Special Topics

SART 17.01 Collage: Bridging the Gap
An exploration of the design and construction of imagery through the medium of collage. Students will work in mixed media collage materials from a variety of subject matter with a focus on the development of critical abilities and an individual esthetic. Assignments will make use of collage as a connection between two-dimensional and three-dimensional artwork, addressing collage work in relationship to drawing, painting, relief sculpture, photography and architecture.

SART 17.08 - Digital Drawing
This class will explore the connection of hand drawing and digital drawing to create original images. Students will explore the implications, opportunities and technical issues of using the computer as a drawing tool and combine computer-generated drawings with those done by hand. Drawings may combine layering, collaging and converting 3D form to 2D hand drawings using PhotoShop, Illustrator and Rhino software, among others.

SART 17.09 The Photographer as Activist: Making Art Inspired by the Hood Museum's Collection This course examines photography's evolving role as protagonist for raising awareness of important social and political issues of our time, such as war and its aftermath, the politics of gender and family, and the sustainable landscape.  Meetings in the Bernstein Study Center will focus on the study of specific photographs and the processes and techniques employed; these explorations will form the basis for individual photographic projects, culminating in a creative portfolio or book. Students will develop a critical framework for the cultivation of visual literacy and the understanding of photography's importance as witness to human experience.

SART 17.13 - Drawing with Van Gogh
Students learn to draw as Vincent Van Gogh did throughout various stages of his life, with similar instruction, purpose and drawing materials.  The class will see and draw from the art that influenced him, work from subject matter similar to his, and experiment with his particular techniques.  Students will copy a range of Van Gogh drawings, draw directly from life as he did, and read many of his extraordinary letters.  At the end of the term, each student will develop a suite of drawings, embodying their own idea of how Van Gogh's work might have further evolved.  Supplemental course fee required. All levels of drawing experience welcome.

SART 17.15 3D Design and Digital Fabrication This course is an introduction to basic three dimensional design principles and the relationship between structure and space. Students will learn fundamentals of design ideologies to design and construct objects and structures that use cutting edge computer modeling and 3D fabrication processes to create forms ranging from everyday utilitarian objects to structures for specific sites on campus. Material investigations and problem solving skills to design innovative solutions to real world problems will be undertaken. Computer drawing and fabrication using the program Illustrator, and 3D modeling with Rhino, 3D Printers and CNC Routers will be taught and used. Students will develop skills needed to communicate design concepts and develop personal approaches to design as well as to construct them. The projects include forms based on aesthetic as utilitarian design.

SART 17.16 Personal Iconography & the Public Debate: Text, Image and Form
This class will give students the chance to explore the relationship of what you want to say to how you say it in art, with a strong focus on combining image, text and material. How do text and image work together to create art that engages and demands its place in the public exchange of non-art related ideas? Making use of research students will work in the studio to realize their ideas. Students will make broadsides at the Book Arts Workshop in Baker-Berry, and create a public intervention at a place of their choosing.

SART 17.18 - Art & Activism
This course will look at various international and domestic artists to examine how contemporary visual art can be a form of social activism. Instead of working in one medium, students will have the opportunity to experiment with multiple media like drawing, painting, digital photography & collage, and video. The focus of the course will be on art practices in the context of social activism and its potential to interrupt conventions surrounding history, culture, identity and politics. In the spirit of its subject, students will utilize a range of media with the goal of visualizing the relation between medium and concept, art and thought, self and world.

SART 17.23 Book Publication Lab This special topics studio course will provide students an opportunity to engage in research, conceptualization, design thinking, and execution of collaborative print projects. Strategies in design research, investigation, form-making will all be discussed along with techniques in page layout, typography for book and editorial layouts, risography, zines, self-publishing, and bookmaking. It will function as a creative laboratory, providing an opportunity to be immersed in and mindful of a range of collaborative creative processes. Through fast-paced exercises, readings, and studio projects, students will develop skills to create with others and test the boundaries of ways to give form to new ideas and strategies to generate content. Outcomes will include both digital and analog print methods. This course is designed as an interdisciplinary exploration for students in studio art and from other departments such as english and creative writing, music, languages, and the sciences. Supplemental course fee required. Enrollment limited.