Albany Senior High School/Coursebook/3ARH

What is this course about?
What exactly is art? What has Art's role been in the past and what is it now? These questions underlie the Level 3 Art History course of study in 2013.

The course will begin, after a brief overview of traditional art, by examining art's recording of and reactions to, the changing social, political and economic contexts in America following WWII. New movements of the time such as Abstract Expressionism (eg Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko), Minimalism (Donald Judd, Richard Serra) and Pop Art (Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein) will be explored alongside their counterparts in New Zealand artists (eg Colin McCahon, Ralph Hotere and Bill Culbert.

From there our study will broaden into the increasingly wide range of international contemporary art practice in our own time. Through art, we will explore artists' responses to such issues as consumerism, the advent of the digital age with its challenges to art marketing, copyright and art making, cultural interactions, globalisation and identity. Art examined will cover a wide variety of art forms eg painting, sculpture, mixed media works and architecture. Among the international artists studied are: Christian Boltanski, Sigmar Polke, Andreas Gursky, Damian Hurst, Ai Wei Wei, Mariko Mori, Choi Jeong-hwa, et al, Shane Cotton, Michael Parekowhai, Lisa Reihana, John Pule and Francis Upritchard. Among the buildings: The Bilbao Guggenheim Museum, the London Olympic Aquatic Centre, The Shard, the Louvre Pyramid and the Berlin Holocaust Museum.

New Zealand artists are among those studied in both sections, and we will art galleries and sites and discuss contemporary issues in art as they arise.

What will I learn?
You will explore the links between art works and their contexts, develop your skills in visual analysis through investigating and discussing different art styles and explore the way meaning is encoded in art works. You will explore how and why values are attached to art. You will develop a vocabulary of art terminology and use this in discussion and critical writing on art. You can expect to develop your critical writing and analytical skills considerably during this course - building a skill essential in your other areas of study this year.

What sorts of things will I do?
You will use a variety of learning strategies to explore and analyse art works and their contexts. You will examine art works as projected images, on film, on line and in situ (we will visit art galleries and art sites when possible as a class, and you will be expected to do this independently in your own time in order to enrich your learning). In class you will work independently as well as collaborating with others in pairs and groups. Contributing to class discussion is vital in order to explore, share and clarify ideas and you will be expected to read around topics being studied to build your knowledge. A questioning attitude is important as is maintaining an open mind when confronted with art and ideas unfamiliar to you. Working independently to build on what is covered in class is also essential for those working towards Scholarship.

Scholarship opportunities
Your teacher will explain the details of Scholarship to the class at the beginning of the year. Basically, Scholarship is a separate 3-hour examination for each Scholarship subject within the examination period at the end of the year. Scholarship in Art History rewards depth and breadth of knowledge, confident expression and independence. Fortnightly tutorials will be held for scholarship students and these students will be expected to submit practice essays for feedback. There are financial rewards for those who achieve the required marks in this examination. Art History students gained scholarships in both 2011 and 2012.

Frequently asked questions:
Do I need to have taken art history or practical art courses before? No, you do not. Students often have little knowledge of art and have not studied art history before beginning this course. As long as you are prepared to work to build your knowledge and skills, this is not a problem. Reasonable English skills are important, however, since much of the assessment, the final examination, and Scholarship, should you decide to do this, require written responses. Why is this learning important? Building an understanding of art enriches our lives, broadens our understanding and empathy with others, and helps develop our conceptual skills. It increases the pleasure we can take in viewing and participating in art, and the knowledge gained and ideas explored are relevant to many other fields of study. Literature, Design and Media are just some of the fields that often draw from the art of the past to express ideas in our own time. How is this learning related to future pathways? Art history continues through universities and other tertiary institutions (It is one of the 'Table A' listed subjects for the Univeristy of Auckland). It provides knowledge many of us will use in our future careers. The careers include art making, photography, journalism, advertising, teaching, furniture design, stage design, interior design, writing, architecture, reviewing, acting, directing, art curating, art conservation, auctioneering, public relations, collecting, antique dealing and restoration, a variety of roles in art galleries and museums, film making, scriptwriting, historian, costume design, research, publishing, valuation .. to name but a few Are there costs involved in this course? Class trips may incur transport and entry costs. There may be a charge for course books.