Freshman Show - Exhibition Package - 2021

FRESHMAN SHOW APRIL 2 - 25

The PrattMWP Gallery is pleased to host the talented students of the 2020-21 PrattMWP Freshman Class in a multimedia exhibition.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM FOUNDATIONS

One of the most significant features of Pratt’s world-renowned art curriculum is the strong emphasis on Foundation. PrattMWP believes that each student’s education should be grounded in the underlying concepts, principles, and history of the visual arts – and that belief is one important reason why Pratt Institute ranks among the best art colleges in the world.

The objective of the Foundation core is to develop and expand students' visual thinking through a critical examination and practice of methods and processes of creativity. This Foundation core is a freshman prerequisite to the Fine Arts and Communications Design programs.

Students move on to specialization in their sophomore year.

Many top art schools stress Foundation, but PrattMWP students have a unique opportunity to advance their skills. Our intimate, upstate campus offers a remarkable 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students spend the first two years of their Pratt art degree working closely with full-time faculty in a serious, focused art environment. They are then guaranteed transfer to the main campus at Pratt Brooklyn.

ABOUT THE CLASSES LIGHT / COLOR / DESIGN Students investigate two-dimensional form, color structure, and composition through a wide array of ideas and principles. Emphasis in these courses is on training the perception of the way color relationships affect optical as well as psychological dynamics. A primary component of the course is the study of the many ways that light modulates our perception of color and form. Using art and nature as sources, students employ a variety of mediums to explore sensory and emotional, as well as intellectual, aesthetic concepts.

ABOUT THE CLASSES VISUALIZATION / REPRESENTATION / CONCEPT Students learn principles and methods that they will continue to use throughout their art careers. In figure drawing, an understanding of the human body is developed in all its aspects. The model’s poses, at first, are simple, becoming more complex as skill and understanding develop. The emphasis shifts to the entire space of the page. In general drawing, exercises move from a simple description of the object to the relationship of two or more objects in space, and the understanding of space in multiple space relationships, then, to the organization of the entire drawing surface. They learn to develop line and tone to arrive at an integrated image and to work with a variety of media, including charcoal, inks, conte, and oil crayon.

ABOUT THE CLASSES SPACE / FORM / PROCESS Students are introduced to the fundamental principles and dynamics of the physical world. Students work with a range of materials and develop an understanding of their character and appropriateness for particular solutions. The training of the eye [observation], mind [analysis] and hand [realization] will result in comprehension and sensitivity to the threedimensional experience. Pragmatic application will provide context, connections and meaning. Project based learning will parallel cognition of fundamental principles. Students’ work demonstrates the ability to analyze and articulate principles, materials, and relationships.

ABOUT THE CLASSES TIME + MOVEMENT Students are introduced to the fundamentals of ordering information in time. Students create, acquire, manipulate, animate, choreograph, and distribute digital content across multiple platforms and outputs. Students learn the basic and fundamental principles of animation and motion design, digital photography and videography, sound design, and interactivity. They gain a basic proficiency in the tools needed to create time-based work and will understand ideas of order and interaction. In a world where increasingly everything is moving and interactive, these skills and concepts are essential for all artists and designers.

ABOUT THE CLASSES PHOTOGRAPHY Students are introduced to color techniques and theories. The course will cover the basics of color photography, including image capture, file management, image processing, and digital printing. Students will gain a broader understanding of photography as an artistic medium through readings, critiques, class discussions, and field trips. Black + white photography will introduce basic techniques, including small-camera operation, film exposure and development, and the contact printing, enlarging, and finishing of black-and-white photographs, as well as concept development and image content. Emphasis will be placed on the ability of students to master the technical skills necessary to begin developing their own artistic style.