Undergraduate Projects in Critical and Creative Practices

Winter 2013 and Spring 2013 quarters

Faculty

Naima Lowe media arts, media and film, experimental media , Anne de Marcken (Forbes) creative writing, moving-image media , Marilyn Freeman media arts, film and television, creative writing , Joli Sandoz academic and creative writing, U.S. literature, research methods in the humanities

Fields of Study

African American studies, art history, communications, cultural studies, gender and women's studies, literature, media arts, media studies, moving image, visual arts and writing

Preparatory for studies or careers in

creative writing, writing, education, editing, media studies, media production, visual arts, film studies, web development, and the humanities.

Description

This is an opportunity for students to work with faculty from a diverse set of disciplines on creative and scholarly projects. Students will come away with invaluable skills in library and archival research practices, visual arts studio practices, laboratory practices, film/media production practices, critical research and writing, and much more. Critical and Creative Practices is comprised of a diverse group of artists, theorists, scientists, mathematicians, writers, filmmakers and other cultural workers whose interdisciplinary fields of study sit at the crossroads between critical theoretical studies and creative engagement.

Anne de Marcken uses creative writing and digital media production as methods of inquiry. Her process-based work results in short stories, personal essays, longer hybrid narratives, time-based forms of these things (films and videos), and sometimes web environments. Her current areas of inquiry include climate change and the interactions of place and identity, in particular as related to the idea of home. Students working with Anne will have opportunities to work on one or more literary projects in the early development phase. Activities will include concept development, research, preliminary structuring, proposal writing, grant writing, and critique of early draft creative writing. Students may also work with Anne to continue development of an internet-based project related to climate change.

Marilyn Freeman (writing and media arts) is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with time-based art for the page, the screen, and installation. Presently, Marilyn is particularly focused on the video essay as an ascendant form for creative and critical experiments with text, sound, and image. Her immediate projects include two video essay productions and a book— Crafting the Video Essay  (University of Chicago Press, 2014). These projects provide opportunities for advanced students to assist with research and to enhance media arts skills through working directly with Marilyn in preproduction, production, and post-production of the video essays.

Joli Sandoz (creative nonfiction) draws from experience and field, archival and library research to write creative essays about experiences and constructions of place, and about cultural practices of embodiment. She also experiments with juxtapositions of diagrams, images and words, including hand-drawn mapping. Students working with Joli will be able to learn their choice of: critical reading approaches to published works (reading as a writer), online and print research and associated information assessment skills, identifying publishing markets for specific pieces of writing, or discussing and responding to creative nonfiction in draft form (workshopping). Joli’s projects underway include a series of essays on place and aging; an essay on physical achievement and ambition; and a visual/word piece exploring the relationship of the local to the global.

Naima Lowe (experimental media and performance art) creates films, videos, performances and written works that explore issues of race, gender, and embodiment. The majority of her work includes an archival research element that explores historical social relationships and mythic identities. She is currently working on a series of short films and performances that explore racial identity in rural settings. Students working with Naima would have opportunities to learn media production and post-production skills (including storyboarding, scripting, 16mm and HD video shooting, location scouting, audio recording, audio/video editing, etc) through working with a small crew comprised of students and professional artists. Students would also have opportunities to do archival and historical research on African-Americans living in rural settings, and on literature, film and visual art that deals with similar themes.

Please go to the Research Opportunities catalog view for specific information about each option.

Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Offered During

Day, Evening and Weekend