A wide shot of a ceramics studio, featuring students working with pottery wheels and other tools.

Nia Easley

Lecturer

Bio

Education: MFA, 2018, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Exhibitions: Outside the Walls, Billboard installation and tours in Chicago; Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection Exhibition, Chicago, IL; Art Institute of Chicago Block Party; Threewalls, Chicago, IL. Publications: Interactions Magazine, We Need to Know, July/Aug 2019. Collections: Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, SAIC; DePaul University Library; Northwestern University Library; University of Iowa, Library Special Collections. Awards: DCASE IAP Grant, City of Chicago; Threewalls Outside the Walls Grant; Roger Brown Residency Award; Threewalls RaD Lab Grant; ARC Gallery Honorable Mention; SAIC Undergraduate Fellowship Award.

Teaching Philosophy

I believe that all students bring a unique set of skills to the creative process, and I am here to help identify and strengthen them. The classroom is more than a physical space, it is a relationship that we enter into so that we can share ideas, develop critical skills, and learn material knowledge to build a better creative practice!

Courses

Title Department Catalog Term

Description

Students will develop a working knowledge of typography and layout with the goal of working towards creating a design language sensibility in support of their artistic practice. We will look at textual approaches to art-making - both in the sense of making work with language/text and using a written approach to generate ideas for work. We will consider how artists and designers utilize various typographic, print and distribution methods. We will look at both manual and digital composing and printing processes including: screenprinting, risograph, graffiti, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. We will complete exercises in class and engage in research that generates knowledge around how type and layout can be manipulated to affect the reading of a work. Readings and screenings will vary but some artists and designers we will look to include: Experimental Jetset, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Errol Morris, Emory Douglas, Amos Kennedy, Barbara Kruger, Basquiat, Gloe One (Gloria Talamantes), Angela Davis Fegan, Gravillis Design, etc. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of 3-5 finished pieces during the semester, to be presented in a culminating course critique.

Class Number

1214

Credits

3

Description

In this course, students acquire technical proficiency in the various stencil printing methods. Individual exploration and development in the medium is encouraged and supported by individual instruction and group critiques.

Class Number

1600

Credits

3

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.

Class Number

1397

Credits

3

Description

Students will develop professional practices including collaborative and independent work situations, via roles as commissioned artist, master printer, or artist-designer. Students will seek real-world clients to complete assignments, foster relationships with graphic designers, small presses, or their artist peers. Contemporary alternative print production and distribution models such as the integration of art, music and publishing prevalent in DIY scenes (1990s and 2000s), to emerging artist multiple/subscription programs and book/print fairs will be also be studied.

Class Number

1573

Credits

3

Description

This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event.

Class Number

1448

Credits

6

Description

This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature.

Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event.

Class Number

1458

Credits

6