Fall 2013 Course Catalog - School of the Museum of Fine Arts

Fall 2013 Course Catalog
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Making in the Digital Age
MTL 2048 01 (4 Credits)
Jennaca Davies
R
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM /
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
B211B, A111
A rapidly growing number of industrial and mechanical processes are available that can be
utilized by artists to produce work in and outside their studio. This course will provide you
with many tools for art making in the 21st century. Learn how artists and designers employ
various forms of computer related technology such as Rapid Prototyping and CAD/CAM to
execute their concepts in combination with the input of the hand. Investigate the potential of
new technolgy like laser cutting and 3-D printing. Whether you work with pencil and paper
or create drawings on the computer, the tools of artists and designers are all means by
which you can define an idea, create a model, and make a finished piece of artwork. This
course begins with a series of design lectures, in-class workshops, and technical instruction
in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator that teaches the fundamentals of image manipulation,
illustration, vector graphics, layering, and graphic editing on the computer. Class time will
be spent alternating between the computer lab, applying the technogy using laser cutter and
3-D printer on campus facility and fabrication and handwork in the metals studio. Specific
attention will be paid to the translation of computer imagery into full-scale form so the student
begins to understand the transition between what can be produced on a computer and how
it materialized into actual artwork. Special assignments will be given that ensure application
of knowledge and encourage experimentation with materials and techniques.
The Many Dimensions of
Jewelry
MTL 2110 01 (2 Credits)
Linda Priest
W
6:30 PM - 9:45 PM
A111
Metal is a wonderful versatile material-you can dome it, solder it into forms, set different
materials into it, cast it, and sometimes even anodize it to achieve bright colors. This course
presents interesting ways to create jewelry and small objects in nonferrous metal. We will
hammer metal to make a domed bracelet, cut and bend a single piece of metal to fabricate
a hollow constructed ring, and add a little sparkle to a piece by setting a faceted stone in a
bezel setting. We will explore simple casting, fusing, and simple hinge making, as well as
color reactive metals. We also will experiment with different material to emboss into metal
and an even weave a chain. Exercises will be given to practice techniques, and you will be
encouraged to creatively incorporate new information into projects.
Up-Close and Personal
MTL 3000 01 (2 Credits)
Barbara Seidenath
W
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
C112
Personal and portable, close to body and the heart and with us since day one, jewelry
and ornament are important communicators. This seminar course is designed to give
you a deeper understanding of the jewelry traditions in non-western as well as western
cultures. Lectures are thematically organized around the concept of placement of value
within personal ornament and aim to examine historic and contemporary context through
visual presentations, discussions and field trips. The goal is for the student to gain a solid
foundation of the knowledge of the history of ornamentation and to deepen their understanding
of wearable objects and their meanings and context in different cultures. A section of the
class is dedicated towards developing professional research strategies and strengthening
presentation and documentation skills through specifically designed assignments. The weekly
lectures are complimented by fieldtrips to local research facilities and Museum collections
and attendance of visiting artist lectures. Ongoing class discussions of reading materials
that focus on related topics will promote critical thinking in the context of a contemporary
art and metals practice.
Objectives:
—to gain a solid understanding of the jewelry traditions in non-western and western
cultures
—to develop professional research skills through the use of primarily library and local
research facilities and in addition, the internet.
—to strengthen professional presentation skills
—to complete all relevant reading assignments that supplement the weekly lectures
—to enable the students ability to think critically and to clearly articulate verbally through
active participation in class discussion.