A warm and hearty welcome to the class blog for Art 156 Intro to Studio Art: Art & the Environment! You will find nearly all of the resources/handouts you need either here on the blog, or in our shared google folder. Each of you will create a personal blog that will be listed in the menu on the right of this window, where you will also find information on how to set up your blog as well as what you will do on the blog.
This course provides a foundational studio experience for art majors, art minors and students enrolled in the interdisciplinary Art & Environment minor. While our central goal is to learn about art-making we will also read , write, talk about and critique art. The work you produce will be informed by these other strategies.
Learning Objectives for the semester include development of:
- deep knowledge of composition/design necessary to develop visually compelling works of art
- a greater appreciation for the art process and the role of creativity in human life
- a deeper understanding of creative practices, including the necessity of artist research, and prototyping and developing ideas
- development of critical thinking skills
- general knowledge of ecoart themes and strategies, and awareness of relevant artists
- familiarity with and appreciation for critique strategies
- an openness to collaborative work
- increased confidence in yourself as an artist and creative thinker
We’ll look at how contemporary ecoart practices have grown from a range of historical art movements including Conceptual Art, Social Sculpture, New Genre Public Art, Social and Relational Aesthetics, which have their roots in activist cultural movements such as the civil rights, feminist, LGBTQ and environmental movements. Much of this art utilizes conceptual and performance art strategies, embraces everyday issues and simple or non-traditional materials. Consequently our materials will be salvaged, found, and/or upcycled to the greatest extent possible.
Please note that while we tend to conceptualize "environment" as meaning 'nature', it is important to remember that the word ‘environment’ also can evoke social, political and other culturally constructed contexts that may be shaped/transformed by humans through art.
I look forward to working with and getting to know each of you!
Warmly,
Prof G
