Course Description
Students will be encouraged to expand their studio practice to
encompass sculptural object-making, installation art,
environmental art, and performance. Instruction includes studio
work, lectures, and discussions on topics in contemporary art.
Athena Title
Sculpture in Spatial Context I
Prerequisite
Any 2000-level course
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- Students will analyze and interpret key issues in contemporary sculptural practice through lectures, discussions, and visual presentations, demonstrating critical engagement with spatial and conceptual concerns.
- Students will expand creative practice by producing works that incorporate installation, environmental art, performance, and object-making, emphasizing experimentation and innovation.
- Students will apply advanced technical skills in sculptural tools, materials, and processes through hands-on demonstrations and studio/shop practice, integrating technique with conceptual intent.
- Students will develop and articulate informed critiques of spatial artworks—both personal and peer—using appropriate visual, technical, and theoretical vocabulary in group discussions and written reflections.
- Students will integrate research on historical and contemporary precedents into project proposals and artist statements, connecting spatial strategies to broader cultural and artistic contexts.
Topical Outline
- Week 1: Introduction to Class
Presentation of first project: Construction of 20 works on suggested themes in contemporary art
- Week 2: Lectures: History of Post-modern Sculptural Practice
- Week 3: Demonstration: Woodshop Techniques
- Week 4: Work Week
- Week 5: Critiques of Project 1
- Week 6: Lectures: Time as an Element in Contemporary Art
Introduction to Project 2: Focus after 20: One work is selected for further development
- Week 7: Demonstration: Welding Techniques
- Week 8: Demonstration: Moldmaking and Casting
- Week 9: Demonstration: Non-traditional Construction Techniques
- Week 10: Critiques of Project 2
- Week 11: Lecture: Art Outside the Gallery
Introduction to Project 3: Extended Focus Project
- Week 12: Student Presentations
- Week 13: Student Presentations
- Week 14: Work Week
- Week 15: Critiques of Project 3
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Communication
The ability to effectively develop, express, and exchange ideas in written, oral, interpersonal, or visual form.
Creativity & Innovation
The capacity to combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways and the experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative way characterized by innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking.
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
