Intermediate and Advanced Courses

Each full-semester studio is offered at the 200, 300, and 400 level and provides flexibility for students to concentrate on a single area of interest or on a broader, more general program of study. Students should initially enroll at the 200 level for three credits. Those taking the course for a second and third time should enroll at the 300 and then the 400 level for four credits. The instructor will consult with the student to devise a program that includes projects, written assignments, readings, and portfolio requirements.

Drawing from Imagination This course is designed to introduce beginning students to the fundamentals of drawing techniques and styles. Subjects will be derived primarily from imaginary forms, textures, structures, and patterns; techniques will be developed through studio exercises, the study of historical precedent, and experimentation.

Bauhaus Studio By applying the theories of the Bauhaus traditions to contemporary design problems, this course is intended to introduce students to the theories, techniques, and styles initiated and developed by Bauhaus artists and their students. Slide lectures and films will help trace and extend the evolution and influence of Bauhaus teaching methods, design theory, goals, and influences. Emphasis will be on studio work and the introduction to requisite skills required to realize both 2- and 3-dimensional solutions to a variety of elective projects explored in the traditional Bauhaus curricula. Course fee.

Intaglio Printmaking Intaglio printing is explored through work with drypoint, engraving, etching, aquatint, soft ground, collagraph, and photo-etching processes. Demonstrations, media presentations, critiques, and discussions supplement studio work. The unique character of the printed image is studied from historical and visual viewpoints. Studio fee. Prerequisite: A 100-level two-dimensional Studio course.

Silk Screen Printmaking The silk screen printing process is explored through the use of a variety of hand-drawing and photographic techniques and approaches. Demonstrations, media presentations, critiques, and discussions supplement studio work. The unique character of the printed image is studied from historical and visual viewpoints. Studio fee. Prerequisite: A 100-level twodimensional Studio course.

Designing with Computers This module explores the use of specific computer-aided design applications. Students focus on elective topics such as desktop publishing, drafting, 3-D modeling, animation, graphic design, painting, texture mapping, image manipulation, and output. Each student will develop and complete a significant project using the computer as the primary design tool. A personal computer and preferred software is recommended, but not required. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Jewelry Design and Fabrication This course offers both a survey of 20th-century jewelry design, and a series of studio exercises which is designed to extend this history and to provide a range of first-hand creative experiences. Each student will write a research paper (12-15 pages) on the work of one designer or the evolution of a fabrication technique and present at least one research report (oral or written) on a specific approach/technique. A series of exercises and demonstrations will prepare students for the development and completion of three small projects or one major project.

Video Production II This project-based course is suggested for students with previous production experience. It addresses intermediateto- advanced level topics in field and studio production. Students will receive instruction in: scripting for the short film; digital video camera work; lighting; sound recording; and digital editing. Students will be expected to produce at least one short film of their own and to participate fully in the creation of a group project overseen by the instructor. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Writing and Photography Studio This course offers students the opportunity to explore various relationships between photography and the written word. Over the course of the semester students construct a number of creative projects in which they bring words and photographic images into play with one another. These include pairing one’s own images and words (e.g., poetic, fictional, autobiographical, journalistic), juxtaposing original images with someone else’s writing, and integrating words and images as part of a coherent creative statement. We will also devote some time to studying, discussing, and writing about the work of professional photographers and writers who have experimented with different approaches to using words and images. Various in-class writing activities along with photo studio work will help students prepare for the main projects. A midterm and final portfolio of writings and photographs will be required. Prerequisite: Literature 150 and Studio Art 102, or samples of both writing and photographs.

Experiments in Photography Experimental ideas and processes are introduced and explored. Projects are designed to expand conceptions of the possibilities of the photographic medium by investigating alternative and experimental processes and image making. We may work with multiple and sequential imagery, a range of non-silver techniques, including cyanotypes and palladium printing, or darkroom techniques, including photograms and layered negatives. The course also introduces the techniques and possibilities inherent in computer-processed compositions, and digital photography is presented as a means of creating unique images and prints. Presentations, technical demonstrations, and critiques supplement independent studio work. Each student presents a portfolio of selected prints at the conclusion of the course. Students supply their own camera, film, paper, and related supplies. Prerequisite: Studio Art 102, the core photography course, or equivalent experience.

Survey of Documentary Film This course will chart the development of the documentary film genre, from the late 19th-century explorations of the Lumiere Brothers on up through the resurgence of the form in the early years of the 21st century, with such films as The Fog of War, My Architect, and Capturing the Friedmans. Some of the filmmakers whose work will be examined include Robert Flaherty, Dziga Vertov, Leni Riefenstahl, John Ford, the Maysles Brothers, Frederick Wiseman, Alain Resnais, Marcel Ophuls, Michael Moore, Errol Morris, and Barbara Kopple. Class time will be devoted to viewing films, discussion/analysis of the film “texts,” and lectures on historical and technological aspects of documentary film. Homework will include readings of the textbook and assigned readings, weekly written responses, and two or three essays.

Electronic Arts Studio Video Production This course is designed for students interested in digital video production. The strong emphasis of the course is on studio production, utilizing the camera, sound, and lighting resources of the Electronic Arts Studio (EAS) in the Daniel Art Center. Students will be trained in the use of the advanced technology that this space contains, as well as in the theory and methodology of television production within a studio environment. Along with receiving solid grounding in uses of the studio and control room, the students will analyze and discuss various examples of studio production, ranging from types of broadcast journalism through purely fictional applications. Students will participate in projects that deal with intricate lighting, 3-camera design, chroma-key effects, and live-to-tape production. The assignments given in this course are designed to expose the students to the range of possibilities of the Electronic Arts Studio at Simon’s Rock, and of television studios and sound stages in general.

Figure Drawing Studio Students draw from the model, using a variety of media. Materials and techniques introduced in Studio Art 101 are pursued to a more advanced level. Superficial muscle and skeletal anatomy are introduced. There are peer and instructor critiques as well as assigned readings from selected texts. Models are provided. Students supply their own materials. Prerequisite: Studio Art 103m or a portfolio of recent drawings.

Painting Studio Students explore materials, techniques, painting styles, and color theory. Painting with acrylics is emphasized, though students may also work in oils and are urged to work also in watercolor, pastel, casein, oil pastel, and all drawing media. The course requires an extensive sketchbook, the completion of major projects, and additional work to be established with the instructor. Studio fee. Gesso, lumber, and some materials are supplied; students supply paints, brushes, and canvas. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Illustration Studio At the 200 level, this course introduces a variety of illustration techniques and styles, determined with each student, who carries out two or three major projects. Upper-level students develop more advanced projects. The course stresses various approaches to selected problems. Students are encouraged to carry out at least one project in a unified style. This might be the illustration of a short novel, a series of short stories, a book of poems, a children’s book, a scientific manual, or a work of “how to” literature. Whatever the content, the task is to produce a series of images suitable for publication. Studio fee.

Documentary Film / Video Production This course is designed for students interested in film and video production, and documentary filmmaking in particular. The students will be trained in the use of camera, sound, lighting, and editing equipment, and will be assigned to work in small groups on the production of documentary films. On a more intellectual and academic plane, the students will be expected to study and critique various styles of documentary film production, and to adopt a specific approach that best suits the portrayal of the subject matter. On a humanistic level, the students will be asked to consider their moral obligations to the subject and to form an “ethical contract” with the persons or organizations about whom they wish to make their films. They will also receive instruction in the legal niceties of documentary filmmaking. Class work will be devoted to instruction in equipment and shooting techniques, and viewing and discussion of existing documentaries, as well as of new student works as they develop. Class discussion will always be grounded in the responsibility that the filmmaker bears to his or her subject. Prerequisite: Studio Art 225 Survey of Documentary Film or permission of the instructor.

Site Seeing: Landscape Photography Workshop This course explores landscape photography in its broadest conception, from sublime visions to investigations of industrial and cultural transformations of the land. Biweekly class field trips to diverse local places form the structural backbone of the course. We will photograph a range of places, from nature preserves to industrial parks. Field trips take place during the regular class meeting times. Concurrent with visual work we will study the history and practice of landscape photography. We explore contemporary dialogues regarding land, culture, and ethics, as we develop our own photographic perspective and competence. Students may work in color provided they have taken Color Photography Studio, Studio Art 303/403.

Sculpture Studio This course addresses the history and practice of sculpture techniques. Some possible topics include clay-modeling, mold-making, carving, casting in plaster or metal, and metal fabrication. Studio fee. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Limited registration.

Ceramic Studio This course is for those who want to expand on the hand building, wheel throwing, and glazing skills developed in Studio Art 106. Students may choose whether to throw, hand build, or combine techniques in order to fulfill assignments. Advanced glazing techniques will be explored. Kiln loading and firing methods as well as mold making will be introduced. We will view and discuss slides of historical and contemporary ceramics throughout the course. The class will involve keeping a sketchbook, a field trip, and a group show of work. Prerequisite: Studio Art 106.

Color Photography Studio Seeing, thinking, and photographing in color are explored during this studio course. A variety of color materials and processing methods, including digital photography, are introduced, with a major focus on color negative printing. Independent work in the darkroom is explored and evaluated through lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and critiques. The visual history of color photography and alternative color approaches are studied through a series of presentations. Each student presents a portfolio of prints and a slide portfolio at the conclusion of the semester. Studio fee. Students supply their own camera, processed film, printing paper, and related supplies. Prerequisite: Studio Art 102 or equivalent experience.

Photographic Portrait/Self-Portrait Even the earliest examples of art reveal our impulses to portray one another and ourselves, and photography in particular has explored the endless expressive, conceptual, and aesthetic possibilities of portraiture. This course will investigate all aspects of the photographic portrait/ self-portrait, ranging from traditional approaches to more experimental methods. Slides and prints of historic and contemporary photographs will illustrate the creative possibilities of this genre. In addition, each student will create a response journal comprised of writing about photographs; each class will begin with sharing these entries. After completing a series of exploratory assignments during the first half of the course, each student will propose and produce a final body of photographic portraits and/or self-portraits that will culminate in an exhibition of student projects.

Documentary Photography: History and Practice This class is both a studio art class and a photography history class. The idea is to become immersed in the topic of documentary photography both by examining its history and by making photographs. We will make a thematic survey of documentary photography and read contemporary photographic criticism. At the same time students will work on visual assignments that will relate to topics discussed. Topics will include photography and social change, war photography, the FSA photographers, urban street photography, issues of voyeurism, race and class, and the relationship between documentary, art photography, and photojournalism. Each class will be divided into two sections. In the first half we will look at slides and examine the history and criticism of documentary photography. The second section will be reserved for the review and critique of student work. In the beginning of the course students will work on assignments exploring different aspects of documentary photography; after midterm students will propose and complete an extended documentary project. Prerequisite: Studio Art 102.

Computer Graphics Studio This intermediate-level course is intended for students with prior computer graphics, and/or multimedia experience. In consultation with the instructor, each student develops and completes three major projects demonstrating both growth and accomplishment in the application of computer skills to creative work(s). Students work independently, but regularly present progress reports and demonstrations of special techniques to the class. A personal computer and software are recommended, but not required. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

Artists’ Books Studio The design and structure of the book form is studied through work with drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, computer graphics, or with a combination of media. Initial projects deal with the interaction between words and images and culminate in the production of simple books. Later in the semester, each student plans and produces a complete book or a series of books. Basic forms of bookbinding and other presentation possibilities are explored. The conception of the book is left up to the individual and may range from a traditional approach to a highly experimental form. In all cases, the book is explored as a unique form of creative expression and visual communication. Lectures, presentations, and critiques supplement studio work. Studio fee.

Advanced Projects in Photography This course is designed to give serious students a chance to do an ambitious self-designed project within the critical framework and structure of a class. Weekly class critiques of work in progress will form the backbone of this class. Concurrent with studio work we will study the major themes in contemporary photography, and read first-hand statements by photographers. In addition, each student will write a critical essay on a topic they develop and research over the course of the semester. Photographic projects will culminate in a fully formed, significant body of work, and an exhibition of student projects.

Studio Art Tutorial Under these course numbers, juniors and seniors design tutorials to meet their particular interests and programmatic needs. A student should see the prospective tutor to define an area of mutual interest to pursue either individually or in a small group. A student may register for no more than one tutorial in any semester.