Pratt Foundation is a yearlong experience that transforms incoming students into an inclusive community of aspiring artists and designers. Immersive studio courses introduce fundamental concepts through individual and collaborative creative processes. This year of interdisciplinary research and experimentation prepares students to enter specialized majors, fosters self-discovery and social engagement, and instills a practice of seeing and critical inquiry that will endure throughout their lives.
Foundation Goals
We advance our mission through the pursuit of six interrelated goals.
- Through practical and theoretical coursework in four related disciplines, Drawing, Light Color and Design, Three-Dimensional Design, and Four-Dimensional Design, students acquire a working knowledge of the basic concepts and fundamental principles that underlie and connect the theory and practice of many fields of art and design.
- Through the practices required for the successful completion of assignments in the four disciplines, we address, elicit, and strengthen specific sensory-perceptual, cognitive, and affective capacities along with essential manipulative skills necessary for both professional practice and for continued learning and development.
- Students are introduced to a broad range of both traditional and digital time-based media used in art and design and, through practice, gain a degree of skill in their use.
- Through focused attention given to individual students, made possible by extended, six-hour studio classes, we recognize and develop the profile of talents, interests, and skills particular to each student.
- Through faculty assessment of student learning and achievements, and through student self-assessment, students become more self-reflective regarding their own interests and abilities. In acquiring this self-knowledge they are better able to make sound judgments and decisions regarding both their short-term and long-range educational paths.
- Students are immersed an information-rich environment which enables them to gain an acquaintance with the fields of art and design and are thereby better able to orient themselves with respect to the range of available careers.
Foundation Outcomes
Upon completion of the Foundation year students will demonstrate knowledge and ability in the following:
- Core Concepts and Language
Gain fluency in use and understanding of fundamental visual principles and elements, such as: color, form, line, shape, space, time, texture, value, balance, emphasis, repetition, rhythm, scale, variety, unity, sequencing, and point of view. - Making
Experiment with conceptual strategies, analogue and digital tools, and iterative processes to achieve intended outcomes and inform unexpected solutions. - Inquiry
Develop conceptually rigorous works through research, ideation, and exploration of cultural and historical sources. - Reflection
Analyze and evaluate one’s own work and the work of others through speaking and writing. - Synthesis
Apply knowledge and experience to assigned and self-directed projects through sustained intellectual and visual process. - Community
Responsibly engage both independently and collaboratively with one’s faculty, class, cohort, and larger communities to promote safety, sustainability, and sensitivity in the 21st century classroom.