William John O'Brien

This course introduces students to sculptural ideas executed in various ceramic hand construction techniques including slab, coil, press mold, etc. Students will explore how the unique physical characteristics of clay can contribute to the content of the work. Construction strategies will be examined in a conceptual context, investigating issues of space, technology, and architectural implication to build a dimensional perspective of personal and societal relevance. Emphasis will be on process, exploration, and discussion. We will examine artists who've instrumentalized clay in inventive and boundary-pushing ways. Some of the artists we'll look at are Arlene Schechet, Annabeth Rosen, Ron Nagel, Huma Bhabha, Genesis Belanger and more. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include interviews with contemporary artists and critical essays by Eva Respini, Clare Lilley, Rosalind Krauss and more. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of assigned and self directed projects to be presented in a culminating midterm and final critique.

This course introduces students to sculptural ideas executed in various ceramic hand construction techniques including slab, coil, press mold, etc. Students will explore how the unique physical characteristics of clay can contribute to the content of the work. Construction strategies will be examined in a conceptual context, investigating issues of space, technology, and architectural implication to build a dimensional perspective of personal and societal relevance. Emphasis will be on process, exploration, and discussion. We will examine artists who've instrumentalized clay in inventive and boundary-pushing ways. Some of the artists we'll look at are Arlene Schechet, Annabeth Rosen, Ron Nagel, Huma Bhabha, Genesis Belanger and more. Readings and screenings will vary but typically include interviews with contemporary artists and critical essays by Eva Respini, Clare Lilley, Rosalind Krauss and more. Students should expect to produce a body of work consisting of assigned and self directed projects to be presented in a culminating midterm and final critique.

This seminar focuses on developing a shared language for interdisciplinary critique, and on understanding one's own work better through fine-tuning how you look and talk about each other's. We will proceed with the assumption that all artworks are by nature collectively authored in that they emerge from, and contribute to, the ongoing conversation of art. This is an interdisciplinary seminar consisting of studio visits informed by selected readings and discussions, short writing assignments, and one longer piece of writing related to your work. This class aims to help you deepen your relationship to your work, and to develop an ease with, and appetite for, theoretical discourse and critical dialogue to help sustain your practice in the long-term.

Taken every semester, the Graduate Projects courses allow students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work. Students register for 6 hours of Graduate Project credit in each semester of study.