Jerry Bleem

This class investigates the properties of the elemental act of twisting raw materials into pliable linear elements. Students learn to spin and ply--using drop spindles and wheels--and to extend elements through rope making and various splicing techniques. Building on this foundation, students manipulate these fibrous elements into 2- and 3-dimensional forms as well as exploring expressive possibilities, and the limits of materials and structures. Topics for reading and discussion include the development of spinning and textile production, the social and economic histories of labor, historic and contemporary art examples of spun and structured fiber, and current cultural interests in reclaiming the handmade. Course work includes reading responses, participation in discussions, assembling a set of samples, reporting on research and 3 studio projects.

This course will explore strategies for collecting things (not necessarily of any particular monetary value) to be used as conceptual impetus, subject matter, and/or physical materials in the studio. The class will include discussions of the nature of classification and organization; the nature of attraction based on memory, physicality, and visual language; the relationship of time and distance to collection; and how quantity and mass change our perspectives and attractions. The class will also examine how artists have employed the act of collecting as a significant aspect of their work. Field trips will be an integral part of this class; our goal is to experience a rich mix of collections that illustrate the possibilities of this way of thinking. Readings will be drawn from important exhibition catalogs [Deep Storage and The Keeper], writings about artists, hoarding, the evolution of museums, and our fluid sense of value. Students will be expected to respond to assigned readings, present research, participate in a collaborative project exercise, and produce a mid-term and final project that synthesizes the experience and the material.