Instructor: Jon Satrom
Mondays, 3:30-6:20, JCL 134
To complete the major & minor, students must enroll in MAAD 29400, the Media Arts and Design Capstone Colloquium. As part of the colloquium, each member of this student cohort prepares a portfolio of digital media artworks and/or historical and theoretical writing.
The capstone project will include one substantive work or a constellation of smaller related pieces. The capstone project can also be a revision of a project initiated in a previous Media Arts and Design course. The portfolio can include digital media artworks and/or theoretical writing compiled from across courses taken for the major. Given the collaborative nature of Media Arts and Design, students will have the option to work on collaborative projects with another Capstone Colloquium participant, if this enhances their work.
The capstone project can be focused on practice or on theory, but it must include a smaller supplementary piece that addresses the other domain. Thus, each capstone project will have a primary and secondary component. A practice-based project might take the form of a developed video game, but will also include a supplementary theoretical artist statement that explains the historical and theoretical motivations for the digital artwork. A theory-based project might be an extended research paper about the history of Twitch and rise of social media or a queer theoretical analysis of independent video games in the 2000s, but will include a supplementary practice-based component (such as a curated Twitch stream, a podcast, or a website). The pedagogical purpose of requiring both a primary and secondary component is to emphasize the integration of practice and theory across MAAD.
Capstone projects will be shared at an exhibition that takes place at the Media Arts, Data, and Design Center. This event will happen in the Spring Quarter of students' final year and will include both a showcase and presentations.
This year's MAAD EXPO will be held at the Media Arts Data & Design Center, with an art opening on April 12th and presentations on April 13th.
JAN 8: Introductions
JAN 15: (No class MLK Day) Schedule one-on-one
Jan 22: Updates/Check-ins
JAN 29: MILESTONE 1
FEB 5: Website Workshop
FEB 12: MILESTONE 2
FEB 19: Studio
FEB 23: Project Writing Due
FEB 26: Soft Install group 1
MAR 4: Soft Install group 2
MAR 18: Website Portfolios Due
APR: 5-10: EXPO Install
APRIL 12 & 13: MAAD EXPO
Share updates and feedback wih your peers. Discuss any road-blocks and next steps.
By now, you should have rough sketches, identified anything you need to procure, and a solid studio schedule. Things can still be unclear and messy depending on your process!
Be prepared to show bare-bones/proof-of-concept work. Don't build a presentation or talk about what can or should be done. Let the work speak for itself.
Pass the HDMI and meet in groups.
Please come prepared:
We'll be breaking into groups to share Milestone 2
Bring in-progress work to share.
(Final projects will be soft-installed in the MADD Center Feb 26 and Mar 4.)
Temporarily install work in the MADD Center.
Temporarily install work in the MADD Center.
Projects can be focused on either Practice or on Theory, however, it must include smaller supplementary pieces that address the other domain.
The Capstone Project comes at a unique moment in your practice (specifically, at the end of your undergraduate course of study). It is an opportunity to dig deep and take on an independently driven (or collaborative) project. Maybe it's an idea that has been kicking around in your head for a long time. Maybe it's a theme that's been swarming around your work in other classes.
As cheesy as it sounds, an outstanding Capstone Project comes from within. It's opinionated, spirited, and driven by your perspectives, background, and unique interests. It may sound like a lot of pressure to make something that is a culmination of your MAAD experience, but we're here to help each other tease out what's unique to everyone's practice. You've already been doing the work… This is a chance to collect, reflect, collate, and build off it!
Students (now alums!) have exhibited a wide range of forms, including: video games, game mods, software art, text adventures, physical sculptures, digital prints, AI interventions and collaborations, video essays, net.art, electronic music releases, experimental filters and shaders, projection-based installations (projection mapping, video installations), interactive installations, virtual reality experiences, speculative software, social media interventions, real-time a/v performances, experimental animation, and curated feeds—just to name a FEW!
What Makes an Outstanding Website?
Your website can reflect your personality, style, and skills. It's many folx's first introdution to you. It should provide samples of your work and give insight into how you approach your work. It can be as straight forward or as wacky as you like. You may find this article interesting, as you consider building out your corner of the Internet.
The MAAD EXPO is an annual exposition showcasing the outstanding work created by MAAD majors and minors. Taking full advantage of the MADD Center's resources, students present their projects to the public. These projects encompass a wide range of media arts and design disciplines, including digital art, game design, multimedia storytelling, and much more.
The MAAD Symposium offers a unique platform for MAAD seniors to articulate the insights, inspirations, and impact of their work. Each presentation consists of a 5-minute pitch delivered by students, accompanied by prepared media/visuals. This is followed by a 3-minute session for brief conversations and questions. Presentations should encompass a range of aspects, allowing students to effectively communicate their work, including insightful observations, creative inspirations, the theoretical foundations underpinning their projects, and the historical context that informs their work.
As part of the yearly MAAD EXPO, the program awards micro-grants for students to continue their work. This funding can cover equipment and other needs to make it possible for students to extend or expand upon their Capstone projects. A team of panelists will examine the projects and select a total of 6 for grants.
Micro grants are awarded based on:
We expect our classrooms and the discord server to be safe spaces for all opinions and ideas to be discussed openly and respectfully. Of course, we may have uncomfortable conversations because that is the nature of learning; however, we will not tolerate hatred toward another individual. We are all here to learn and must be kind to each other while thinking critically about the discussed subjects.
The university is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive learning environment consistent with university policy and federal and state law. Please let us know if you experience any barriers to learning so we can work with you to ensure you have equal opportunity to participate fully in this course. If you are a student with a disability, or think you may have a disability, and need accommodations please contact Student Disability Services at +1(773)702-6000 or disabilities@uchicago.edu. If you are already registered with Student Disability Services, please deliver your Accommodation Letter as early as possible in the quarter so we can discuss your approved accommodations and needs in this course.
Grading "art" can be challenging. My grading rubric is based upon contributions in the classroom community, willingness to take risks, the effort put toward experimentation and execution, and generating work that is meaningful to you.
Our school is committed to fostering a safe, productive learning environment. Title IX and our school policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Sexual misconduct—including harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking—is also prohibited at our school.
Our school encourages anyone experiencing sexual misconduct to talk to someone about what happened, so they can get the support they need and our school can respond appropriately.
If you wish to speak confidentially about an incident of sexual misconduct, want more information about filing a report, or have questions about school policies and procedures, please contact our Title IX Coordinator, which can be found on our school's website.
Our school is legally obligated to investigate reports of sexual misconduct, and therefore it cannot guarantee the confidentiality of a report, but it will consider a request for confidentiality and respect it to the extent possible.
As teachers, we are also required by our school to report incidents of sexual misconduct and thus cannot guarantee confidentiality. We must provide our Title IX coordinator with relevant details such as the names of those involved in the incident.
It is contrary to justice, academic integrity, and to the spirit of intellectual inquiry to submit another's statements or ideas as one's own work. To do so is plagiarism or cheating, offenses punishable under the University's disciplinary system. Because these offenses undercut the distinctive moral and intellectual character of the University, we take them very seriously.
The issue of plagiarism and copying within digital art contexts is complex and multifaceted. In contemporary art, it is often challenging to distinguish between appropriation and plagiarism as many artists appropriate existing artworks for conceptual or aesthetic reasons. This practice differs from plagiarism in that it involves a deliberate intention on the part of the artist.
To navigate this terrain, we ask that all appropriated material be altered in distinct ways. Our goal is to encourage creative expression while upholding ethical standards, respecting the ideas of others, and giving proper attribution to our sources and inspirations.
Throughout the quarter, I will be sharing events happening across Chicago. You are strongly encouraged to check out the dynamic local cultures that are informed by and contribute to new media art. On occasion, I may facilitate site visits to galleries, artist studios, and/or events during class time. I will make sure to give plenty of notice via email. Please communicate with me if travel around the city presents difficulties for you.
background ripped from Sharna Hossain on CodePen