| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (001) |
Sofía Fernández Díaz |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities.
Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.
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Class Number
1570
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Credits
3
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Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
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| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (002) |
Stacia Laura Yeapanis |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities.
Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.
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Class Number
1571
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
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| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (003) |
Vanessa Viruet |
Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities.
Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.
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Class Number
1572
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
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| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (004) |
Melissa Leandro |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities.
Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.
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Class Number
1583
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
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| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (005) |
Teri Carson |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities.
Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses.
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Class Number
1584
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
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| Permeable Membranes |
3016 (001) |
Melissa Leandro |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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|
Description
A membrane is a thin, typically planar structure or material that separates two environments, be those physical, molecular, or cultural. This class investigates this transitional space, and the potential for movement and transgression through it. Membrane structures are developed as surfaces, forms, and spatial relationships through techniques like chenille quilting, free motion sewing with a soluble membrane, nuno felting, papermaking in 2D and 3D, resist wax dyeing (batik), dip and wick dyeing, fabric burnout (devore) through silkscreening, protein/cellulose combination dyeing, and jacquard crocheting.
Readings on conceptual permeability will include Jean Baudrillard?s ?Simulacra and Simulations?, Andrew Ballantyne?s ?Remaking the Self in Heterotopia?, Homi K. Bhabha?s ?On `hybridity? and `moving beyond??, and Roger Cardinal?s ?Secrecy?.
Techniques will be divided into three major projects with written statements. This course also requires artist and reading presentations.
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Class Number
1592
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Credits
3
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Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
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| To Dye For |
3020 (001) |
Diana Guerrero-Maciá |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
Color is everywhere. This fiber studio will teach students basic color theory and applied color mixing techniques using fiber reactive dyes to make a variety of projects. Experiments will begin with immersion dyeing to create solid color swatches and a comprehensive dye book of color dying charts for student to use in the future. Surface design explorations will include block printing and painterly techniques with dyes. Over-dyeing and discharge processes will be introduced as methods of adding layers of color to cloth.
Lectures on contemporary, historical, and global use of color in artworks will vary greatly and cover various centuries and methods of making. Readings in color will include Josef Albers, John Gage, and David Batchelor to name a few. Critiques will emphasize the use of color as formal & conceptual element within artwork.
Students will complete several projects while testing and compiling over 100 dye test colors into a dye-sampler book with recipes for material explorations, and fabric dye testing. Students will also research color meaning, study basic color theory, and finish color-based projects of their own design and using textiles they have hand dyed as a final project.
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Class Number
1589
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 904
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| Print into Sculpture: 3D Screens |
3021 (001) |
Amy Yoes |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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|
Description
This class will provide students with skills and knowledge to translate two dimensional printed cloth into three dimensional sculptural forms. Students will explore various strategies for creating three-dimensional works using screen printed fabrics, and they will also learn a range of screen printing techniques. Students will learn how to create a range of hanging and installation structures using wood, dowels, rope, string, found objects, and other materials. Tools like the plotter/cutter and heat press will also enable students to expand the scope of their 2D and 3D print explorations. The flexibility of fabric will be deployed in the creation and assembly of sculptural forms that can be portable and expandable. No prior print experience is required.
Works by artists including Lara Schnitger, Sam Gilliam, Alan Shields, Joe Overstreet, Al Loving, Judy Pfaaf, Phyllida Barlow, Ree Morton, Robert Rauschenberg, Lygia Pape, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Dorothea Rockburne, Carla Accardi, Lucy Orta, Lina Bo Bardi, Michelle Segre, Brian Eno, Helio Oiticica, and Do So Huh will be presented. Technical demonstrations, visual presentations, and discussions, will be augmented by assigned readings and experimental texts exploring space, place, spatial composition and design, charts, and architecture by authors including E.H. Gombrich, William Davenport, Marina Warner, Bernard Rudofsky, and Miwon Kwon.
Students will complete three studio projects for critique organized around themes of spatial design, improvisation, and site-specificity. Other assignments can include reading responses, samples and in-class experiments, keeping a sketchbook / record of ideas, and/or material and technical research.
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Class Number
1580
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 905
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| Studio Stuff: The Paradigm of Collecting |
3025 (001) |
Jerry Bleem |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This course will explore strategies for collecting things (not necessarily of any particular monetary value) to be used as conceptual impetus, subject matter, and/or physical materials in the studio. The class will include discussions of the nature of classification and organization; the nature of attraction based on memory, physicality, and visual language; the relationship of time and distance to collection; and how quantity and mass change our perspectives and attractions. The class will also examine how artists have employed the act of collecting as a significant aspect of their work.
Field trips will be an integral part of this class; our goal is to experience a rich mix of collections that illustrate the possibilities of this way of thinking. Readings will be drawn from important exhibition catalogs [Deep Storage and The Keeper], writings about artists, hoarding, the evolution of museums, and our fluid sense of value.
Students will be expected to respond to assigned readings, present research, participate in a collaborative project exercise, and produce a mid-term and final project that synthesizes the experience and the material.
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Class Number
1591
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Credits
3
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Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1005
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| Natural Dye |
3026 (001) |
Christian Ortiz |
Sat
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This course explores the creation of color on fiber and textile materials using dyes of natural origin, including plant and insect extracts. Students learn to apply color through both traditional and contemporary methods, working across immersion and direct dye applications - including printing, painting, and resist techniques. Students develop skills in fiber preparation, dye bath creation and color modification, and learn to identify, harvest, and process plant matter for dye extraction. Pattern and surface design are explored through chemical and mechanical resist techniques. Collaboratively, students compile an index of swatches and recipes that serves as an ongoing reference for their practice. Students complete work and research reflecting their individual inquiry, presented through individual and group critiques. The course provides a broad foundation for integrating natural dye into a creative practice. While investigating the historical context and chemistry behind dye materials, students consider the cross-cultural and historical relevance of these processes in relation to contemporary art and design. Contextual content is provided through lectures, presentations and readings.
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Class Number
2352
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Credits
3
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Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Art and Science
Location
Sharp 904
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| Chemical Aftertaste: reactive processes for screen printing |
3029 (001) |
Christine Tarkowski |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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|
Description
In this class, students will learn reactive processes for use in screen printing on fabric and pliable materials. Reactive processes are those that will chemically or physically alter the nature of the printed cloth and include; fiber reactive dyes, devoré or the burning away of fibers, bleaching and removing of color, and the sublimation of color from one surface to another. Screen printing will be the primary method of creating works, yet a broad disciplinary approach is encouraged.
Assignments will be framed to address concepts of alchemy and instability, and include readings of works by; Georges Bataille, Anthony Vidler, Luce Irigaray, Yve-Alain Bois and Rosalind Krauss.
Students will create three studio intensive projects for class critiques. Prior screen printing experience is recommended.
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Class Number
2263
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Credits
3
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Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 905
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| Time, Material, and the Everyday |
3030 (001) |
Stacia Laura Yeapanis |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
Diverse aspects of material studies (personal, social, political, economic, visual and formal) will be considered in this course, working from forms and structures that are hand-constructed, as well as everyday found objects. The class will begin with a series of exercises exploring the visual possibilities of recording time and movement in repetitive everyday actions. Hand processes of netting, crochet and other intertwining techniques will be introduced through the language and systems of both textiles and the digital. Readings and visiting artists will present a range of ideas about art and the everyday, opening up dialogue about forms and formats of installation and documentation.
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Class Number
1593
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
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| Social Fabric(s) |
3034 (001) |
Savneet K Talwar |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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Description
This class considers the 'social fabric' as a type of material that can be used by artists and activists to create connections and community. Through collaborative and individual explorations, we will examine the possibilities of fibers/textiles to foster and strengthen community, create social bonds, educate, raise awareness about social and political issues and advocate for change. We will explore banner making, piecework and quilting, using hand sewing techniques and a range of materials. The first half of the class will focus on banner, flag making, and quilting techniques, exploring their histories of collective making and their use in political organizing and activism. The second half of the term will focus on sewing, piecing, appliqué and will consider the digital realm to further objectives of connectivity and communication. We will realize or propose projects that are accessible and can engage the public. Throughout the class, we'll look at historical and contemporary examples of fiber and textiles used to protest, unite, educate, and agitate for change in the USA and beyond. We'll pay particular attention to the ways in which people and communities came together to create these works, and explore connections between art making, community building, and social change. Students are encouraged to articulate and explore their individual interests and draw on their experiences and lives outside the art world and SAIC.
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Class Number
1588
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Credits
3
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Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
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| Contextualizing Textiles |
3043 (001) |
Jerry Bleem |
Mon
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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|
Description
This research studio will use the collection of the SAIC Textile Resource Center (TRC) as material for research and studio work. Textiles are rooted in complex and fascinating global histories and contexts, and the class invites students to investigate them through research, personal and familial experiences, and sharing knowledge. Relying on the TRC's collection of over 600 textile objects and 2,000 books, students will begin by examining an object or group of objects to learn more about their contexts, cultures, materials, processes, uses, stories, and ancestries. Filters that might be used to consider these textiles include agriculture, industry, cultural identity and expression, commerce, capitalism, colonialism, anthropology, inventions and tourism.
Guided personal inquiry via research and production will shape the course. Readings and discussions will acquaint students with various methodologies to help uncover their meanings and stories. Formal class meetings will be augmented with individual meetings with the instructor, and the director of the Textile Resource Center.
Students will create studio work in response to the objects under study, rooted in the students' studio interests and practices. Students will also share their research and investigations in assignments including discussions and presentations.
Prerequisites
Students must have taken one fiber class previously and be sophomore level or above
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Class Number
1594
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Art/Design and Politics, Class, Race, Ethnicity, Museum Studies
Location
Sharp 902
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| Woven Structure |
3102 (001) |
Emily Winter |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces floor loom hand weaving through the study of weave structures, woven image techniques, and fiber types. Students will explore both traditional and experimental approaches to material and technique, including double weaves, dyed warps, and hand-manipulated methods such as brocade and inlay. Over the course of the semester, students will produce finished weavings on 4-harness floor looms through in depth exploration and research. The course also examines the global histories of woven cloth through readings, presentations, and class discussions. Artists studied may include Diedrick Brackens, Lenore Tawney, and Gunta Stölzl, alongside writings by Anni Albers, T'ai Smith, and Dieter Hoffman-Axthelm. Students will learn to read and work from weaving draft patterns and will conduct independent research into artists and techniques of personal interest. Throughout, the course engages with the conceptual and material considerations of contemporary craft-based art. Students present finished and in-progress work in individual and group critiques throughout the semester.
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Class Number
1573
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1011
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| Print for Fabric and Alternative Materials I |
3104 (001) |
Amy Yoes |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course demonstrates a wide range of screenprinting processes on fabric and alternative substrates, including textile inks, fiber reactive dyes, resist and discharge techniques, and heat transfers using foils and disperse dyes. Students will work with hand-drawn, computer-generated, and photographic images to explore screenprinting techniques and concepts such as monoprinting, multiples, color relationships, composition, and basic repeat patterns. Interdisciplinary and experimental approaches to the printed surface are encouraged as students develop their personal research and practice. The course is supplemented by lectures, readings, and visits to the AIC, artist studios, and galleries. Students present finished and in-progress work in individual and group critiques throughout the semester.
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Class Number
1582
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 905
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| Stitch |
3105 (001) |
JeeYeun Lee |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
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|
Description
This course explores stitching as a means of altering the surface of textiles and other pliable materials, examining its role across functional, decorative, and contemporary arts practices. Students will develop skills in traditional and non-traditional hand manipulation, machine sewing, and digital embroidery, including the use of design software for embroidery machines. Quilting, piecework, and appliqué are taught through both hand methods and work created on home sewing and Tin Lizzie machines. Technical skills are taught within the context of fiber, craft, and fine art discourse, encouraging students to develop work driven by their own formal, material, and conceptual concerns. Lectures and assigned readings broaden this foundation, situating course content within the history and contemporary landscape of the field. Students present finished and in-progress work in individual and group critiques throughout the semester.
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Class Number
1574
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
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| Papermaking |
3107 (001) |
Angela Davis Fegan |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This course introduces students to hand papermaking as both a contemporary studio practice and a historically rich tradition rooted in chemistry, collective labor, and artistic inquiry. Working with traditional fibers including cotton, abaca, and kozo, students will learn eastern and western papermaking methods while exploring the full range of the medium ¿ from pulling sheets and beating pulp to pigmenting fibers, pulp painting, and casting paper into sculptural forms. Through hands-on experimentation, students will manipulate color, texture, and fiber to develop a personal visual language using paper as their primary medium. Coursework engages the material's conceptual possibilities alongside its practical applications, including print surfaces, book arts, and wearable forms. Students will complete a final project that connects material exploration to their broader artistic practice, supported by critique, research, and collaborative studio engagement. Lectures and visits to SAIC's special collections libraries will expose students to contemporary and historic artists working in paper arts, augmenting the technical course content.
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Class Number
1578
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
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| Tapestry |
3137 (001) |
Danielle Lasker |
Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
The class will examine the many possibilities of creating woven forms using a tapestry loom (also called a frame loom). Students will experiment with the foundational and advanced techniques of tapestry and plain weave as they explore ways of creating surface design, imagery, texture, and color effects in their woven work. Students will also explore a variety of tapestry loom types, including how to construct looms in different sizes. Contemporary weaving projects, along with historical references, will be presented through discussions, visual presentations, demonstrations, readings, and close-up examinations of woven textiles. Contemporary artists whose tapestry work will be presented can include Diedrick Brackens, kg, Erin M. Riley, Terri Friedman, Aiko Tezuka, Josh Faught, Julia Bland, Sarah Zapata, and Erasto Tito Mendoza. Seminal works by artists who helped establish the field of fiber art from the 1950s through the early 1970s include: Trude Guermonprez, Anni Albers, Lenore Tawney, Olga de Amaral, Tadeusz Beutlich, and Magdalena Abakanowicz. Contemporary frame loom weaving will be contextualized through visual presentations and readings exploring relevant histories of weaving across the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, together with examples of present-day weaving institutions and workshops such as the Museo Textil de Oaxaca (Mexico), the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (Peru), the Manufacture Nationale des Tapisseries Senegal (Senegal), and Sadu House (Kuwait). Coursework typically includes woven samples, 3¿4 finished works, reading responses, and short research assignments and/or presentations.
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Class Number
1590
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Gender and Sexuality, Community & Social Engagement, Digital Communication
Location
Sharp 1005
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| Advanced Woven Structure |
4003 (001) |
Kira Dominguez Hultgren |
Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This intensive studio course will focus on weaving and its relation to the evolving landscapes of contemporary art, cultural production, and identity. Working with multi-harness floor looms, students will engage rigorous conceptual questions in abstraction, figuration, sculptural form, spatial intervention, performative action, technology, and language to develop a mature body of woven work. Vocabulary will be expanded through the study of complex woven constructions, digital drafting, and dye processes. Feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches to weaving will be introduced and encouraged. Designed for advanced students, this course engenders an interdisciplinary weaving practice by blurring the boundaries between fiber, critical craft, painting, material culture, sculpture, textile history, architecture, and technology studies.
Students will consider the history and the future of the field through a varying roster of artists including significant figures such as Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Olga de Amaral alongside contemporary generations such as Sonya Clark, Miguel Arzabe, Diedrick Brackens, Erin M. Riley, Josh Faught, Samantha Bittman, and Cecilia Vicuña. This work will be supported by texts that typically include Anni Albers, Legacy Russel, T'ai Smith, Julia Bryan-Wilson, and César Paternosto.
Critical discussion of core texts and individualized research will occur in tandem with weekly studio activity. Students will produce a series of studies and 2 - 4 fully realized woven works that will be developed through in-process discussions and presented in major critique settings. This course facilitates self-directed investigation of concept and technique in hand weaving.
Prerequisites
FIBER 2002 or Junior & above
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Class Number
1575
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1011
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