SENIOR ART THESIS
The Seniors Honors Art Thesis is the culmination and final expression of a student’s art experience at Mount Alvernia. It encompasses an advanced understanding and appreciation of art and its processes, techniques, media, and history. Each student seeks to achieve authentic self-expression through a self-designed and independent visual art project.
The process begins with each student writing a short research paper on an artist whose work inspires her and continues as she recreates that artist’s work or style as a springboard for her own ideas. The independent project commences when she writes a proposal for artwork that is her own vision. She explains in detail the concept, materials needed, time required, dimensions, and artistic influence on her theme. She can use this time to experiment with a new medium or to delve further into a favorite one. Mixing media and creative risk-taking are encouraged.
During her three month project, she keeps a weekly journal of her art process where she experiments with ideas and choices and sets goals. She records any activity related to her project especially challenges and successes, changes, self-reflection and peer feedback through written expression, sketches, and collage. During this time, each student meets individually with the teacher to discuss progress and students engage in class critiques of each other’s work, providing valuable insights in an atmosphere of mutual respect. A final reflection paper is written by each individual artist at the close of her project.
It is the hope of the teacher, that each senior student will gain from this experience a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the time, thought, dedication and responsibility required to cultivate an independent and meaningful work of art. In time, she develops an awareness of the process through which she and her work have evolved. The graduating artist’s realization of a living creative process is as vital to her senior year experience as her artistic product.
