Foundation Curriculum

The Foundation curriculum gives students the skills, insight, and fluency of expression necessary to meet the challenges of further study in art. Core studio courses focus on drawing and visual perception, which form the fundamental skills of visual language. In addition to core requirements, first-year foundation students choose studio elective courses to explore different areas of interest and begin study in their chosen majors.

Single Semester Foundation

Freshmen or transfer students who enter in January can take a group of courses that allow them to accelerate their progress in Foundation and move into their chosen major in their second semester. These students must still fulfill all credit requirements for a degree in their major, which means replacing foundation credits with electives later in their program of study.

Photo Foundation

Students immerse themselves in a foundation studies curriculum devoted to the study of photography (see Photography Curriculum).

Foundation

Please note: The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University reserves the right to unilaterally add, withdraw, or revise any course offering in the above-mentioned program of study, including policies, provisions, requirements, and fees. Current students may visit the Academic Advising Office to obtain the official program requirement sheet that corresponds with their year of enrollment.

IFNDN 1110

New Media Design: Digital Collage
1.5 credits
Have you ever wanted to draw on top of one of your paintings or photographs? Have you ever wanted to use a portion of an old painting to create a larger piece? Have you ever wanted to start an artwork digitally and finish it by hand, or vice-versa? In this course, students will discover the dynamic new ways that ideas can be generated with digital imaging and learn how to create work digitally using organic media. The class will cover the fundamentals of the digital workflow with Photoshop: scanning, color management, and realization of the artist's vision. The instructor will guide each student to achieve mastery of basic digital imaging techniques, emphasizing craft and construction. The instructor will also present slide shows of past and current new media artists in order to address how new media today can work in tandem with the organic processes of the past. There will also be weekly demonstrations and critiques. At the end of the course, each student will produce a series of original works that bridge understanding of digital and handmade media.

IFNDN 1120

Digital Narratives: A Basic Digital Imaging Class
1.5 credits
Students will create a poetic essay while focusing on the technical, aesthetic, and content demands of digital image making. The basics of Photoshop and iMovie are taught in this course. Final pieces will be edited in iMovie and digital editing software and exhibited as moving images.

IFNDN 1581

Digital Notebook
1.5 credits
This course involves experimentation with Corel Painter (a software application that replicates natural media), the Wacom graphics tablet, and non-digital mediums. It will include instruction in Painter and the Wacom graphics tablet, as well as in scanning and digital printing. You'll learn to draw, paint, and collage directly with the tablet as well as on downloaded materials and scanned images of your own. The end product will be a personal sketch/notebook.

IFNDN 1615

Drawing Fundamentals
3 credits
This course provides students with a working knowledge of the concepts and techniques of perceptual drawing. Through a close examination of the elements of line, volume, space, planar analysis of form, value, and perspective, students learn what it means to really 'see' and organize what is observed. Students are introduced to the language of drawing and learn to visualize their thoughts and ideas, allowing them to gain skills which are necessary for success in other classes at AIB.

IFNDN 1620

Drawing Intensive
4.5 credits
This course introduces the fundamentals of perception and pictorial organization. Beginning with basic concepts and processes involved in responding objectively to observed subject matter, projects progress to cover compositional and subjective issues. Elements of line, volume, space, and planar analysis of form, value, and perspective are closely examined in a variety of drawing media. Lectures and field trips are part of this course.

IFNDN 1630 / 1633

Conceptual Development I/II
1.5 credits
All successful artists must know how to find and evolve concepts. This course promotes a student's ability to reach beyond first ideas and to find new ideas through different types of visual research and intellectual research. Through discussion and reflection during creative experimentation, students realize the importance of using both intuition and intellect when forming an image.

IFNDN 1631 / 1634

Foundation Seminar Lecture I/II
1.5 credits
This course encourages critical thinking about visual culture and its impact on society. Both the means to analyze and discuss personal work in terms of its form, content, and meaning and the development of a sense of visual acuity occur in this course. A clearer, more concise communication of ideas is enabled while providing a sense of artistic community and professional development.

IFNDN 1640

Visual Thinking
3 credits
A thorough analysis of the dynamic life of the picture plane and the pictorial field, with reference to historic and contemporary masters. The visual elements of line, value, volume, space, and texture are examined for their formal and expressive behavior. Beginning with black-and-white media, using simple geometric and organic shapes and forms, projects progress to include color, narrative, and some three-dimensional work in a variety of media. Lectures and field trips are included.

IFNDN 1653

Conceptual Drawing
3 credits
This course explores various themes, materials, concepts, and styles of drawing. Students have the opportunity to develop personal, subjective images within the boundaries of assignments. Focus is on the expansion and utilization of drawing skills to access personal vision. Drawing skills developed in first semester support the development of work focusing on concepts. Prerequisite: IFNDN 1615 or IFNDN 1620.

IFNDN 1654

Figures in Environments
3 credits
Planning scenes with figures in environments, both observed and imagined, takes place in this course while examining the gamut of possibilities which arise. Dealing with single and multiples figures, students explore unusual viewpoints, various media, and personal responses to create a story, setting, and mood. Students are encouraged to approach projects within the frameworks of their own professional fields. Prerequisite: IFNDN 1615 or IFNDN 1620.

IFNDN 1655

Self Portrait
3 credits
This drawing course concentrates on the numerous approaches to the self-portrait as subject matter. The continuing development of fundamental drawing skills within this context is a primary focus. Special emphasis is, nonetheless, placed on expanding expressive potential through the exploration of techniques, materials, composition, historical context, and concept. Numerous projects are done inside and outside of class, culminating in a life-sized, head to toe self-portrait. Prerequisite: IFNDN 1615 or IFNDN 1620.

IFNDN 1656

Figure Drawing
3 credits
Students will make drawings in various media based on important perceptual concepts and challenges. Most drawings will be made from the nude or clothed human figure and some from the students' imaginations. Emphasis will be on developing the skills needed to create sensitively observed and envisioned images and their environments, as well as more imaginative treatments of the figure. Some discussion of anatomy will be covered. Slides and lectures.

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