No Class Sunday, January 25

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to use the starting point of a simple dichotomy, such as Order/Disorder, Disintegration/Regeneration, as a springboard for students to explore the nuanced and fluid space between two points. Students will engage in wordplay to come up with lists of dualities, and then work with found object/assemblage, in combination with more traditional materials like clay, paper, wire and plaster, to create improvisational works that utilize both accident and intention. Students will be encouraged to use this model as a framework for their own particular thematic interests.

Course Outline

During the first few days of this course, students will bring in their word lists and found objects. Each object will be paired with a word set to use as a starting point for a small-scale sculpture— one sculpture for each object/word set to create a series of works. The object-word pairing can be as arbitrary or meaningful as one wants.

These relatively fast creations will be gestural, preparatory exercises that culminate the following week with a single, larger piece whose scale addresses the human figure, as well as the space of the room. Everyone’s pieces will be looked at and discussed in two group critiques- one on Saturday, January 24th, for the small works completed in the first week, and then a final critique for the larger piece will occur on the last day of class, Friday, January 30th.

In addition to individual discussions with each student, we will look at and discuss the work of different sculptors in slide presentations (and in person if time permits for a field trip). I will also demonstrate specific sculptural techniques as needed.

Course Syllabus