Kelly F. Kaczynski

This course is an introduction to the materials, methods, and concepts of sculpture. We will investigate making in relation to material, time and space. We will consider aspects of sculpture such as meaning, scale, process, social engagement, ephemera and site; and explore the formal properties and expressive potential of materials including mold making and casting, wood, metal and experimental media. We will combine the use of materials and methods with ideas that reflect the history of contemporary sculpture. Demonstrations and authorizations will provide students with experience and technical proficiency in sculptural production while readings and slide lectures venture into the critical discourses of sculpture.

This studio course investigates issues of size and scale through lectures and discussions, outside readings, and the studio work of the participants. Its aim is to pursue our attraction to the gargantuan and the miniature. The course examines not only the formal factors which effect our perceptions, but, more importantly, the social, political, and psychological implications of such works. Issues of public and private space are addressed by comparing the monumental and the propagandistic elements of spectacle, as well as the enchanted, intimate, and fetish qualities of the small. Topics discussed range from Mt. Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty to David Hammons's Bliz-aard Ball Sale. Student projects are generated from their own related interests and concerns with interdisciplinary work encouraged.

This course provides a forum for in depth critiques and exploration of students' individual directions within the context of sculptural practice. Both technical and conceptual input will be given on a tutorial basis. Group discussions, readings, slide/video presentations, field trips and visiting lecturers may augment this class. Enrolled students will be assigned a studio space in the Columbus building. A maximum of 15 students will be admitted per semester. Enrollment is by application only.

Studio Projects:Independent studio work under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Post-Baccalaureatee studio students receive a list of scheduled advisors. Writing Projects: Independent tutorial work with the guidance and encouragement of a faculty advisor. Post-Baccalaureate writing students receive a list of scheduled advisors. The student registers for 6 credit hours of Post-Baccalaureate Projects during each semester of study.

This seminar consists of weekly studio visits, discussions, and small group critiques. Students are expected to arrive with completed and semi-completed works and be prepared to make and re-make new works throughout the summer sessions. A wide variety of readings chosen by faculty will guide discussions that concentrate on problems concerning methods of artmaking, distribution, and interpretation. Readings will include examples drawn from the emerging category of conceptual writing as well as crucial art historical texts, literature, and poetry.

Over the course of each six-week summer residency period, all students in the Low- Res MFA program engage with a series of world renowned artists and scholars to expand our collective conceptual frameworks and discourses. Invited speakers participate in our Visiting Artist & Scholar Lecture Series. They deliver a public lecture open to the entire SAIC and Chicago community and the general public, and then participate in a Colloquium the next day exclusively for Low-Res MFA students. Each Colloquium takes place with the artist present, and is a space where the artist¿s work and concepts (direct or adjacent) are discussed, questions are raised, and topics are debated. Colloquium asks for consensus, but rather a dynamic and in depth discursive exploration of ideas. This form allows for a multiplicity of voices to build on concepts through questioning, contributing, challenging, and listening to each other. The colloquium is considered a Gift anchored with the presence of the visiting artist. This Gift is generated by enacting full attention to the concepts present in the artist or scholar¿s work. In the spirit of Lewis Hyde, the Gift is an exchange which generates or propagates further attention and exchange in culture. Thus, the Colloquium is a Gift meant to propagate further exchange in the world, as artists and citizens.

This specialized professional practice course prepares students for active participation in the artistic and scholarly life of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including familiarizing them with on-campus and online components of the Low-Residency MFA infrastructure. Students will be introduced to in-person and online library resources, including SAIC¿s special collections. We will become familiar with both bricks-and-mortar and digital research, communication, and production tools available through the school. Students will be trained on digital platforms including Canvas, SAIC's learning management system, in preparation for their fall and spring online courses. Additionally, this course will introduce Chicago area resources that may be useful in students research and practice. Through this course, students may be authorized on some equipment for use during the residency.

Many of the most essential discourses of what we think of as contemporary art are rooted in an expanded concept of sculpture. This exit-seminar will encourage graduating students to contextualize their work within these discourses as they produce their MFA thesis projects. Professional-practice strategies are modeled, discussed and practiced in preparation for establishing a post-master?s career. This course is aimed at fourth-semester graduate students in Sculpture but will be of relevance for all graduate students in any department. Subjects are developed through conversation with visiting arts professionals, theoretical and practical readings, discussions and critiques of students work.

The Graduate Projects course allows students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work and research from their home studio or mobile platforms. The continued development of ideas and approaches initiated during the summer Graduate Studio Seminar will be supported through in-person and online conversation with SAIC Program Mentors. These liaisons are intended to support the off-campus development of work while also providing personal connections to SAIC's vast global network of distinguished alumni. Open to Low Residency MFA students only.

The Graduate Projects course allows students to focus in private sessions on the development of their work and research from their home studio or mobile platforms. The continued development of ideas and approaches initiated during the summer Graduate Studio Seminar will be supported through in-person and online conversation with SAIC Program Mentors. These liaisons are intended to support the off-campus development of work while also providing personal connections to SAIC's vast global network of distinguished alumni. Open to Low Residency MFA students only.