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Craft Media Courses

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These courses provide a foundation in working in various craft materials and processes, including paper crafts, book arts, fiber crafts, mixed-media hybrid materials, ceramics, and glass.

Introduction to Craft Media Series

The Introduction to Craft Media Series is a set of 12-week courses in material studies that introduce students to craft media, methodologies, histories, and traditions.

These courses provide a foundation in working in a variety of craft materials processes, including paper crafts, book arts, fiber crafts, mixed-media hybrid materials, ceramics, and glass.

Craft Practice

Students create functional or non-functional objects while they cultivate respect for craft and explore material as an art form.

Students analyze the social and ethical aspects of craft as they develop technical competency. Coursework encourages an investigation into the potential of objects to possess visual, tactile, and conceptual information.

Craft Traditions and Contemporary Practice

Students examine craft traditions in their original context and in contemporary practice and explore multicultural perspectives and personal reinterpretations.

Students learn about the mythic multicultural sources of craft ritual and reinterpret these through their own cultural and artistic lens to achieve an understanding of the importance of craftwork, within a fine arts context, as a vehicle of culture.

Courses

  • Relief paper sculpture, folded, cut, and assembled
  • Mexican papel picado traditions (tissue paper banners)
  • Paper collage, mixed media paper, paper weaving
  • Pop-up cards
  • Crafting illumination: paper lantern design – hanging, tabletop, or wall-mounted

  • Sculptural form and mask making: transform hybrid materials
  • Introduction of structural paper building strategies, including papier-mâché, paper-clay, plaster gauze, wire mesh, and others as sculptural substrates for skeletal armature forms
  • Working with a variety of materials joined with wax, plaster, and other materials in a collaging of objects, beads, string, feathers, stones, shells, etc.
  • Surface finishes for sculpture, including patinas, paints, and waxes

  • Linear suspension: transform string, wire, yarn, and fabric through tying, binding, sewing, and more
  • Knitting and crochet
  • Exploration of the interfacing of rigid and flexible materials held in suspension to one another to create wall works, discrete objects, and hanging sculptures, including mobiles, puppets, marionettes, or other suspended animation-based works of art

  • Fundamentals of producing handmade books, including binding practices and materials and exploration of the expressive potential of the form through combining images and text
  • Introduction to handmade book genres, including journals, portfolios, pop-up books, chapbooks, concertina, and accordion books
  • Introduction to artists’ books
  • Introduction to binding methods, including saddle stitch, perfect bond, long stitch, Coptic stitch, and Japanese stab binding

  • Comprehensive introduction to the materials and methods essential to ceramic practice
  • Handbuilding: pinch, coil, slab, and the use of the extruder
  • Wheel throwing
  • The use of slips, engobes, gand lazes to explore the role of surface treatments in ceramics
  • Firing methods, including low-fire glazes, maiolica, and midrange stoneware glazing in oxidation, raku, and pit firing

  • Introduction to kilnforming glass, a method of shaping glass in a kiln using heat
  • Introduction to kilns, computerized kilns, and firing programs
  • Fusing and slumping processes
  • Coldworking and relevant materials handling
  • Introduction to stained glass techniques, including cutting, foilking, and soldering and use of lead foil in construction of three-dimensional art pieces
  • Students build a strong foundation in the ancient art form of mosaics, including the planning, design, and selection of materials

All Upcoming Craft Media Classes

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Upcoming Classes Calendar

Encaustic Painting with Mixed Media

February 5 - February 26, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$120

Instructors:
Kelly Posey,

Venue:
Studio 100

In this class, we’ll dive into the exciting world of encaustic painting, an expressive art form that combines hot wax and pigments to create rich, […]
Learn more

Batik Fabric Design

February 14 - March 7, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$150

Instructors:
Bob Devers,

Venue:
156 Gibbs

Batik is the ancient decorative art of creating designs on fabric using dyes and a resist such as melted beeswax. In this class, you’ll learn […]
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Encaustic Painting with Mixed Media

March 5 - April 9, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$180

Instructors:
Kelly Posey,

Venue:
Studio 100

In this class, we’ll dive into the exciting world of encaustic painting, an expressive art form that combines hot wax and pigments to create rich, […]
Learn more

Altered Books

March 11 - April 8, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$150

Instructors:
Marcie Wolf-Hubbard,

Venue:
Studio 100

Turn book pages into works of art!  This class explores creative ways to upcycle books with drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media techniques like gelatin […]
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Maiolica Glaze Painting on Tiles and Large Platters

March 21 - April 25, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$150

Instructors:
Bob Devers,

Venue:
Classroom 5

This workshop introduces students to the vibrant, colorful world of maiolica glaze painting—a centuries-old ceramics tradition that’s still full of fresh creative possibilities. You’ll explore […]
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Standing Wave Sculpture

April 9 - April 23, 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$220

Instructors:
Nanette Bevan,

Venue:
Classroom 1

Ready to make waves? In this three-day class, you’ll design and create a 12×18 standing wave tabletop sculpture using Bullseye glass. You’ll explore the unique […]
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Encaustic Painting with Mixed Media

April 16 - May 28, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$210

Instructors:
Kelly Posey,

Venue:
Studio 100

In this class, we’ll dive into the exciting world of encaustic painting, an expressive art form that combines hot wax and pigments to create rich, […]
Learn more

Introduction to Paper Craft

May 9 - June 6, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Ages:
14+,

Cost:
$150

Instructors:
Bob Devers and Kate Lanxner,

Venue:
Studio 100

This course is all about exploring the art of paper crafting while learning cool design techniques. Students will dive into different styles and methods, developing […]
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Craft Industries Courses

Continue learning with the Introduction to Creative Industries Series.

Learn more

Questions?

Contact Emily Fucello, Education Director or Robert Devers, Center for Craft Studies Coordinator.