Courses

The material objects we may encounter in daily life, from lampshades and cardboard boxes to a dozen roses, are saturated with cultural and emotional significance. In this course, students will explore the many facets of found objects—color, form, function, metaphor, and personal connections to the stuff that surrounds us. This course is about working with found materials in unconventional ways and interpreting what these materials are saying—after all, art is a form of language! This course will be project-based with supplemental in-class activities to jumpstart creative thinking and play. Sculpture projects will include assemblage (combining/connecting multiple objects), a repair/maintenance project, and a self-portrait. Each project will be preceded by a lecture introducing key concepts, terms, and relevant artists and artworks. Along with sculpture projects and lectures, this course will include short readings and videos, discussions, and personal reflections. Students will learn techniques such as mending textiles (darning and patching) as well as strategies for fastening a variety of found objects together using glue, string, hardware, and the like. More than anything, students will walk away with new perspectives, problem-solving strategies, and an impulse to create sculptures with objects from everyday life.