Daniel Gordon Baird

This course is an introduction to the materials, methods, and concepts of sculpture. We will investigate making in relation to material, time and space. We will consider aspects of sculpture such as meaning, scale, process, social engagement, ephemera and site; and explore the formal properties and expressive potential of materials including mold making and casting, wood, metal and experimental media. We will combine the use of materials and methods with ideas that reflect the history of contemporary sculpture. Demonstrations and authorizations will provide students with experience and technical proficiency in sculptural production while readings and slide lectures venture into the critical discourses of sculpture.

In the Professional Practice Experience (PROFPRAC 39XX or DEPARTMENT 39XX) you will engage in a wide variety of professional practice activities to help prepare you for life after SAIC. Course assignments include preparing a CV, creating a website, writing a statement, attending events and more. Additional activities may include giving an artist talk, conducting an interview or hosting a community event. The course emphasizes hands-on, real-world professional activities and opportunities for emerging artists, designers, and scholars. You should plan to take Professional Practice Experience during your third year at SAIC.
This iteration of Professional Practice specifically prepares students for work in the broad field of art handling.
Students will learn formal installation techniques and best practices for storage and shipment. The class will focus on real world industry standards and engage with numerous local businesses via site visits, guest speakers and more. The writing and research components of the class will focus on resume development and letter writing in pursuit of these real world opportunities.

This advanced, interdisciplinary course provides a generative space for developing and understanding creative projects through the discourse of the field of Sculpture. Students in this course come together from various departments to enrich the content of their work through critique and conversation with Sculpture faculty and other advanced level students from across the school. Weekly readings inform the development of self-directed creative projects which form the basis for discussion and may form the basis for a thesis body of work.

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.