News
Welcome to the Foundation Website, where you can look for current information about the Tyler BFA Foundation Department.
Orientation Information
Temple University has several registration days for new and transfer students. See the Dean of Students’ webpage for details
Registration for Tyler Fall Classes
At your orientation, you will be assigned a grid of studio classes and you will choose a section of Art Heritage and other academic or GenEd classes.
Every Foundation freshman will be assigned to a section of :
- 1501 Topics In Contemporary Art and Design (two meetings, 50 minutes/week)
- 1511 Drawing (3 credits two 2 hour 50 minute meetings/week)
- 1521 2D Foundation Principles (3 credits, two 2 hour 50 minute meetings/week)
- 1531 or 1532 3D Foundation Principles (3 credits, two 2 hour 50 minute meetings /week)
Supply lists
Each class will require a lot of supplies. Supply lists for each Foundation class have been posted on the Supply Lists & Studio Hours Page of this site.
Temple University’s Bookstore makes up kits for the Drawing, 2D Foundation Principles, and 3D Foundation classes that are available from them. Each kit costs between $150-$200.
Grading Rubrics
To clarify the process of giving final grades, the Foundation faculty has been working on a series of rubrics that explain how grades are determined. Details have been posted on the Evaluation section of our site in Fall, 2010. Students should look at Tyler Assessment for general information.
Student Life Blog
Much of the news of the school is sent out through Tyler’s Student Life Blog. You might bookmark it on your computer so you can find it in a hurry! You can also check out what we're up to by becoming a fan on Facebook.
Summer Reading
Being an artist or designer is a life-long education. To help get ready for your immersion in the study of art and design, Tyler’s Foundation faculty have suggested a few books to read, films to watch, and websites to visit. There won’t be any quizzes, but being familiar with this material will help you get ready for the college-level conversation you’ve chosen to join by coming to Tyler.
Books:
The faculty recommended a few books for every freshman:
- John Berger, Ways of Seeing
This book, which first came out in 1972, is a valuable introduction to how visual language works. It’s poetic, insightful, and has profoundly influenced many artists, designers, and critics.
- Buster Kendall & Paula Crawford, The Critique Handbook: A Student’s Sourcebook and Survival Guide
Critiques are a huge part of your art and design education. This book give an overview of how critique work and provides strategies for making the most of them.
- Ben Shahn, The Shape of Content
Artist Ben Shahn presented the chapters in this book as lectures at Harvard in 1957, and they still form a terrific guide to how an artist or designer should approach his or her education to get the most out of it. This book is a real gem.
Some other general books that were suggested included:
Some of the faculty’s suggested books were specific to certain classes
- Albers, Josef - Interactions of Color
- Fisher, Mary & Zelanski, Paul - Shaping Space: Dynamics of 3-Dimensional Design
- Itten, Johannes - Elements of Color
- Perez-Oramas, Luis - An Atlas of Drawings
- Selz, Peter and Kristine Stiles, Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists’ Writings
Websites:
The Foundation faculty also suggested you get in the habit of visiting these websites:
- ArtBlog – Gives news about artists and galleries in the Philadelphia area. A great way to get introduced to the Philadelphia art community.
- New York Times Art and Design – On Fridays, the New York Times reviews exhibits and focuses on news from the art world. You should check it regularly to know what’s going on.
- Today and Tomorrow is one of the many interesting sites that posts new work in a wide range of media. Check it out.
Podcasts:
Finally, check out our iTunes University channel for video podcasts. There are demonstrations of techniques and short lectures about art and idea we think you ought to know.
