Thinking Through Craft: Metal

REVISED

Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 quarters

Faculty

Jean Mandeberg visual art, metalsmithing

Fields of Study

visual arts

Preparatory for studies or careers in

the arts and humanities.

Prerequisites

Students need to be able to work long hours on physically demanding work in a collaborative studio environment, and be willing to reimagine their approach to art, craft and design.

Description

What if we acknowledge the recent historical status of craft as "inferior" to fine art and then seek out the potential of that unique vantage point? What if contemporary craft is used as a subversive strategy to question issues such as function, materiality, skill, and the role of the amateur in our culture? The direction of this program is based on Glenn Adamson's book of the same title, a text that treats craft as an idea that transcends discipline. Students in this program will be working side by side with woodworkers in the program Thinking Through Craft: Wood. There will be collaborative assignments and joint seminars, as well as separate lectures, studio and design assignments.

What if fine metalworking is seen as a particularly effective way of challenging ideas about such things as personal security, architectural ornamentation and family identity? This program will explore questions and skills through a studio practice in fine metalworking and mixed media. Studio work will focus on the use of non ferrous metals (copper, brass, bronze, sterling silver) as well as a wide variety of mixed materials and found objects, all able to be formed, joined, finished and re-defined using the well equipped fine metals studio facility on campus. The tools, materials and rich history of fine metalworking will provide a backdrop for appreciating this studio practice and moving it forward.

Readings may include: Thinking Through Craft, Glenn Adamson; The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard; The Shape of Time: Remarks on the History of Things, George Kubler; NeoCraft: Modernity and the Crafts, Sandra Alfondy. 

Many visual artists today are interested in the meaning of workmanship and the physical experience of manipulating and interacting with three-dimensional forms. This program will be an opportunity to participate in the redefinition of craft. Eschewing the well-worn "craft vs. art" arguments, we hope to investigate the potential of craft as a vital subject in contemporary art and design.

Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Required Fees

$50 per quarter for fine metals studio supplies.

Offered During

Day

Program Revisions