| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (001) |
Carina Yepez |
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
1398
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
|
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (002) |
Molly Colleen O'Connell |
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
1399
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
|
| 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
1412
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
|
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (004) |
Christian Ortiz |
Sat
10:00 AM - 4:00 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
1400
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
|
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies |
2000 (005) |
Jess Atieno Ounga |
Fri
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
1413
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
|
| Woven Structure Basics |
2002 (001) |
Jerry Bleem |
Mon
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
1401
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1011
|
| Print for Fabric and Alternative Materials I |
2004 (001) |
Sarita Garcia |
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
1411
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 905
|
| Stitch |
2005 (001) |
Christian Ortiz |
Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
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
1406
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Costume Design
Location
Sharp 1014
|
| Papermaking I |
2007 (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
2513
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
|
| Drawn to Print |
2016 (001) |
Nia Easley |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
A drawing is made whenever an object in motion touches the surface of another and evidence of their meeting is left behind. Images will be generated by examining a range of traditional and contemporary drawing techniques with an emphasis on analog processes and material exploration. Whether one?s style is gestural and improvisational or systemic and detail-oriented, drawing will be used as a device to access ideas and expand conceptual vocabulary. Printmaking then becomes an extension of the drawing process, infusing a richness of surface, color, texture, and layering. Examining the physical relationship between drawing and printing is a priority, with a focus on direct printing techniques such as monoprinting and heat transfers alongside hand-painting and collage. A strong emphasis will be placed on developing a personal and innovative visual language, as well as challenging notions of scale, site and material.
Readings, slide presentations and field trips will focus on course related topics.
Students present finished and in-process works at three critiques throughout the semester.
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Class Number
1407
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Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 905
|
| Soft Logic |
2018 (001) |
Nelly Agassi |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
Throughout the course students will focus on the idea of softness and develop projects framed with readings on affect, intimacy, ?radical softness?, touch, and ?soft? identities so as to tease out ideas on what it means to be soft. Students will be introduced and encouraged to experiment from texture to form with hand manipulated and machine techniques like reverse needle felting, latch hooking, tucking, stabilizing, boning, armature building, fabric heat manipulating, natural dyeing, flocking, and fringe crocheting.
Readings will include Sara Ahmed?s ?Happy Objects?, Alexander Thereoux?s ?Soft Balm, Soft Menace?, and Sianne Ngai?s ?The Cuteness of the Avant-Garde?.
Two experimentation samples will be required in order to manifest these conceptual underpinnings through a variety of techniques. These samples act as playful guides that leads to two major projects with written statements. This course also require artist and reading presentations.
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Class Number
1408
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Costume Design
Location
Sharp 1014
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| Tapestry |
2037 (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
2485
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Gender and Sexuality, Community & Social Engagement, Digital Communication
Location
Sharp 1005
|
| Craft and Object in Contemporary Art |
2900 (036) |
Stacia Laura Yeapanis |
Wed
12:15 PM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
The word 'craft' has been used both as a badge of honor and as a dismissive slur. This seminar will explore the stereotypes, the history and the changing status of craft in relation to contemporary art in America.
We will read essays by craft theorists and makers including Marie Lo, M. Anna Fariello, Bruce Metcalf, L.J. Roberts and Namita Gupta Wiggers and watch the PBS Docuseries 'Craft in America' to help us triangulate an ever-shifting definition of craft. Students will bring previously-critiqued, in-process and revised work to 3 critiques, where an emphasis will be placed not just on WHAT objects mean but also HOW they mean.
Course work includes weekly free-writing, reading discussions, and several assignments designed to help students articulate their artistic concerns and contextualize their work.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.
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Class Number
1783
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Lakeview - 206
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| Advanced Stitch |
3005 (001) |
Melissa Leandro |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
In Advanced Stitch- Students pursue a strong personal direction while continuing to develop a technical vocabulary and conceptual concerns. Moving across hand stitching and embroidery to using free motion sewing machines, the long arm quilting machines and digital embroidery machines, the class explores themes of gesture, line, speed, slowness, process, and materiality, with an emphasis on surface manipulation and scale. Group critiques encourage individual goals and develop an ongoing dialogue about contemporary issues. Field trips, group discussions, visual presentations, and readings will augment this studio-focused course. Course work will vary but typically includes critique projects, samples, and reading responses.
Prerequisites
FIBER 2005 or Sophomore Level
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Class Number
1405
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 1014
|
| Digital Jacquard Weaving: Zeroes and Ones |
3017 (001) |
Erica Littlejohn |
Sat
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
The computer driven Jacquard goes beyond the limitations of a floor loom by interfacing with a computer to allow for direct control of individual threads. This course explores the historical and conceptual interstices of digital technology and hand weaving through the use of this loom
Utilizing Photoshop and Jacquard weaving software, students will realize projects that begin with digital source material and result in hand woven constructions. The strongly debated connection between the Jacquard loom?s use of punched cards and the history of computers will be central to the course, as will the contemporary use of the loom as a new media tool.
Studio work will blend work at the computer, weaving on the loom, reading, research and critical discussion.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite: Sophomore-level or above.
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Class Number
1418
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Digital Imaging
Location
Sharp 1005
|
| Twist |
3019 (001) |
Jerry Bleem |
Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This class investigates the properties of the elemental act of twisting raw materials into pliable linear elements. Students learn to spin and ply--using drop spindles and wheels--and to extend elements through rope making and various splicing techniques. Building on this foundation, students manipulate these fibrous elements into 2- and 3-dimensional forms as well as exploring expressive possibilities, and the limits of materials and structures.
Topics for reading and discussion include the development of spinning and textile production, the social and economic histories of labor, historic and contemporary art examples of spun and structured fiber, and current cultural interests in reclaiming the handmade.
Course work includes reading responses, participation in discussions, assembling a set of samples, reporting on research and 3 studio projects.
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Class Number
2110
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 902
|
| The Unpainted Picture |
3028 (001) |
Diana Guerrero-Maciá |
Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This studio course will consider how to compose a picture plane with a variety of materials including paper collage, fabric piecing, applique, heat press, direct dye application and other handwork, to create line and form. Students will make use of drawing and form invention methods including stitching and dying, in conjunction with, or in place of, painted surfaces. Projects and critiques will address the critical use of compositional elements and materials within the picture plane.
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Class Number
1414
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 904
|
| Chemical Aftertaste: reactive processes for screen printing |
3029 (001) |
Teri Carson |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
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
2486
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Location
Sharp 905
|
| Cloth at Scale |
3036 (001) |
Emily Winter |
Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
This intensive studio course focuses on planning, experimentation, and production of woven works on traditional floor looms, computer-interfaced looms, and semi-industrial Dobby looms housed between the weaving studios in Fiber and Material Studies and The Weaving Mill (TWM), an artist-run industrial weaving studio in Humboldt Park which blends design, production, textile education and research-based practice. This course introduces students to experimental weaving designs, unconventional methods and materials, and the opportunity to produce their ideas at scale with access to the fully mechanized Dobby looms at The Weaving Mill.
Students will engage in rigorous studio practices, material culture research, and practical applications of their work. While conceptual questions around making will be central to the coursework, students will also be supported in identifying and researching the socio-economic and political ramifications of working in the language of woven cloth. Readings may include works by Hito Steryl, Rosalind Krauss, Jen Hewett, Anni Albers, T¿ai Smith, Peter Stallybrass, Karl Marx.
Over the course of the semester, students will produce a range of individually-motivated woven samples and studies, eventually working within the production parameters of the industrial looms at TWM to design and produce yardage for installation, object design, and artists¿ projects. Additionally, students will work alongside members of the W.E.F.T. program, a textile studio for adults with developmental disabilities run by TWM, broadening discussions around labor, value, ability and access
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Class Number
1423
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Art/Design and Politics, Community & Social Engagement, Sustainable Design
Location
Sharp 1011
|
| Sculptural Basket Weaving |
3037 (001) |
Kate Smith |
Tues
3:30 PM - 9:15 PM
In Person
|
|
Description
In this studio course students will explore basket weaving techniques and their interconnectedness to the history and traditions of the craft. The class will utilize both traditional and non-traditional methods and materials to investigate new ways of creative expression while carrying the long, multi-cultural basket weaving tradition.
Readings may include Revered Vessels: Custom and Innovation in Harari Basketry and Hybrid Basketry: Interweaving Digital Practice within Contemporary Craft. Students will be introduced to Native North American basket weaving and the ancient baskets of both Egypt and Israel to bring an understanding of the contemporary craft through its historical origins. Artists such as Hayakawa Shokosai, the Campana Brothers, and Ruth Asawa will be a point of reference for the class as a way to connect their own conceptual framework to this traditionally utilitarian craft.
Students should expect to produce a variety of technique-based samples as well as a midterm and a final culminating project. This course requires an artist presentation and assigned readings. Students will reflect on the readings with written responses to connect contemporary works with historical craft.
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Class Number
1420
|
Credits
3
|
Department
Fiber and Material Studies
Area of Study
Art/Design and Politics
Location
Sharp 902
|
