Danny Bredar

This Sophomore Seminar explores how artists and designers organize, prioritize, develop, and build their ideas into works in real life. Special emphasis will be put on designing projects, evaluating them, methods of critique, and idea generation.

Readings and lectures will focus on different individual artists who reimagined their practices in surprising ways including Qiu Zhijie?s ?Total Art?, Mierle Laderman Ukeles? ?Maintenance Art? and Lee Lozano?s ?Drop Out Piece?. Important texts include Printed Matter?s collection of artist essays ?The Social Medium: Artists Writing, 2000-2015? and Catherine Wagley?s essay ?The Conversation: Female Artist as Art Historian? from X-Tra magazine.

Students will learn to evaluate their past experiences with art and communicate about their individual practices as artists, designers, and scholars. Students will build an aspirational plan for their future at SAIC and beyond. With the goal of students will learn about how and why they make art, assignments will ask them to track their influences and reflect on what they think is valuable in culture.

This professional practice class focuses on the history and current practice of artist-run art spaces in Chicago. Students will research historical artist-driven culture and meet with current artists/curators.

Readings and lectures will look at different models of exhibiting artwork, working within economic constraints, and terrain of the art market.

Students will build professional skills such as writing an artist statement, curriculum vitae, artist talks, documenting work, and applying to opportunities like residencies or grants. The class will curate and produce a collaborative exhibition as a culminating event.