San Francisco Art Institute: 2014 PreCollege Program Brochure

S a n F r a n c i S c o a r t i n S t i t u t e

P r e C o l l e g e P r o g r a m

◊ Ages 16–18 ◊ June 22–July 25, 2014 ◊

WelComeAt the San Francisco Art Institute’s PreCollege Program, you will be immersed in a world of making art. A five-week, six-college-credit course of study for artists who have complet-ed the tenth grade but haven’t yet started col-lege, the program introduces participants to what it’s like to be in art school—to the broad range of techniques, concepts, and debates that make up the contemporary art scene.

Here, you’ll study with practicing artists (most of whom teach in SFAI’s undergraduate pro-gram), experiment with new media, and meet other students who—like you—are driven to create. You’ll also visit museums, exhibit your work, and develop a portfolio that will help further your artistic and educational goals. All of this takes place in beautiful San Francisco—a city full of activity and inspiration.

With an innovative curriculum and a com-mitment to research, hands-on learning, and active dialogue, SFAI fosters an authentic artistic community engaged in interdisciplinary thinking and contemporary studio practice. Founded in 1871, the institution has been central to many of the country’s most notable art movements—experimental filmmaking, Abstract Expressionism, Conceptualism—and home to such world-renowned artists as Ansel Adams, Richard Diebenkorn, Don Ed Hardy, Annie Leibovitz, Barry McGee, and Kehinde Wiley.

SFAI’s historic campus is located at 800 Chestnut Street, in the scenic Russian Hill neighborhood.

San FranciScoAs a cultural center, the Bay Area is world-class, yet it has an intimate feel and a DIY ethos. The region is full of places to experi-ence art, from major institutions (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Asian Art Museum, Berke-ley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, de Young Museum, Legion of Honor) to established galleries, and alternative and col-laborative spaces in back rooms, basements, bookstores, parks, and streets.

During your time in PreCollege, you’ll get a taste of this vibrant city through activities with the PreCollege staff and new friends.

@SFAIevents, #SFAISan Francisco Art Institutewww.sfai.edu/precollege

a b o ut S F a I

Artwork by Shannon Sperling

Artwork by Gabriella Lincoln (Levitation Series: Soryn)

View from the SFAI roofPhotographed by Gabriella Lincoln

Artwork by Sage Sabey (Clockplate)

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a Wee K I N t H e l I Fe o F a P r eC o lle g e St u D e Nt

More tHan art ScHooLMany PreCollege students attend high schools that have a strong emphasis on the visual arts, yet spending five weeks immersed in creative experimentation and interdisciplinary projects at SFAI has a transformative impact on all of our students. Speaking with a group of stu-dents from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts who attended the Summer 2013 PreCollege Program, we got their take on the distinctive qualities of their experience.

“People at our high school don’t cry at gradua-tion, but we all cried on the last day of Precol-lege. it’s because Precollege is like a slice of a dream. it was like an island or an oasis that you never wanted to leave.”

–Daisy Faragher

“i definitely have a better grasp on my own artistic process and the way that i work. i figured out how to work through a concept and a piece from start to finish by being in that envi-ronment. after being constantly surrounded by art, i am driven to keep working.”

–emma rudman

“at my high school we have five art classes, but we only have them once per week, so i felt like SFai was more in-depth. We also don’t have studio time, so it was really exciting to be able to use all of the equipment and facilities, and SFai has really amazing equipment.”

–Soryn Mouton

“When i got home, my dad said that we could clear out a back room for a studio, and i spent days in that studio just painting like i would have done at SFai. i might have done that before, but now i definitely have more ground-ing and concentration for just doing that. i am dedicated to spending the time painting, and not wanting to do anything else.”

–Mavis Figuls

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday saTurday sunday

1:30–4:30 » Studio Course: Experimental Cinema

9:30–12:30 » Faculty-Led Work-shop: Let’s Make a Giant Inflatable

1:30–4:30 » Art in Context: All-student field trip to Oakland Museum of California

8 » Photo Shoot Night

8 » Dolores Park and Bi-Rite Ice Cream Trip

8 » Talent Show/Open Mic Night

10 » Check-In with RAs


6 » Communal Dinner


9–9:30 » Breakfast in the SFAI Café

12:30–1:30 » Lunch in the SFAI Café


9:30–12:30 »

Studio Course: Installation Art

5:30–8:30 » Required Studio Hours

5:30–8:30 » Required Studio Hours

8:30 » Board Game Night

Midnight Check-In with RAs

4 » Thrift Store Trip

Artwork by Soryn Mouton

Opposite » Drawing classPhotographed by Gabriella Abrahamson

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This is an example, but each student’s schedule will be unique.

10 » Trip to the Farmer’s Market

The PreCollege Program offers participants a well-rounded, introductory course of study and an experience comparable to that of first-year Bachelor of Fine Arts students at SFAI. Students choose two core studio courses (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) that meet for three hours each, Monday through Thursday. A range of Friday academic activi-ties, studio hours, and workshops (see page 14) enhance this core schedule.

exPreSSive Line anD LiFe DraWing (Morning anD aFternoon)

Working with a model, traditional and nontra-ditional still lifes, and on individual projects, you will address issues of composition, the use of light and dark, and mark-making. This class aims to help you work from observation to interpret what you see, allowing your drawing to reveal the history of its creation. Pencil, charcoal, ink, watercolor, gouache, and collage are all possible materials.

Painting anD PerMutationS (Morning anD aFternoon)

Embracing risk-taking and experimentation, you will explore the limitless and concep-tual possibilities of painting using oil and/or acrylic. You will produce paintings that stress compelling visual organization, originality, and craftsmanship, and that synthesize your ideas into a complete body of work. Formal course critiques assist in developing strong skills both in the evaluation of your own artwork and in analyzing formal composition prin-ciples. Modern and postmodern movements will be introduced as a means to contextualize studio work.

C o u rS eS


Morning Classes » MONDAY–THuRSDAY, 9:30 AM–12:30 PM

aFTernoon Classes » MONDAY–THuRSDAY, 1:30–4:30 PM

Courses listed as both morning and afternoon have more than one section, and are not full-day classes.

Campus breakPhotographed by Gabriella Lincoln

OPPOSITE »TA Rachel Fein-Smolinski admires Cassie Sheedy’s drawings

Photographed by Alex Peterson

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BLack-anD-WHite PHotograPHy (Morning anD aFternoon)

Capture the magic of West Coast photog-raphy and the influence of artists such as Ansel Adams (who founded SFAI’s Photogra-phy Department), Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Lewis Baltz, and many more. Photographic field trips, extensive darkroom work, gallery and museum visits, and class discussions will form a dynamic environment for creating new work with technical and historical understandings of the medium.

Prerequisite: Basic introductory course in photography. Students must provide their own 35mm SLR cameras that allow manual control of shutter speed, aperture, and focusing.

DigitaL PHotograPHy (Morning)

This course will encourage you to explore, create, and experiment with the medium of photography. Through hands-on activities in the digital computer lab, the lighting studio, and in the field, you will compose images and produce photographic prints. using Adobe Photoshop CS6, you will learn how to color-correct photos, as well as how to work with more complex adjustment features such as se-lections, layers, masks, and channels. Discus-sions and group critiques will provide insight into contemporary photography. By the end of the class, students are expected to have a cohesive body of work and a technical and conceptual knowledge of color photography and color digital printing.

Prerequisite: Basic introductory course in photography. Students must provide their own digital SLRs or digital cameras with manual settings.

DigitaL aniMation (Morning)

A fascinating blend of imagination, artistry, and technology, digital animation offers limitless possibilities for expression with moving images. This course will intro-duce software such as Adobe Flash and After Effects, as well as traditional animation fun-damentals of illustration and motion. By first developing a strong understanding of digital animation tools through hands-on exercises, you will move toward more complex concepts of storyboarding and interactivity, with the creation of a short, animated movie as the culminating result.

Prerequisite: Familiarity working in a Mac environment.

exPeriMentaL cineMa (aFternoon)

This hands-on course will demystify the mechanics of experimental filmmaking and investigate its potential as a tool for personal expression. You will gain an understanding of Super 8, 8mm, 16mm, and digital video cameras and filming principles, while creating short films, videos, and installations. Editing will be done using both analog and digital tools, including Final Cut Pro. Students will also be introduced to cinematic history and contemporary film theory.


Last day funPhotographed by faculty member Elizabeth Bernstein

OPPOSITE » Adam Setton studying a 16mm film clipPhotographed by Gabriella Lincoln

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inStaLLation art (Morning)

This course explores the poetic form and social history of conceptual and site-specific installation. Studio projects will include work with architectural forms, performance, video, and lighting. You will discover the im-portance of context, process, and time-based activities, while working with materials and space; you will also learn about project docu-mentation. Slide lectures will expose students to the historical and political underpinnings of these forms and their contemporary manifestations worldwide.

ScreenPrinting (aFternoon)

Explore the expressive and technical pos-sibilities of screenprinting. In this course, you will learn how to develop a stencil; convert drawings, photographs, and digital output into a genuine print; and experiment with a variety of surfaces, including paper, fabric, and plastic. Projects will introduce students to the photo-emulsion process, color registration, and water-based ink mixing.

ScuLPturaL ForMS: HanD-BuiLDing anD MateriaLity (aFternoon)

Working with a range of direct-construction methods, you will engage materiality, three- dimensional design, and functionality, while exploring contemporary sculptural practices. This course will address the processes, tech-niques, and concepts at play when working with three-dimensional objects. By designing and building structures using a variety of ma-terials—including ceramics, wood, and mixed media—you will learn methods of fabrication and assemblage and begin to understand the broader relationship of these methods to sculptural ideas.


Artwork by Sander Borgeson & Sebastian BatesPhotographed by Emily Shallman

Jack Laiche making a screenprintPhotographed by faculty member Savanna Snow

Artwork by Jack Laiche (Bruised)

Artwork by Helen Warren (Chicken Picante)

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C u r r I C u l u m S u P P le me NtS

WorkSHoPSFridays, 9:30 am–12:30 pm

Through faculty-led workshops, you will exper-iment with new mediums, materials, and in-terdisciplinary methods of creative production. These sessions provide structured opportuni-ties for you to work with the broader faculty team and to learn about ideas and practices that will enhance your core coursework.


orientationStudents are required to attend orientation as a way to be introduced to PreCollege’s policies and procedures, as well as to meet faculty, staff, and other PreCollege students. A student-parent orientation dinner will be held on Sunday, June 21, from 5–7 pm, on campus, with an additional student-only orientation on Monday, June 22, from 12–2 pm.

evening StuDioEvery course in the PreCollege Program will require you to commit time and effort to your creative practice outside of class. All students are required to work on their projects on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30–8:30 pm on campus. In addition to these allotted times, many studios and campus resources will be accessible to students throughout the week.

art in context Fridays, 1:30–4:30 pm

Each Friday, PreCollege participants gather to collectively engage in an activity or discussion that relates to the professional practice and contemporary context of working artists.

extracurricuLarIn addition to arts-based programming, there will be opportunities to connect with your classmates and relax at weekly events such as a dance party, movie nights, and more.

FinaL exHiBitionIn a campus-wide final exhibition, PreCollege students show the work they have produced during the program, sharing their accomplish-ments with family, friends, and the public. A closing reception will be held on Friday, July 25, from 4:30–6:30 pm, with a screening of Digital Animation and Experimental Cinema projects beginning at 3 pm.

Workshop TopiCs inClude:

» Cyanotypes: printing in prussian Blue

» pinhole photography

» Bomb the streets!

» Figure drawing

» real life Comics

» let’s Make a giant inflatable

» expanded Cinema: pairing live Music with Film

SESSIONS INCLuDE:

» A guided portfolio workshop led by SFAI’s Admissions team to assist you in developing a cohesive portfolio for application to SFAI or other college art programs

» Field trips to some of the Bay Area’s top museums

» Guest artist talks to help you contextualize your practice within the contemporary art world

reQuireD FriDay activitieSAn exciting range of workshops and all-student activities fill Fridays during PreCollege, enabling you to meet new students, work with a range of faculty, explore the Bay Area art scene, and more. As a PreCollege student, you are required to participate in these Friday academic activities and workshops, in addition to classes and studio hours.

Artwork by Rachel Reuther

OPPOSITE » FRIDAY WORKSHOP: Mural painting in Balmy Alley

Photographed by Emily Shallman

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During the PreCollege Program, our students have the opportunity to become a part of a creative community that extends beyond the five-week program. This network is made apparent through the continual engagement of PreCollege alumni who work to support the program. We sat down with two of our PreCollege graduates, Madison Voelkel, who is currently pursuing a BFA in Pho-tography at SFAI and who also works as a Resident Advisor (RA) during the PreCollege Program, and Rye Purvis, who works at SFAI as the Housing Coordinator.


MaDiSon voeLkeL“The program isn’t just going to classes and living in the dorms. There’s a lot of pro-gramming that lets students form their own community, and to foster new relationships, and get everyone in the same space working creatively and having fun outside of their studio classes. There’s a really great ‘home’ en-vironment for such a short program. It pointed my life in a certain direction, which I didn’t entirely expect. When I came back to SFAI, I wanted to help other students find their own paths. Being able to be a role model for them is really rewarding.”

rye PurviS“In one of my very first classes, Mark Mulroney (Painting Faculty, 2005) had us pick out slides from the library. I knew no artists. I knew Van Gough and what was in the art books in the Barnes & Noble in Albuquerque. The fact that he allowed us to look over those slides of artists that we liked and go over why we liked it, and how it related to what we could do in our art—to have that unique, individualized instruction—was probably the biggest thing for me. It motivates me to have that one-on-one interaction with students.”

2013 »Benjamin Gross (PreCollege, 2003), chairperson and professor, teaches in the Art + Design Department at Salem State university, Massachusetts

2012 »Lauren Siry (PreCollege, 2005) opens the doors of Eighteen O Five, a contemporary art gallery in San Diego, California, of which she is the director and founder

Jason Hrera (PreCollege, 2003) founds Dopa-mine, a company that incorporates the latest findings from the behavioral sciences into product design in San Francisco, California

Allysa Haeusslein (PreCollege, 2004) becomes associate director of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco, California

2010 »Sarah Getto (PreCollege, 2004) wins the Constantiner Fellowship in the Depart-ment of Photography & Imaging at New York university’s Tisch School of the Arts

aLuMni HigHLigHtS

a l u m N I S P ot l I g HtS

Artwork by Madison Voelkel

Artwork by Rye Purvis

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Supervised housing provides SFAI PreCollege students with a convenient, affordable, and secure living environment that supports their artistic growth. A professional student housing staff and a team of enthusiastic full-time SFAI students committed to campus leadership live with PreCollege students, helping to familiarize them with the school and its surroundings.

» caBLe teLeviSionEach student room is equipped with a television, basic cable, and a DVD player.

» recreation rooMResidents relax and socialize in the fully furnished recreation room equipped with a pool table and foosball table, as well as a large-screen television. This popular com-munity space is also used for residence hall programs and activities.

CHECK-IN » SuNDAY, JuNE 21, 2014

CHECK-OuT » SATuRDAY, JuLY 26, 2014

reSiDence HaLL aMenitieS

» coMMunity kitcHenResidents enjoy cooking and eating together in a community kitchen. The facility is equipped with everything residents need to prepare food, including a full-size oven, stove top, microwaves, and toasters.

» LaunDryCoin-operated washers and dryers are conveniently located in the residence halls. Residents may use quarters to purchase affordable wash cycles.

» internet acceSS anD coMPuterSThe residence hall is equipped with wireless Internet throughout the building and in the rooms. Residents also share use of community computers located in the building.

@SFAIevents, #SFAISan Francisco Art Institutewww.sfai.edu/precollege 18

o uS I N g

Typical SFAI residence hall rooms

P r o g r am D et a I l SPrograM exPenSeS anD FeeS» Tuition for two studio courses, including six units of college credit, Friday Workshops, and Art in Context: $3,000 (includes a $100 nonrefundable deposit)

» Room and board (includes a $250 café cash plan): $2,000 (includes a $100 nonrefundable deposit)

Total due for residents by May 30: $5,000Total due for commuters by May 30: $3,000


art SuPPLieSStudents will receive a supply list for each of their classes prior to the start of the program and are expected to have all of the supplies at the start of PreCollege. When planning your budget for PreCollege, please note that sup-plies for most courses cost approximately $250.

Living coStSStudents enjoy the flexibility of selecting or preparing their own dinners. Please plan your budget according to your dietary habits.

ScHoLarSHiPSScholarships for the PreCollege Program are awarded to students based on financial need. Scholarship application forms are avail-able online (www.sfai.edu/precollege-application) or upon request and should be received together with completed application materials by April 1.

Beach day Photographed by Gabriella Lincoln

Shadow drawings photo shootPhotographed by faculty member Taravat Talepasand

FRIDAY WORKSHOP: Pinhole Photography Photographed by Emily Shallman

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oW t o a P P lY C o N N eCtpreCollege prograM

SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITuTE800 CHESTNuT STREETSAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133

» 415.749.4554» [email protected] » WWW.SFAI.EDu/PRECOLLEGE

are you soCial?

aPPLication cHeckLiSt» A completed and signed application form (use enclosed, or download at www.sfai.edu/precollege-application)

» A disc containing five to eight examples of work that reflect your imagination and originality. For students pursuing time-based mediums such as video or film, please submit a DVD with five to ten minutes of your work.

Images should be in jpeg file format, no larger than 2,000 x 2,000 pixels and no smaller than 640 x 640 pixels. Video, animation, and movie files should be ex-ported to QuickTime format, at least 320 x 240 pixels. No PowerPoint files please.

IMPORTANT: Include an image list on the CD in a .doc or .rtf file.

DeaDLineSAPPLICATION DEADLINE » May 1, 2014

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION AND INTERNATIONAL STuDENT APPLICATION DEADLINE » april 1, 2014

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Acceptance to the PreCollege Program does not automatically enroll you in classes. Apply early in order to get your first choice of classes.

@SFAIevents, #SFAI

San Francisco Art Institute

Artwork by Claire Calvert

Final exhibition goodbyes with students and faculty members Jamil Hellu and Meghann Riepenhoff

Photographed by Alex Peterson

@SFAIevents, #SFAISan Francisco Art Institutewww.sfai.edu/precollege 22

» An artist statement (a one-page essay about your primary interests in making art)

» A letter of recommendation from an art teacher who knows you and your work

» A $65 application fee

Non-U.S. citizens should contact the PreCollege Office for further information on obtaining a student visa.

For complete application instructions and documents, please visit » WWW.SFAI.EDu/PRECOLLEGE-APPLICATION

San Francisco Art Institute: 2014 PreCollege Program Brochure

Documents

art schoolto

sco art i nst

asian art museum

i work

contemporary art scene

e g e p r o g r

experience art

berkeley art museum