Christian Ortiz

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.

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.

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.