Energy, excitement, and emerging talent were apparent at the student critiques in Prof. Julia Jacquette’s Painting VI: Sources of Painted Imagery class last week.

The class of 23 students was well along on their assignment: Identity and Cultural Influence, when Joan Endres, who oversees the School of Art and Design Instagram account, visited them in week five of the spring semester. Many of the photos she posted are repeated here.

“Observing the critiques was inspiring,” said Endres, a communications associate for the School of Art and Design.

“They all had thoughtful, encouraging comments about each others’ work.  There’s a sense of community among these student artists who are finding their voices and have sharp insight about other students’ work,” she said.

In their junior year — and in this third course in the painting sequence — students “still have structured assignments,” says Prof. Jacquette, “while being encouraged to focus on their own vision.”

Jacquette’s intention is for the assignments and in-class prompts to continue providing structure, but also to allow for latitude as they master and hone their skills.

Jacquette conducts two major group critiques, and various impromptu ones that don’t take a full class.

For this project, students start with sketches of their initial ideas for their painting. They also respond to a worksheet where Jacquette asks them their ideas for personal identity. The worksheet is meant to help bring ideas to the fore.

Students also create digital folders and actual hard copy folders of visual research, photos of what interests them visually, and that might include imagery of the cultures they’re from or that influenced them.

For this first assignment of the semester, Jacquette asked them to take a stroll through the Metropolitan Museum of Art that include galleries of non-Western art.

“They were encouraged to use the Met as a visual library,” she said.

Jacquette notes that “a lot of those ideas about structure, preparation, and exercises, were developed with my colleagues.”

It’s easy to say but not always easy to execute. “As a professor you know they must use of certain skills that they’re still learning, but in advanced courses like this one, skills may be more about form than content.”

Jacquette praised her students, saying “this group is game for the idea that they still need prompts but are also bringing their own ideas to the assignments.”

Despite the large class size, she said, “this is probably the best class I’ve ever had as a group…maybe ever.”

Grace Keller. Photo: Joan_Endres

“Because it’s an advanced class and they are segued into making self-determined art work, it requires a lot of one-on-one discussion,” says Jacquette.

“It requires me not only giving feedback, but really giving them advice about how to strengthen whatever they want to be doing,” she says.

“Whatever their ideas are, I’m helping them make those ideas clearer to achieve the best work they can with the choices they’re making.”

Jacquette says painting classes in her own junior year, at Skidmore, “were very similar to this in many ways.”

“I’m bringing that experience and pride as a student to my students now,” she said.

“I actually remember the work that I started making as a junior. It was the first time I felt that it was my art work.

“I loved all of my classes at Skidmore. During my junior year we were encouraged to find our own voice.”

Olivia Oppenheim. Julia Jacquette“That work to this day is still important to me. I don’t show it. I don’t exhibit it, but how pleasurable it was to be making something completely of my own choice.”

But, Jacquette adds, “as I am doing now with my own students, I was nudged, I was given prompts.”

For more information about the Fine Arts AAS and BFA programs, visit: Fine Arts at FIT.

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