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Curriculum & Courses
Graduate Curriculum & Courses
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program is designed to offer maximum flexibility in addressing the needs of each individual student. Following admission through a department, students design their two-year plan of study based on optimizing the offerings and opportunities available throughout SAIC.
| Area | Credit Hours |
Studio
| 24
|
Seminar
| 12 |
Art History
| 12 |
Electives—any course in any area at 3000-level or above
| 12 |
| Participation in four graduate critiques | |
| Participation in ONE of the following as appropriate to artistic practice: Graduate Exhibition, Graduate Performance Event, Graduate Screenings. Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the dean of graduate studies. | |
| Total Credit Hours | 60 |
*Students who wish to use an alternative venue or presentation outside of these options must receive permission from the Dean of Graduate Studies. The AIADO Department encourages students in their MFA design programs to participate in the AIADO and Fashion Graduate Exhibition.
Degree Requirements and Specifications
Completion schedule: You have a maximum of four years to complete your MFA in Studio degree. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Students will have access to studios for four semesters only.
Transfer credits: You must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in residence at SAIC. You can request up to 15 transfer credits at the time of application for admission, which are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credits are permitted after a student is admitted.
Art History requirement: MFA students are required to take ARTHII 5002 Graduate Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art OR ARTHI 5120 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design. Art History courses must be at the 4000-level and above.
Undergraduate studio courses: Graduate students are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000-level and above) per semester without permission of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000-level are allowed only with permission.
Full-Time Status Minimum Requirement: 12 credit hours
MFA 6009 Graduate Projects
MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advising, an ongoing individual dialogue with a wide range of faculty advisors, is at the heart of the MFA program at SAIC, encouraging interdisciplinary study across the curriculum. Standard enrollment consists of two MFA 6009 Graduate Projects advisors, one graduate-level seminar, and an art history course each semester. The remainder of credits required for the full-time 15-credit hour load may include academic or studio electives. All MFA students must register for a minimum of one and no more than two MFA 6009 sections each semester. Students may request permission from the Graduate Program Advisor to take a third MFA 6009 section after priority registration.
In their final year, students must take one MFA 6009 Exhibitions section. The advising and grade for this course will be tied to the final exhibition. When taking undergraduate studio coursework, the student is responsible for understanding the faculty member’s expectations about completion of assignments, attendance, and any other criteria for earning credit. MFA students interested in completing a written thesis must take a research course and MFA 6009 Research section and obtain approval from the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
Graduate Critiques
As one of the principle means of assessment each semester, you will be required to participate in Critique Week, a week-long schedule of critiques during which classes are suspended.
Fall semester critiques are organized by department with panels representing the discipline. This provides you with an opportunity to understand the department’s expectations, have your work reviewed from a disciplinary point of view, and to reiterate the expectations for graduate study.
Spring semester critiques are interdisciplinary, with panel members and students from across SAIC disciplines. Interdisciplinary critiques allow for a broad range of responses to your work, and are intended to assess the success of your work for a more general, albeit highly informed audience. Critique panels include faculty, visiting artists, and fellow graduate students.
Graduate Exhibition or Equivalent
At the conclusion of your studies, you will present work in the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition, other end-of-year events at SAIC, or the Gene Siskel Film Center—or arrange with the graduate dean or division chair for an alternative thesis of equal professional quality. Each year more than 200 graduate students exhibit work, screen videos and films, and present time-based works, writings, and performance to a collective audience of 30,000 people.
Students wishing to install work around prevalent themes, strategies or stylistic affinities can participate in a juried and curated section of the SAIC Graduate Thesis Exhibition. A faculty and staff committee conducts extensive studio visits and as a collaborative project with student participants, organizes and installs the show in designated space at the exhibition.
Undergraduate Courses
MFA students are advised to understand the expectations of their faculty when enrolled in undergraduate studio classes. Although graduate students are an asset to the group dynamic, faculty requirements for graduate students in undergraduate classes are variable. The student is responsible for understanding the faculty member's expectations about completion of assignments, attendance, and any other criteria for earning credit. To assure that graduate students are working at degree level, they are permitted no more than one undergraduate studio course (3000 level and above) per semester without permission of the dean of graduate studies. Courses at the 1000 and 2000 level are allowed only with permission.
Course Listing
| Title | Catalog | Instructor | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (001) | Sofía Fernández Díaz | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (002) | Stacia Laura Yeapanis | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (003) | Melissa Leandro | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (004) | Melissa Leandro | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (005) | Vanessa Viruet | Mon/Wed
6:45 PM - 9:15 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (006) | Kate Smith | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Introduction To Fiber/Material Studies | 2000 (007) | Stacia Laura Yeapanis | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course introduces students to a diverse range of textile materials, processes, histories, politics, traditions, and cultures of fiber and their relationships to contemporary art practice. Historical and contemporary approaches to process and materials are explored as students are introduced to a variety of fiber techniques in construction and surface application. Taught technique can include printing, tapestry weaving, immersion and resist dyeing, knitting, crochet, felting, coiling, hand embroidery, machine sewing, piecework, and embellishment. Textiles have rich and complex histories in all cultures. Examples from across time and place will be explored and discussed through visual presentations, assigned readings, in-class discussions, visiting artist lectures, and field trips.
By the end of this course, students will become familiar with the formal, conceptual, expressive, and political potential of fiber as an expressive medium with limitless possibilities. Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of technical samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Woven Structure Basics | 2002 (001) | Emily Winter | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course is an introduction to floor loom hand weaving through the study of basic weave structures, woven image techniques and fiber types. Traditional and experimental use of material and technique will be used to explore double weaves, painted warps and a variety of hand-manipulated techniques including tapestry, brocade and inlay.
Students will study the global histories of woven cloth through a variety of readings, presentations, and class discussions. Works by artists such as Diedrick Brackens, Lenore Tawney, and Gunta Stolzl will be discussed as well as writings by thinkers such as Anni Albers, T'ai Smith, Dieter Hoffman-Axthelm as primary points of departure. Students will study basic weaving draft patterns and will complete independent research into artists and techniques of interest. The conceptual and material considerations of contemporary craft-based art will be a major component of this course. Students will produce 2-6 finished weavings over the course of the semester through their exploration and research of a variety of techniques on 4-harness floor looms. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Print for Fabric and Alternative Materials I | 2004 (001) | Jess Atieno Ounga | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
In this course, a wide range of processes for screenprinting onto fabric and alternative substrates are demonstrated, including the use of textile inks, fiber reactive dyes, resist and discharge, and heat transfers of foils and disperse dyes. Students will use hand drawn, computer generated, and photographic images to explore foundational screen print techniques and concepts such as monoprinting, multiples, color relationships, composition, and basic repeat patterns. Interdisciplinary and experimental uses of the printed surface are encouraged throughout the development of personal research and practice.
The class is augmented by relevant lectures, readings and visits to AIC, artist studios and galleries. Students present finished and in-process works at three critiques throughout the semester. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Stitch | 2005 (001) | JeeYeun Lee | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course explores various approaches to altering, enriching, and transforming the surface of pliable materials and forms. Emphasis is on the surface treatment and its relationship to structure while using conventional and non-conventional materials. Students work with a broad range of hand and machine stitching techniques that can include embroidery, embellishment, piecing, quilting, applique, and working with treatments like paints, dyes, adhesives, and collage. Special attention is paid to the histories of these techniques and how they are being utilized in contemporary art. Technical demonstrations, assigned readings, group discussions, lectures and field trips will augment student learning. The course is structured to support students in the development of their studio arts practice by equipping them with a variety of technical skills and encouraging them to pursue projects driven by their own formal, material, and conceptual concerns. Individual and group critiques are integral to the course.
Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of samples, critique projects, and reading responses. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Papermaking I | 2007 (001) | Andrea Peterson | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course will introduce hand papermaking as an art form using contemporary and traditional techniques. You will utilize and develop techniques and skills that are unique to this medium. We will focus on a range of fibers that have differing characteristics that can exemplify content investigation.
We will be reviewing many artists work for their use of material in conjunction with concepts pursued. This will include flat works, sculptural, installation, etc. - some will be actual works brought in to the classroom for a close up examination of process and idea. Students will create a range of experimental works with the medium and produce a final body of self-directed work that will all be reviewed during 3 participatory group critiques. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Natural Dye | 2032 (001) | Christian Ortiz | Sat
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM In Person |
Description
Students learn how to translate colors from the natural world into textiles, by using natural dyes foraged from plants, as well as dye concentrates and indigo, for immersion and direct dye applications. Complex surface design patterns are created through the Japanese resist process of shibori. Chemistry, color theory, material manipulations, and research provide a technical foundation for the creation of projects within the expanded field of textiles.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Tapestry | 2037 (001) | Kira Dominguez Hultgren | Mon
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The class will examine the many possibilities of creating woven forms using a tapestry loom (also called a frame loom). Students will begin by experimenting with the basic techniques of tapestry and plain weave as they explore ways of creating surface, image, texture and various color effects within a woven form. Students will then learn more complex tapestry weaving techniques. A variety of tapestry looms will be considered, including possibilities for constructing looms of varying dimensions and sizes. Contemporary weaving projects, along with historical references, will be presented through discussions, visual presentations, demonstrations, readings, and close-up examinations of woven textiles. This course is open to all levels.
Tapestry works by contemporary artists such as Diedrick Brackens, kg, Erin M. Riley, Terri Friedman, Aiko Tezuka, Josh Faught, Julia Bland, Sarah Zapata, and Erasto ?Tito? Mendoza will be shown, together with seminal works by artists whose tapestry works spurred the emergence of the field of fiber in the 1950s through early 1970s: Trude Guermonprez, Anni Albers, Lenore Tawney, Olgs de Amaral, Tadeusz Beutlich, and Magdalena Abakanowicz. Contemporary frame loom weaving will be contextualized through visual presentations and readings exploring relevant histories of weaving across the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, together with examples of present day weaving workshops and institutions like the Museo Textil de Oaxaca (Mexico), the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (Peru),the Manufacture Nationale des Tapisseries Senegal (Senegal), and Sadu House (Kuwait). Course work will vary but typically includes the creation of woven samples, 3 or 4 finished works, reading responses, and short research assignments and/or presentations. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Advanced Woven Structures: Hand and Digital | 3002 (001) | Kira Dominguez Hultgren | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This intensive studio course will focus on weaving and its relation to the evolving landscapes of contemporary art, cultural production, and identity. Working with multi-harness floor looms, students will engage rigorous conceptual questions in abstraction, figuration, sculptural form, spatial intervention, performative action, technology, and language to develop a mature body of woven work. Vocabulary will be expanded through the study of complex woven constructions, digital drafting, and dye processes. Feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches to weaving will be introduced and encouraged. Designed for advanced students, this course engenders an interdisciplinary weaving practice by blurring the boundaries between fiber, critical craft, painting, material culture, sculpture, textile history, architecture, and technology studies.
Students will consider the history and the future of the field through a varying roster of artists including significant figures such as Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Olga de Amaral alongside contemporary generations such as Sonya Clark, Miguel Arzabe, Diedrick Brackens, Erin M. Riley, Josh Faught, Samantha Bittman, and Cecilia Vicuña. This work will be supported by texts that typically include Anni Albers, Legacy Russel, T'ai Smith, Julia Bryan-Wilson, and César Paternosto. Critical discussion of core texts and individualized research will occur in tandem with weekly studio activity. Students will produce a series of studies and 2 - 4 fully realized woven works that will be developed through in-process discussions and presented in major critique settings. PrerequisitesOpen to Juniors/Seniors & Grad Students |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Digital Jacquard Weaving: Zeroes and Ones | 3017 (001) | Danielle Andress | Wed, Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The computer driven Jacquard goes beyond the limitations of a floor loom by interfacing with a computer to allow for direct control of individual threads. This course explores the historical and conceptual interstices of digital technology and hand weaving through the use of this loom
Utilizing Photoshop and Jacquard weaving software, students will realize projects that begin with digital source material and result in hand woven constructions. The strongly debated connection between the Jacquard loom?s use of punched cards and the history of computers will be central to the course, as will the contemporary use of the loom as a new media tool. Studio work will blend work at the computer, weaving on the loom, reading, research and critical discussion. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: Sophomore-level or above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Twist | 3019 (001) | Jerry Bleem | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
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. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| To Dye For | 3020 (001) | Diana Guerrero-Maciá | Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Color is everywhere. This fiber studio will teach students basic color theory and applied color mixing techniques using fiber reactive dyes to make a variety of projects. Experiments will begin with immersion dyeing to create solid color swatches and a comprehensive dye book of color dying charts for student to use in the future. Surface design explorations will include block printing and painterly techniques with dyes. Over-dyeing and discharge processes will be introduced as methods of adding layers of color to cloth.
Lectures on contemporary, historical, and global use of color in artworks will vary greatly and cover various centuries and methods of making. Readings in color will include Josef Albers, John Gage, and David Batchelor to name a few. Critiques will emphasize the use of color as formal & conceptual element within artwork. Students will complete several projects while testing and compiling over 100 dye test colors into a dye-sampler book with recipes for material explorations, and fabric dye testing. Students will also research color meaning, study basic color theory, and finish color-based projects of their own design and using textiles they have hand dyed as a final project. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Print into Sculpture: 3D Screens | 3021 (001) | Amy Yoes | Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class will provide students with skills and knowledge to translate two dimensional printed cloth into three dimensional sculptural forms. Students will explore various strategies for creating three-dimensional works using screen printed fabrics, and they will also learn a range of screen printing techniques. Students will learn how to create a range of hanging and installation structures using wood, dowels, rope, string, found objects, and other materials. Tools like the plotter/cutter and heat press will also enable students to expand the scope of their 2D and 3D print explorations. The flexibility of fabric will be deployed in the creation and assembly of sculptural forms that can be portable and expandable. No prior print experience is required.
Works by artists including Lara Schnitger, Sam Gilliam, Alan Shields, Joe Overstreet, Al Loving, Judy Pfaaf, Phyllida Barlow, Ree Morton, Robert Rauschenberg, Lygia Pape, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Dorothea Rockburne, Carla Accardi, Lucy Orta, Lina Bo Bardi, Michelle Segre, Brian Eno, Helio Oiticica, and Do So Huh will be presented. Technical demonstrations, visual presentations, and discussions, will be augmented by assigned readings and experimental texts exploring space, place, spatial composition and design, charts, and architecture by authors including E.H. Gombrich, William Davenport, Marina Warner, Bernard Rudofsky, and Miwon Kwon. Students will complete three studio projects for critique organized around themes of spatial design, improvisation, and site-specificity. Other assignments can include reading responses, samples and in-class experiments, keeping a sketchbook / record of ideas, and/or material and technical research. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Studio Stuff: The Paradigm of Collecting | 3025 (001) | Jerry Bleem | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
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. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Comics, Narrative, and the Materialization of the Image | 3033 (001) | Beth Kathleen Hetland | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
A significant parallel exists between comics and fiber in that both stem from utilitarian imperatives: the basic communicative power of comics, and the functionality and tactility of textiles. This course explores the history, techniques, concepts, and dissemination of comics in relation to fiber and fine art. Ideas of abstraction, simplification, the icon, and universality, the relationship of image and text, and sequential imagery are explored. Discussing traditional gallery shows and publications in contrast with the implications of self-publishing, zines, graffiti, and public art is a very important part of this course. An enthusiastic approach to experimentation in form and materials is highly encouraged.
The world of contemporary comics is surveyed, as well as many contemporary artists who make comic-based or inspired work. Some of the artists we will study include Lynda Barry, Scott McCloud, Faith Ringgold, Peter Blegvad, Megan Whitmarsh, Jessica Campbell, and many others. Studio instruction includes screen-printing, embroidery, heat press, collage and piecing, with a variety of materials including fabric and paper, as well as computer imaging. Students should expect to produce a body of work, both installation and publication, consisting of 3-5 finished pieces for critique during the semester, weekly reading responses, and independent research. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Social Fabric(s) | 3034 (001) | Savneet K Talwar | Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class considers the 'social fabric' as a type of material that can be used by artists and activists to create connections and community. Through collaborative and individual explorations, we will examine the possibilities of fibers/textiles to foster and strengthen community, create social bonds, educate, raise awareness about social and political issues and advocate for change. We will explore banner making, piecework and quilting, using hand sewing techniques and a range of materials. The first half of the class will focus on banner, flag making, and quilting techniques, exploring their histories of collective making and their use in political organizing and activism. The second half of the term will focus on sewing, piecing, appliqué and will consider the digital realm to further objectives of connectivity and communication. We will realize or propose projects that are accessible and can engage the public. Throughout the class, we'll look at historical and contemporary examples of fiber and textiles used to protest, unite, educate, and agitate for change in the USA and beyond. We'll pay particular attention to the ways in which people and communities came together to create these works, and explore connections between art making, community building, and social change. Students are encouraged to articulate and explore their individual interests and draw on their experiences and lives outside the art world and SAIC.
|
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Advanced Woven Structure | 4003 (001) | Kira Dominguez Hultgren | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This intensive studio course will focus on weaving and its relation to the evolving landscapes of contemporary art, cultural production, and identity. Working with multi-harness floor looms, students will engage rigorous conceptual questions in abstraction, figuration, sculptural form, spatial intervention, performative action, technology, and language to develop a mature body of woven work. Vocabulary will be expanded through the study of complex woven constructions, digital drafting, and dye processes. Feminist, queer, and decolonial approaches to weaving will be introduced and encouraged. Designed for advanced students, this course engenders an interdisciplinary weaving practice by blurring the boundaries between fiber, critical craft, painting, material culture, sculpture, textile history, architecture, and technology studies.
Students will consider the history and the future of the field through a varying roster of artists including significant figures such as Sheila Hicks, Lenore Tawney, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Olga de Amaral alongside contemporary generations such as Sonya Clark, Miguel Arzabe, Diedrick Brackens, Erin M. Riley, Josh Faught, Samantha Bittman, and Cecilia Vicuña. This work will be supported by texts that typically include Anni Albers, Legacy Russel, T'ai Smith, Julia Bryan-Wilson, and César Paternosto. Critical discussion of core texts and individualized research will occur in tandem with weekly studio activity. Students will produce a series of studies and 2 - 4 fully realized woven works that will be developed through in-process discussions and presented in major critique settings. This course facilitates self-directed investigation of concept and technique in hand weaving. PrerequisitesFIBER 2002 or Junior & above |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio | 4005 (001) | L Vinebaum, Danielle Andress | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event.
PrerequisitesOpen to students at Junior level and above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio | 4005 (001) | L Vinebaum, Danielle Andress | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature. Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event.
PrerequisitesOpen to students at Junior level and above. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Advanced Print for FMS in the Expanded Field | 4007 (001) | Amy Yoes | Tues
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This class enables students to develop personal conceptual concerns and expand their existing knowledge of a range of print processes within the expanded field of FMS. Independently guided projects will be based on students' proposals and the development of conceptual inquiries in conjunction with appropriate methods and material. Students will advance their printing techniques at it relates to their individual directions. Advanced techniques include; large scale, repeat structures, color layering, CMYK and experimental alternative processes. The relevance of screen-printing, what it offers the expanded field of contemporary art/design practice and issues of display and installation will be discussed and explored.
Students work within the communal studios that are FMS (print, dye, and sewing labs, and the Textile Resource Center) creating a foundational peer driven atmosphere. Writing will be practiced and discussed in relation to an artist statement and project proposals. Student driven research guides project development and is supported with critiques, readings and exhibition visits. Students present finished and in-process work at several critiques over the course of the semester. PrerequisitesFIBER 2004 or Junior & above |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Digital Jacquard Weaving: Zeroes and Ones II | 4017 (001) | Danielle Andress | Wed, Wed
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
The computer driven Jacquard goes beyond the limitations of a floor loom by interfacing with a computer to allow for direct control of individual threads. This course explores the historical and conceptual interstices of digital technology and hand weaving through the use of this loom.
Utilizing Photoshop and Jacquard weaving software, students realize projects that begin with digital source material and result in hand woven constructions. The strongly debated connection between the Jacquard loom's use of punched cards and the history of computers is central to the course, as is the contemporary use of the loom as a new media tool. Studio work blends work at the computer, weaving on the loom, reading, research and critical discussion. A personal laptop computer is required for this course. This course is a continuation of FIBER 3017. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio | 4900 (001) | L Vinebaum, Danielle Andress | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature.
Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: 3900 course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| Advanced Fiber and Material Studies Studio | 4900 (001) | L Vinebaum, Danielle Andress | Tues/Thurs
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
This course provides an interdisciplinary forum for in-depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of contemporary art. This is a team-taught class and will utilize both instructors for critiques and group activities. Emphasis is on individual studio practice and the development of a more cohesive body of work within a faculty mentorship and peer-to-peer learning structure. Technical and conceptual input will be provided on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, field trips to current exhibitions, and visiting lecturers augment this class. Professional practices will focus on the creation and display of discrete objects and/or installation work for the BFA Exhibition, supported by developing or refining a professional resume and an artist statement. Documentation of individual work for inclusion on the Fiber & Material Studies web page is also required. The print, dye, sewing, and mixed media facilities of the department are available to enrolled students to use. This class is for a minimum of 6 credit hours and is held weekly over a two-day period on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Open to Juniors and Seniors with instructor permission and signature.
Course work varies but typically includes the production of major studio projects for critique, student presentations, professional development assignments, documentation of work, and the installation of work in the class display case and an open studio event. PrerequisitesPrerequisite: 3900 course |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentLocation |
| History as Material: social origin and social use | 5002 (001) | Nia Easley | Thurs
3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person |
Description
This Graduate Seminar will focus on resuscitating marginalized histories through art and design - with an emphasis on the inherently political nature of knowledge production. The course content will be anchored in ideas around community, Black histories in Chicago, minoritization, and the many stories that can be found in a place as explored through creative works by artists and designers. We will consider how artists and designers engage with histories using both existing and new/innovative research and creative methodologies including (for example) data visualization, embodied or performative strategies, oral histories, archives, collections, etc. We will explore the challenges of creatively responding to histories that have been marginalized or even erased by the dominant (white, Eurocentric, classed) mainstream. Students will engage with histories of their choosing, various forms of research, and creative methodologies to further their practice and interests.
We will investigate how archives are used to maintain or challenge the status quo through readings and talks. Some examples include reading Secrecy, Archives, and the Public Interest by Howard Zinn; looking at W.E.B. Du Bois' 'Data Portraits' of turn of the 20th century Black America; online resources including the Tumblr accounts: Medievalpoc and Black Contemporary Art; visiting the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, and/or the Cataloging and Metadata Librarian from the Chicago History Museum. Work to be completed will include readings with written response component; group discussion; creative interpretation of the themes of the class intended to further students' own research and practice including but not limited to written and/or creative projects. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
| Practices on Digital Weaving | 5007 (001) | Emily Winter | Fri, Fri
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM In Person |
Description
Combining computer-assisted and digital technologies with analog hand weaving processes, this class is grounded in the contemporary use of the jacquard loom as a new media tool. The computer-driven TC (thread controller) digital jacquard looms interface with a computer to allow for direct control of individual threads, allowing for innovations in woven structure, composition, forms, and imagery. Utilizing Photoshop and Jacquard weaving software, students will realize projects that begin with digital source material and result in hand woven constructions. This graduate studio course emphasizes rigorous conceptual development and material explorations. Studio work will blend work at the computer, weaving on the loom, visual presentations, individual and group discussions of students' projects and works in process, readings, research and critical discussion.
Contemporary artists working with weaving including Lia Cook, Kate Nartker, Noel Andreson, Josh Faught, Janie Lourie, Sonya Rapoport, Christy Matson, Siena Smith, Percy Lam, and Jovencio de la Paz, Global and historical examples of weaving practices will also be presented and discussed. Readings can include texts by Rosalind Krauss, Walter Benjamin, Jean Baudrillard, Hito Steyerl, Sarat Maharaj, T'ai Smith, Lisa Nakamura. Students will engage in sampling and experimentation, and also demonstrate an ongoing commitment to independent studio practice and projects. This graduate level class will importantly include in-depth discussion about students' work, concepts, material and technical choices, and thematic interests. Students are expected to work independently on relevant works of their choosing. |
Class Number |
Credits |
DepartmentArea of StudyLocation |
Take the Next Step
Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242, or gradmiss@saic.edu.