DIY

The Venture Studio, with support from the Chicago Innovation Exchange and Kickstarter, will examine contemporary art and design entrepreneurship. The course will provide instruction and resources for student project teams to research and develop artworks, objects, environments, products, systems and services for Kickstarter funding campaigns. Class work culminates in candidate projects being reviewed for business incubation, toward launch, at the Chicago Innovation Exchange. Portfolio application is required for this course. Please go to Slideroom at https://saicscholarships.slideroom.com/#/login.

Using Rhinoceros and 3D scanning tools, art and design students will generate complex forms for fabrication with CNC milling technologies. Students will learn to make and edit complex tool paths using advanced milling strategies. In class projects will include scaffolding exercises to develop skills with software, hardware and finishing techniques with an eye towards learning skills appropriate for robotic milling of wood, foam and other materials. This course requires students to have a laptop that meets SAIC's minimum hardware specs and runs the AIADO template.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

This team-taught, introductory course provides a foundation for most additional coursework in the Art and Technology Studies department. Students are given a broad interdisciplinary grounding in the skills, concepts, and hands-on experiences they will need to engage the potentials of new technologies in art making. Every other week, a lecture and discussion group exposes students to concepts of electronic media, perception, inter-media composition, emerging venues, and other issues important to artists working with technologically based media. Students will attend a morning & afternoon section each day to gain hands-on experience with a variety of forms and techniques central to technologically-based art making.

This course examines neon techniques used in both traditional and current sign making and their application in creating artworks. Contemporary technical developments are explored.

DIY has become a widespread movement in the artistic community. Modifying, tinkering, tweaking and downright hijacking have become a commonplace practice among today?s artists. Many everyday electronic objects are yearning to be liberated from their banal existences. This course explores readily available materials with a goal of bringing out the hidden aesthetic potentials of electronic devices. Students dig beneath the shiny surfaces to uncover underlying workings, principles and mechanisms. Class projects result in new artworks by reanimating the physical presences and behaviors of the reassembled artifact.

Electronics can be a kind of language that, when an artist becomes fluent in it, opens doors to numerous aesthetic possibilities. Students will learn the basic principles of electronics along with hands-on techniques for putting the power of electrons into their work. They will be introduced to electronic components and circuits for switching, sensing, making decisions, and, to a limited degree, linking to computers. Students will encounter digital and analog answers to some of the most common art-making needs, gaining a foundation which will enable them to continue to expand their repertoire of aesthetic technological skills.

Writing in the twenty-first century is computational, writes literary critic N. Katherine Hayles. While this is true, she explains, of any work that uses digital software as its production environment before being output to print, it is particularly evident in works of electronic literature that are designed to be encountered on the computer screen. The practitioner of electronic writing is an author who combines human language and computer code to create new kinds of literary experience. Works of electronic literature can exceed the possibilities of print in their scale, dynamic variability, visual and temporal qualities, and attentiveness to the reader. The environment of the network (internet) also provides new opportunities for collaboration and sampling of found material. In this writing studio, we will survey varied forms of electronic literature including interactive hypertext / hypermedia, multi-user environments, codeworks, e-poetry, writing for virtual reality, and text-driven digital performance. Students will engage the potential of computational literature by creating original works using a variety of web-based programming languages taught in the weekly sessions. No previous programming experience is required.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

Art therapy considers many aspects of the interplay of art and the human experience: health, suffering, healing, and creativity. This course will entail the viewing and making of videos to investigate and critique these and related issues. Students will explore the documentary and educational potential of video, its use as a clinical tool, and its capacity as a medium for personal creative expression within the context of art therapy and beyond. Reading, discussion, AV presentations, and digital video production constitute the structure of this class.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

Sonics and Optics is an intensive study of lenses, optics, sensors, stocks, materials, laboratory processes, microphones, and recorders as essential tools in film/video making; and how image and sound should be considered at the inception of each piece. Throughout the semester students will learn the fundamentals of a lens (focal length, aperture), its relationship to the camera (shutter, ISO), and aesthetic options available. The course will offer the same immersive perspective of sound technologies; including choosing microphones (stereo, cardioid, shotgun, contact, etc), recording options (sound device, field recorder, mixing board), and methods of field recording. This course is an essential technical base for all advanced moving image work.

Sonics and Optics is an intensive study of lenses, optics, sensors, stocks, materials, laboratory processes, microphones, and recorders as essential tools in film/video making; and how image and sound should be considered at the inception of each piece. Throughout the semester students will learn the fundamentals of a lens (focal length, aperture), its relationship to the camera (shutter, ISO), and aesthetic options available. The course will offer the same immersive perspective of sound technologies; including choosing microphones (stereo, cardioid, shotgun, contact, etc), recording options (sound device, field recorder, mixing board), and methods of field recording. This course is an essential technical base for all advanced moving image work.

This introductory course focuses on screen-based new media works, their historical contexts, their specific aesthetics and theoretical concerns. Students gain an understanding of the emerging culture and historical antecedents of new media. Interactive, network and web-based technologies are introduced from the perspective of media art making. New media works are screened, discussed and demonstrated.

This course introduces video as a medium for artistic expression and social inquiry. Students gain an understanding of the video image-making process and develop proficiency with video equipment, including portable and studio production and editing systems. Strategies for the use of video as an art-making tool are explored. Works by video artists are viewed and discussed.

Filmmakers often run into a problem of depending too much on equipment. This makes one believe that it is impossible to be creative without elaborate 'tools.' Artists of film can produce images in any circumstance-with or without complicated tools. If a filmmaker understands the process and mechanism of how images can be generated, equipment can be as minimal as one paper clip. This class is designed to introduce a variety of skills and ideas to make images with simple tools. Students are encouraged to make their own equipment to produce their own image effects. The course mainly focuses on reproduction of images without using large equipment. Some of the ideas introduced in this course are making images without camera and/or lenses; animation; pixilation; time exposure; time lapse; images using slides, stills, and newspapers; all phases of in-camera effects; rephotographing frames; printing in camera; optical printing; and contact printing. Prior enrollment in FILM 2003 is recommended.

This production course will explore the legacies of punk and alternative cultures via DIY (do-it-yourself) methods across an array of mass media. Topics covered through case studies will include: self-publishing and organization; touring and DIY exhibition; remaining and reinventing forms; and connecting production to political empowerment, support and action. Case studies will include grass-roots movements like riot grrrl/queercore (1990's) and amateur cinema (1920's), alongside presentations by contemporary visiting artists. Projects will include producing and tabling for Chicago Zine Fest; collaborative motion picture production; and an end-of-semester exhibition.

Publishing yourself and publishing others will both be addressed in a start-to-finish manner as we cover the key aspects of publishing as a creative enterprise, from pitching and editing to fundraising and promotion. We will look at various historical and current models for both digital and print publications as students develop and produce their own publishing projects.

This course will engage the artists' book through the lens of the everyday. The relationship between traditional and emerging technologies will be emphasized with found and self-produced book forms. We will pursue numerous conditions, contemporary strategies and histories surrounding the book as an everyday object. Students will explore through making, ideas of parody/homage, the multiple, mass production, self-publishing, narrative, appropriation, value structures and the influence of the everyday in contemporary art discourse.

Students will develop professional practices including collaborative and independent work situations, via roles as commissioned artist, master printer, or artist-designer. Students will seek real-world clients to complete assignments, foster relationships with graphic designers, small presses, or their artist peers. Contemporary alternative print production and distribution models such as the integration of art, music and publishing prevalent in DIY scenes (1990s and 2000s), to emerging artist multiple/subscription programs and book/print fairs will be also be studied.

Through coursework, research, presentations, fieldwork, gardening, and collaborative projects, students will learn about 'human impact biospheres' ? now dubbed the Anthrome. Students will identify significant issues from regenerative movements for land stewardship, plant biodiversity and soil health as inspiration for their studio projects. Using the Columbus building courtyard and garden, a dedicated lab and a living wall structure, we will consider ways that humans and land use are enmeshed in complex ecological systems to explore regenerative possibilities, from seed to sky.

Using Rhinoceros and 3D scanning tools, art and design students will generate complex forms for fabrication with CNC milling technologies. Students will learn to make and edit complex tool paths using advanced milling strategies. In class projects will include scaffolding exercises to develop skills with software, hardware and finishing techniques with an eye towards learning skills appropriate for robotic milling of wood, foam and other materials

This course, emphasizing use by the student artist, introduces the practical applications of sound equipment, techniques, and theory. Subjects covered include microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, the basic physics of sound, and magnetic tape recordings and associated skills. The concept of sound as a material with basic structural properties that may be manipulated is introduced. Students explore methods of composition, using various sound materials in assigned projects. A critical survey of sound art and experimental music introduces students to various approaches to understanding and experiencing sound within an art context. Students have studio time for individual hands-on access to equipment. No technical background is necessary.

This course, emphasizing use by the student artist, introduces the practical applications of sound equipment, techniques, and theory. Subjects covered include microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, the basic physics of sound, and magnetic tape recordings and associated skills. The concept of sound as a material with basic structural properties that may be manipulated is introduced. Students explore methods of composition, using various sound materials in assigned projects. A critical survey of sound art and experimental music introduces students to various approaches to understanding and experiencing sound within an art context. Students have studio time for individual hands-on access to equipment. No technical background is necessary.

This course, emphasizing use by the student artist, introduces the practical applications of sound equipment, techniques, and theory. Subjects covered include microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, the basic physics of sound, and magnetic tape recordings and associated skills. The concept of sound as a material with basic structural properties that may be manipulated is introduced. Students explore methods of composition, using various sound materials in assigned projects. A critical survey of sound art and experimental music introduces students to various approaches to understanding and experiencing sound within an art context. Students have studio time for individual hands-on access to equipment. No technical background is necessary.

Students in this course will design and produce visual communication via the letterpress method, with emphasis upon the integration of materials, structure, and content within visual/verbal formats such as single sheets, traditional books, artist's books, and 3-D sculptural multiples. Instruction encourages an interdisciplinary approach with a thrust toward expanding the media's boundaries. Lectures and video documentaries provide a historical and cultural context for type design and the printing revolution. Field trips provide exposure to the expanding applicability of letterpress in contemporary design. This course may be repeated for credit, to allow intermediate and advanced undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to broaden and refine their skills through technical and theoretical problem-solving that focuses on the creation of meaning through independent, self-structured projects.

Students in this course will design and produce visual communication via the letterpress method, with emphasis upon the integration of materials, structure, and content within visual/verbal formats such as single sheets, traditional books, artist's books, and 3-D sculptural multiples. Instruction encourages an interdisciplinary approach with a thrust toward expanding the media's boundaries. Lectures and video documentaries provide a historical and cultural context for type design and the printing revolution. Field trips provide exposure to the expanding applicability of letterpress in contemporary design. This course may be repeated for credit, to allow intermediate and advanced undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to broaden and refine their skills through technical and theoretical problem-solving that focuses on the creation of meaning through independent, self-structured projects.

This course examines neon techniques used in both traditional and current sign making and their application in creating artworks. Contemporary technical developments are explored.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

Participants will learn to carve and print wood block narratives that are bound into book forms. Using the relief print and some writing, participants will learn single sheet, saddle stitch, perfect and accordion style bookbinding. The binding style of each book is considered with regard to the content it is presenting. Through examples and demonstrations students will learn about papers, using the tools of relief printmaking, as well as tools and materials of bookbinding. Emphasis is on content, self expression, and acquiring skills. No prior experience necessary, writers welcome.

Participants will learn to carve and print wood block narratives that are bound into book forms. Using the relief print and some writing, participants will learn single sheet, saddle stitch, perfect and accordion style bookbinding. The binding style of each book is considered with regard to the content it is presenting. Through examples and demonstrations students will learn about papers, using the tools of relief printmaking, as well as tools and materials of bookbinding. Emphasis is on content, self expression, and acquiring skills. No prior experience necessary, writers welcome.

This course will trace the roots of underground publishing and artist-published objects and ephemera. Students will create a body of work based on assignment prompts and self-directed projects related to their individual artist practices through an idea-centered, research-based approach to building images and content. Class meetings will be used for technical demonstrations (silkscreen, xerox monotypes & image transfers, letterpress monoprints, zines & basic bookbinding structures), looking at prints and printed matter, work time on projects, individual mentoring and consultations, critiques of work, and discussions of readings.

This course will trace the roots of underground publishing and artist-published objects and ephemera. Students will create a body of work based on assignment prompts and self-directed projects related to their individual artist practices through an idea-centered, research-based approach to building images and content. Class meetings will be used for technical demonstrations (silkscreen, xerox monotypes & image transfers, letterpress monoprints, zines & basic bookbinding structures), looking at prints and printed matter, work time on projects, individual mentoring and consultations, critiques of work, and discussions of readings.

See topic description for more information.

Positioned within and beyond the Columbus building courtyard and gardens, KLab: Assemblages will look to related organisms, and organizations, to investigate the complex material and social assemblages that form Chicago?s urban ecosystem. Looking to the class environment as its own assemblage, students will be encouraged to pursue both individual research interests and methods of collective inquiry as we investigate materials histories, contemporary conditions, and speculative futures. Class projects will encourage investigation of the sticky conglomerations that form when position ourselves among and between communities of human and nonhuman organisms, considering such complex systems as photosynethesis and solar energy production, rhetoric and realities of invasive species, and material as media. These discussions will also take a critical look at interdisciplinary and collaboration in contemporary artistic practices. Integrating critical readings, lectures, presentations, field trips, skill-building workshops, and discussions, students will be asked to design and build sculptural structures and surfaces that propose new forms of social and ecological engagement. There will be at least one group project with opportunity for students to design their own contribution.

The Venture Studio, with support from the Chicago Innovation Exchange and Kickstarter, will examine contemporary art and design entrepreneurship. The course will provide instruction and resources for student project teams to research and develop artworks, objects, environments, products, systems and services for Kickstarter funding campaigns. Class work culminates in candidate projects being reviewed for business incubation, toward launch, at the Chicago Innovation Exchange. Portfolio application is required for this course. Please go to Slideroom at https://saicscholarships.slideroom.com/#/login.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

This course prepares students to start and manage arts businesses and/or organizations, blending techniques of for-profit and non-profit management so that students can see the similarities and differences between the two types of organizations which comprise the field of arts administration. We survey the entrepreneurial practices of the for-profit sector, as well as the mission-driven operations of the nonprofit sector. Students learn the basics of how to strategically develop a business plan and successfully implement it. Skill Sets Learned include: writing a brief business plan with an understanding of the components and activities that are important to a plan; choosing among the different legal forms for a business, considering which is most appropriate for your business at a particular stage; basic staff management, interviewing, hiring, and directing; designing and implementing a Marketing strategy using the 5Ps approach (Product, Price, Packaging, Promotion, and Place); understanding the basic terminology and documentation for Accounting and Financial Records; familiarity with the basics of Contracts and Intellectual Property so as to protect you and your creative work; understanding of the basic principles of Economics which affect your business; seeking business loans or investors, knowing potential sources as well as terminology and provisions; selecting appropriate business Insurance; and, making prudent business and staff decisions based on appropriate Business Ethics.

A rapidly increasing variety of objects in everyday life are acquiring an awareness of their environments, a repertoire of behaviors, and the ability to communicate with other objects, their owners, or, through networks, with more comprehensive integrated systems. This class explores the design processes, skills, and tools necessary to thrive in this exciting creative domain. The course incorporates substantial hands-on development experience in a lab environment. Students will conceptualize, prototype, and build working objects that respond to and cooperate with their owners and with each other.

This team-taught, introductory course provides a foundation for most additional coursework in the Art and Technology Studies department. Students are given a broad interdisciplinary grounding in the skills, concepts, and hands-on experiences they will need to engage the potentials of new technologies in art making. Every other week, a lecture and discussion group exposes students to concepts of electronic media, perception, inter-media composition, emerging venues, and other issues important to artists working with technologically based media. Students will attend a morning & afternoon section each day to gain hands-on experience with a variety of forms and techniques central to technologically-based art making.

This course examines neon techniques used in both traditional and current sign making and their application in creating artworks. Contemporary technical developments are explored.

This course examines neon techniques used in both traditional and current sign making and their application in creating artworks. Contemporary technical developments are explored.

This course offers an exploration of computer-aided design and manufacture from concept and modeling through file creation and cutting processes, and addresses the aesthetic and critical concerns of its use in an artistic context. Using professional software and a state of the art four-axis CNC milling machine, students ranging from artists and beyond can build the elements of detailed models, fabricate a range of finished objects, or even create entire pieces. Class sessions will include hands-on tutorials in the use of software and machinery, examination and critique of art and design utilizing this technology, and class discussions informed by reading assignments. Students are REQUIRED to have a personal laptop.

This course explores the use of radio, light and sound as media through which an artist can create a public voice. This course takes a hands-on, do-it-yourself approach to these media, providing a basic background in electronics theory and practice, as well as in programming and use of microcontrollers. Topics covered in this course include, but are not limited to, low-power radio, locative media, hactivism and culture-jamming. Some examples of activities include the construction of AM/FM radio transmitters and receivers, laser projectors, persistence-of-vision displays and mobile audio rigs. A survey of the artistic significance of these media will be conducted throughout the course. Students are expected to research and present their findings in class, as well as to produce a personal or collaborative final project that augments their own practices.

While there has been neon animation almost as long as there has been neon, the technology has, until recently, been unchanged. Until the advent of simple microprocessors and solid state transformers, the potential remained untapped. Students learn basic programming and circuit design skills with an emphasis on time and motion studies.

Electronics can be a kind of language that, when an artist becomes fluent in it, opens doors to numerous aesthetic possibilities. Students will learn the basic principles of electronics along with hands-on techniques for putting the power of electrons into their work. They will be introduced to electronic components and circuits for switching, sensing, making decisions, and, to a limited degree, linking to computers. Students will encounter digital and analog answers to some of the most common art-making needs, gaining a foundation which will enable them to continue to expand their repertoire of aesthetic technological skills.

Constructing art objects that incorporate real or apparent motion often requires skills in a number of areas: physical shaping and fastening of elements, linking them to an actuator (such as a motor), and controlling the motion, most typically through electronics. This course will give students a grounding in all these techniques as well as initiate a discussion of some of the problems and possibilities inherent in the aesthetic use of motion.

This course focuses on wearables and 'soft' computing as a vehicle for subversion and artistic appropriation. Readings emphasize theoretical discourse on the relationships of the body, technology, fashion, social interactions and environment. Concepts are developed, designed and prototyped into working pieces by participants addressing personal expression and social dialog. Soft circuits (conductive paint, fabric, etc), new and recycled materials are explored in the development of expressive computational forms.

In BioArt studio students participate in classroom exercises and individual projects exploring the manipulation of living matter as artistic material. The basic protocols of molecular biology will serve as departure points for study of more sophisticated and advanced techniques utilized by artists and scientists. Together we will examine food, microbes, plants, human and non-human animals, through methods of observation, imaging, listening, scientific experiments and analysis. No previous laboratory experience required.

This course is a creative laboratory for experiments that foreground poetics as a model for the arrangement and performance of any number of potential forms. We will frame our work and discourse in relation to practices including hypertext, code poetry, text generation, mixed reality poetics, and bio-poetry as we discover and develop unique interdisciplinary projects. Open to a multiplicity of influences and outputs, text-oriented or otherwise, the course is appropriate to artists with an interest in language, code and systems.

Video game music spans and pushes the boundaries on music both popular and avant-grade. Music contextualizes the events of a game, and sound effects emphasize particular actions and ambiences. Through composition assignments and critiques, students will hone sound and music production skills and learn about the design concerns of writing music and creating effects for games. Listening assignments draw from the body of alt, indie, art, and AAA games. Class discussion breaks down how assigned material is constructed and contributes to its game. The class uses Logic Pro, but any Digital Audio Workstation is fine. Background in sound/music production, theory, or performance recommended.

Data Viz Collaborative is a class that will be team taught in the fall of 2014 by a group of interdisciplinary faculty based at both the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and Northwestern University (NU). The course has two primary goals: (1) to establish a critical dialogue about information visualization across multiple disciplines and (2) to engage students in collaborative research on information visualization using existing data sets. The first goal will be accomplished by engaging students in a series of short lectures delivered by both the science and studio faculty that discuss how images that picture complex data sets help move their own research projects forward or how images might enhance/problematize/critique/promote new knowledge acquisition in science, art, and/or design. The second goal is addressed by inviting students to join one of two research teams, which meet weekly to collectively work on a large data set to experiment with translation of numeric information into various forms. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students from either institution, the course will culminate in a group exhibition in the Neiman Center.

Professional Practice: Web Art is a course that combines creative and practical knowledge related to web site development. Launched in 1989 as a remote file sharing system for scientists, the World Wide Web is nearly thirty years old. Today, the web functions as an exhibition space, a communications hub as well as a nexus for creative expression. Students in the Web Art class will learn the Hypertext Mark-Up Language (HTML), which is the basis of WWW authoring. Potential overall format and conceptual frameworks for developing a media-rich web site will be investigated, and ways of subverting the traditional web page format in order to create unique approaches to the dynamics of the web will be explored. Course activities include technical tutorials, preparation of a CV, writing of a project statement, and the creation of a web site.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

This is an entry-level experiential class which explores and implements concepts from art therapy and related fields. The course presents a blend of approaches including Eastern traditions, Jungian psychology, and other sources. Studio work and writing will be used as tools to understand and cultivate the discipline of self-awareness. The class will be structured as a community of participants engaging in and studying the phenomenon of the creative process. Each class meeting will involve art making and writing as well as discussion of ideas based on readings and experiences. This course is for anyone wanting to explore the relationship between art and life, self, other, and community in experiential and theoretical ways within an art therapy framework. It will be of value to those considering working with others using art, such as teachers or art therapists, as well as for those who may wish to establish art and/or writing as a form of practice and discipline in their lives. Open to all students.

Art therapy considers many aspects of the interplay of art and the human experience: health, suffering, healing, and creativity. This course will entail the viewing and making of videos to investigate and critique these and related issues. Students will explore the documentary and educational potential of video, its use as a clinical tool, and its capacity as a medium for personal creative expression within the context of art therapy and beyond. Reading, discussion, AV presentations, and digital video production constitute the structure of this class.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

Students are introduced to a full range of fiber/fabric equipment, materials, processes, forms, and philosophy, including surface design on fabric, weaving, and hand construction techniques. Both traditional and nontraditional approaches to process and materials are explored, while conceptual and historic issues are discussed using the resources of artists, galleries, and museums within Chicago.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

This seminar is designed to introduce the student to the language of the moving image, its history and the ways in which artists have used moving images in this century. The course will explore the idea of radical content and experimental form by establishing the normative models and procedures of cinema and video, and then showing the ways artists have challenged these conventions. The course will define and differentiate the two dominant forms of moving image: film and video, and begin a consideration of new and expanding forms for the moving image. The course is a prerequesite for all other 2000 level FVNM courses and intends to introduce the student to the moving image through a series of group exercises.

Sonics and Optics is an intensive study of lenses, optics, sensors, stocks, materials, laboratory processes, microphones, and recorders as essential tools in film/video making; and how image and sound should be considered at the inception of each piece. Throughout the semester students will learn the fundamentals of a lens (focal length, aperture), its relationship to the camera (shutter, ISO), and aesthetic options available. The course will offer the same immersive perspective of sound technologies; including choosing microphones (stereo, cardioid, shotgun, contact, etc), recording options (sound device, field recorder, mixing board), and methods of field recording. This course is an essential technical base for all advanced moving image work.

Sonics and Optics is an intensive study of lenses, optics, sensors, stocks, materials, laboratory processes, microphones, and recorders as essential tools in film/video making; and how image and sound should be considered at the inception of each piece. Throughout the semester students will learn the fundamentals of a lens (focal length, aperture), its relationship to the camera (shutter, ISO), and aesthetic options available. The course will offer the same immersive perspective of sound technologies; including choosing microphones (stereo, cardioid, shotgun, contact, etc), recording options (sound device, field recorder, mixing board), and methods of field recording. This course is an essential technical base for all advanced moving image work.

This introductory course focuses on screen-based new media works, their historical contexts, their specific aesthetics and theoretical concerns. Students gain an understanding of the emerging culture and historical antecedents of new media. Interactive, network and web-based technologies are introduced from the perspective of media art making. New media works are screened, discussed and demonstrated.

This course introduces video as a medium for artistic expression and social inquiry. Students gain an understanding of the video image-making process and develop proficiency with video equipment, including portable and studio production and editing systems. Strategies for the use of video as an art-making tool are explored. Works by video artists are viewed and discussed.

Filmmakers often run into a problem of depending too much on equipment. This makes one believe that it is impossible to be creative without elaborate 'tools.' Artists of film can produce images in any circumstance-with or without complicated tools. If a filmmaker understands the process and mechanism of how images can be generated, equipment can be as minimal as one paper clip. This class is designed to introduce a variety of skills and ideas to make images with simple tools. Students are encouraged to make their own equipment to produce their own image effects. The course mainly focuses on reproduction of images without using large equipment. Some of the ideas introduced in this course are making images without camera and/or lenses; animation; pixilation; time exposure; time lapse; images using slides, stills, and newspapers; all phases of in-camera effects; rephotographing frames; printing in camera; optical printing; and contact printing. Prior enrollment in FILM 2003 is recommended.

This course introduces students to the use of RISOgraph image duplication as a creative, independent publishing tool. Attention will be paid to ways artists' publishing has publishing has been used to bypass traditional cultural and institutional gatekeepers, to foster community, as well as the distribution of independent ideas and content. Studio work will be supplemented with readings, visits to SAIC special collections and class discussion addressing contemporary and modern artists. Studio experimentation and research will be encouraged.

This course explores how contemporary artists, architects, and designers are sourcing and utilizing wood in a world of disappearing resources. Architects and designers are returning to the use of timber in their work, claiming it to be a bold 21st century material due to the emergence of sustainable, engineered wood products. Demonstrations, slide lectures, discussions, readings and field trips will engage: urban logging practices, arboretums, recycled construction materials, sustainable practices, ecologies, economics, veneers, and faux wood. Students will advance their knowledge of wood selection and fabrication while producing art and design work in a variety of wood products.

This course, emphasizing use by the student artist, introduces the practical applications of sound equipment, techniques, and theory. Subjects covered include microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, the basic physics of sound, and magnetic tape recordings and associated skills. The concept of sound as a material with basic structural properties that may be manipulated is introduced. Students explore methods of composition, using various sound materials in assigned projects. A critical survey of sound art and experimental music introduces students to various approaches to understanding and experiencing sound within an art context. Students have studio time for individual hands-on access to equipment. No technical background is necessary.

This course, emphasizing use by the student artist, introduces the practical applications of sound equipment, techniques, and theory. Subjects covered include microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, the basic physics of sound, and magnetic tape recordings and associated skills. The concept of sound as a material with basic structural properties that may be manipulated is introduced. Students explore methods of composition, using various sound materials in assigned projects. A critical survey of sound art and experimental music introduces students to various approaches to understanding and experiencing sound within an art context. Students have studio time for individual hands-on access to equipment. No technical background is necessary.

This course, emphasizing use by the student artist, introduces the practical applications of sound equipment, techniques, and theory. Subjects covered include microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, the basic physics of sound, and magnetic tape recordings and associated skills. The concept of sound as a material with basic structural properties that may be manipulated is introduced. Students explore methods of composition, using various sound materials in assigned projects. A critical survey of sound art and experimental music introduces students to various approaches to understanding and experiencing sound within an art context. Students have studio time for individual hands-on access to equipment. No technical background is necessary.