GRADING SCALE
GENERAL INFORMATION & EXPLANATION FOR INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED SCULPTURE
 

A = 91%...... B = 81%...... C = 70% ......D = 60%
The Course (Final) grade is determined by averaging the grades of all projects

 

ALL WORK MUST BE COMPLETED OR A FAILING GRADE WILL RESULT-- NO EXCEPTIONS

 

What follows is an example of an assignment (problem), and how it might be graded.

 

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

PROBLEM:
Using the “Lost-Wax” process, create a relief sculpture.  The dimensions of the sculpture should NOT exceed 6” in height or width and shouldn’t be more than 1/2” deep. It should be at least 6” in width and height. The sculpture may be representational or abstract. The finished work may be free-standing or wall-mounted.

CREATIVE AND AESTHETIC GUIDELINES:

Creative

The work should present a response to the problem that is new and personal.  Avoid obvious everyday sorts of solutions that the “average guy on the street” would be likely to offer. Such would probably not be considered particularly innovative.  If your work looks a lot like most of the other work in the class, chances are that it’s not particularly creative (original, personal). 

Aesthetic

The work’s appearance should be of a nature to engage the viewer (i.e., be interesting).  The various elements should all share the same basic characteristics while simultaneously offering the viewer enough variety to be interesting.  The work’s organization (arrangement of elements) must be logical/natural.  Any patination (color) should be appropriate to the shapes or forms of the work. 

TECHNICAL GUIDELINES:

The sculpture must first be formed in wax. Direct building, casting or a combination of both may be used to create the wax state. The wax is to be gated using wax or Styrofoam.  The gated wax sculpture is invested and burned-out.  Bronze is cast into the investment.  The resulting bronze cast is broken free of the investment. The gates and any casting flaws repaired/removed and the work receives a patina.

Basic materials: wax (microcrystalline), Styrofoam, plaster, sand, bronze (silicon bronze), various patination chemicals.
Basic tools: melting pots, dippers, knives, hot plate, wax working tools, soldering iron, pliers, scissors, putty knife, bowl, metal shears. 

 

 

 

GRADING THE RESULTS (How the grade is determined)

 

SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM INHERENT IN THE GUIDELINES

Suppose that in evaluation (critique) analysis reveals the following. The work is made of bronze as directed and has a generally “finished” appearance However, the work does not function as either free-standing relief or a wall-relief. It may be perceived as pleasing by the casual viewer - HOWEVER, it fails to satisfy a major part of the assignment's general guidelines and will be graded down! Out of the 40 points possible, such a mistake might cause the loss of 10 or 15 points. Conversely, if this project didn’t have these faults (as well as satisfying the other guidelines), it could receive all 40 points.

CREATIVITY AND AESTHETICS – N. B., Grading in the area of Creativity/Aesthetics is at least partially a "judgment call". The instructor relies on his experience with the world of art generally, and student work particularly. 

Creativity (Originality)

This is the degree to which the student responds to the assigned problem with a solution that is fresh and innovative. In art, creativity and innovation are extremely important. If the sculpture that results from this project presents new and "different" ways of putting forms together it will be considered very creative. 

 

Aesthetics deals with the appropriateness of all elements of a work to its function. In slang, this might be called "rightness". The degree to which the art elements work to elicit an appropriate response from the viewer is the aesthetic effectiveness of an artwork. In judging the finished work the instructor (critic) makes aesthetic judgments the basis of how well (appropriately) all the elements that go into the work relate to one another. Usually the instructor asks himself a number of questions about the work. For example, Is the overall form appropriate to the medium? How do the elements (parts) relate, are spatial forces resolved?) If the answers to these questions are positive, the work is said to be aesthetically successful

 

TECHNICAL/CRAFTSMANSHIP PROFICIENCY Technical proficiency refers to how well-made a work is. An alternate way of evaluation would be to judge skill in craftsmanship. Parts should be shaped, surfaced, and assembled with appropriate skill. A work that falls apart, won't stand as it should or is crude where it shouldn't be is not technically proficient or well-crafted.) For example, in critique the work is found to be structurally sound (it’s stable and balanced), and it meets the dimensional requirements, but the surface is messy (e.g., there are lots of irregularities and the investment hasn’t been fully cleaned off), the overall judgment would be that the craftsmanship is severely lacking. As a result, it would be appropriate to take off major points. Clumsy or sloppy work of any sort will severely cut into the points available.  On the other hand, appropriate craftsmanship could get all or most of the available points.

 

 

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CALCULATING GRADES (EXAMPLE):

 

AESTHETIC/CREATIVE GRADE:
The problem was generally solved with only minor lapses. 

Creatively, the work was an unusual response to the problem (good) and, aesthetically, there were a very few inappropriate form relationships (not so good).  Overall, the work is generally successful – the resulting grade points are about 88 or 89. Thus the grade is a high “B’.

 

 

TECHNICAL/CRAFTSMANSHIP GRADE:

The work, as presented, is a little bit sloppy and crude, but is solidly assembled. Judgement would be that, technically, the craftsmanship was only moderately skillful.  In a case like this perhaps 75 points is appropriate – that is the resulting grade is a moderate “C”.

 

 

At this point in the class the student’s overall grade would be a low “B”.