John D Neff

This 1.5 credit synchronous online course provides a forum for structured group discussion of students’ studio work during remote semesters. Attendance at regularly scheduled synchronous meetings is required for this course. The project of this course is developing students’ skills around the observation of artworks, the verbal interpretation of artworks, and the framing of generative questions about studio practices. In the course, students will present their own artwork and respond to colleagues’ works within the context of facilitated group discussions on Zoom. A modest amount of asynchronous coursework will take place through Canvas and other platforms. Regular synchronous course meetings will take place Thursdays 6-7 pm Central and Saturdays 11-12 pm Central.

This 1.5 credit synchronous online course provides a forum for structured group discussion of students’ studio work during remote semesters. Attendance at regularly scheduled synchronous meetings is required for this course. The project of this course is developing students’ skills around the observation of artworks, the verbal interpretation of artworks, and the framing of generative questions about studio practices. In the course, students will present their own artwork and respond to colleagues’ works within the context of facilitated group discussions on Zoom. A modest amount of asynchronous coursework will take place through Canvas and other platforms. Regular synchronous course meetings will take place Thursdays 6-7 pm Central and Saturdays 11-12 pm Central.

What are the most urgent issues in contemporary art now? This online course addresses the central themes and ideas shaping the production and distribution of art. Students will develop and manage their own blogs and participate in continuing online discussions. The final requirement will be a finished paper.

How is writing art? How is writing art connected to writing about art? How do various theories of poetics shape writing as art? This online course addresses the craft of writing in view of urgent issues of contemporary art. Students will develop and manage their own blogs and participate in continuing online discussions. The final requirement will be a finished body of writing.

This seminar-style online course will examine relationships between architecture and painting, with special attention paid to ways that color shapes our experience of space. An introductory section will focus on some theories of aesthetic, spatial, and visual experience. The body of the course will be a series of case studies of artworks, with a concentration on works of international Modern and Contemporary abstract art. The course will conclude with student directed projects informed by our studies. Authors will include Sarah Ahmed and Gaston Bachelard. Artists discussed will include Eileen Gray, Dr. Esther Mahlangu, Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam and Judy Ledgerwood. Students will be asked to contribute their own readings and references to the synchronous and asynchronous discussions as well.

The Graduate Projects course allows students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work and research from their home studio or mobile platforms. The continued development of ideas and approaches initiated during the summer Graduate Studio Seminar will be supported through in-person and online conversation with SAIC Program Mentors. These liaisons are intended to support the off-campus development of work while also providing personal connections to SAIC's vast global network of distinguished alumni. Open to Low Residency MFA students only.