Receiving grades for artworks completed in class has been a mystery for some students (even parents and teachers too!)
"How can ANYONE grade art?" you might say "It's so SUBJECTIVE!"
I'd like to take the mystery or confusion out of how Art Teachers usually GRADE artwork and how it's different from Art Critics CRITIQUING artwork. Take a look at the comparisons below:
GRADING ARTWORK or "Educational Critiquing"
1. Has the student hit all the Criteria or "Checklist Items" for the project that was given by the instructor (the "Shopping List")? Some examples:
Layout: Did they use "Rule of 3rds"?
Color Use: Are there Complementary Colors?
Subject Matter: Is there a landscape or is it abstract?
Materials: Color Pencil use only and no Markers?
Technique: Shading (light to dark) used?
2. What "STAGE" is the artist at technically?
Emerging: 70-79 "C" Grades (Trying, but just getting the hang of it)
Practiced: 80-89 "B" Grades (Got the right ideas, but not completely...)
Proficient: 90-100 "A" Grades (You're doing it right and it shows!)
3. Art is not judged on being "Good or Bad". (Art teachers may say "Oh, that looks GOOD" or "OH, I LIKE THAT" meaning: they see that you've HIT one of the shopping list items correctly and HIT one of the two highest stages : "Practiced" or "Proficient".
4. Was there an attempt at the project? None? Some effort or Big Effort?
5. STUDENT / Teacher CRITIQUING: to give POSITIVE or CONSTRUCTIVE opinions to HELP the student create better pieces of art.
Main Goal: Assessment of the level of the art student: How much effort was placed by the student? What was learned in the process- Anything? Did they GROW as an artist? Teacher gives information to the student to: LEARN, Grow and ultimately "future student driven investigation".
Take a look at this DRAWING 1 Project "The 6-Cell Project" to get an idea of a targeted list of "what will be graded on" with this assignment:
Art Critics: Professional Critiquing / Critical Art Reviews
1. Technical Aspects - Is it "Professional" / Ready for display?
2. Subject Matter (Do they have a theme? Is it reoccurring in their show / display?)
3. Design / Layout
4. Does it have "meaning" or relationships to other things? What are they and how strong are those meanings to the viewer? Do others respond similarly?
5. The overall "performance": is it GOOD or BAD? WHY do I LIKE IT or HATE IT? Compare to others in the show or other works previously done by the artist.
Main Goal: Professional critiquing of art gives ART CRITIC'S OPINION to share with others. They explain why we should go see this work at all costs or why we should just stay at home and binge watch something on Netflix instead.
It also gives guidance to art galleries, collectors and the general public about what "good art" looks like and what we should look for. Just like FOOD CRITICS give their opinion about Chefs or Restaurants: Do you want to eat at the worst restaurant in the city or "one of the country's best"?
GREAT ART...
1. Sparks Thought and Conversation
2. Displays AWESOME technical abilities with the medium (paint, pencil, sculpture...)
3. Communicates a message
4. Makes CONNECTIONS between: Cultures, Beliefs and our Collective History
5. Is MORE than just a "pretty picture"