoughtful engagement amongst the students, creating a dynamic environment that encourages artistic production, intense critical dialogue, intercultural communication, meaningful reflection, and growth.