In a world full of man-made stuff, what does it mean to be a maker of things?  How does what you make, the materials you choose, and how you shape them define and speak for you, as an individual, and as part of a culture or community, or an environment?  What’s been handed to you, and what will you hand on?

This is a foundational program for those who are drawn to envisioning and making things, from art and craft to architecture and environments, and who are open to thinking about that work as both creative self-expression and responsive engagement with materials, environments, and communities.  It’s a serious introduction to studio-centered creative work – each student will be part of a working studios to focus on individual and group 3D projects that address art, craft, and construction challenges at a variety of scales, with supporting work in drawing, design, and fabrication skills, materials science, environmental history and ideas, and sustainable practices. Collaboratively, we will engage this work as art, science, expression, and service, challenging such distinctions and looking for commonalities of approach and meaning.  Book possibilities include Pallasmaa: The Thinking Hand; Cooper: Drawing and Perceiving: Life Drawing for Students of Architecture and Design ; Berge, The Ecology of Building Materials; Steele: A Critical History of Ecological Architecture; Rothenburg: Survival of the Beautiful: Art, Science, and Evolution.

Engaged students will leave this program with new drawing, design, and building skills, experience with design as a multidisciplinary approach to complex problems, deeper understanding of materials and their environmental and social impacts, and fuller awareness of how the arts and architecture can shape environments and communities in ways that are ethical, beautiful, and sustainable. This program is preparatory for 3D Green: Craft and Construction that follows in Winter and Spring quarters.