Art Studio (ARTS)

ARTS 101. Design and Color I. 3 Units.

Organizational and structural projects as a basis for the development of style. Studies in line, texture, shape, space, value, color, and two dimensional composition through studio problems, art studio media and techniques.

ARTS 106. Creative Drawing I. 3 Units.

Development of graphic fluency in black and white through direct observation of nature and the model. Drawing as a means of enlarging visual sensitivity using a wide range of media and subject matter. Work from nude model.

ARTS 150. Introduction To New Media Art. 3 Units.

This course introduces students to the theories and practices of screen-based new media art. Students will process, edit and manipulate found video, audio, images and text to create experimental digital artworks. Key concepts in contemporary new media art are introduced through through lectures, class discussions and readings on media culture and emerging technologies. Students will develop technical skills in Photoshop, Premiere, Max/MSP and other software; access to Adobe Creative Cloud apps is provided in the Art Studio Digital Lab. This course is the prerequisite for other digital media courses in the Art Studio Program.

ARTS 200. Introduction to Graphic Design. 3 Units.

This course introduces students to the principles and practices of graphic design. Students will explore visual communication and the elements of design through a series of projects for print and screen. Students will experiment with composition, apply color theory, explore typography and develop both vector and raster drawing skills. The course examines the history of graphic design and visual culture, as well as contemporary directions in the field. Students in the course use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign; software access is provided in the Art Studio lab. Prereq: ARTS 101 or ARTS 150.

ARTS 201. Design and Color II. 3 Units.

Continuation of ARTS 101. Composition: three-dimensional projects. Advanced work in the properties and uses of color and materials. Prereq: ARTS 101.

ARTS 202. Introduction to Printmaking. 3 Units.

This course is an introduction to fine art printmaking. Students will learn the technical, conceptual, and formal skills required to produce artworks in the printmaking medium. They will explore a variety of fine art printmaking processes: relief printing, monotype, intaglio, planograph, and monoprinting. Through these explorations, students will gain a deeper understanding of how to convey concepts through the printmaking form. Class sessions will comprise independent and collaborative printing, and lecture, demonstrations, discussion, and critique. Students will be introduced to the work of artists and the history/tradition of fine art prints.

ARTS 206. Creative Drawing II. 3 Units.

Continuation of ARTS 106. Advanced work in graphic representation. Development of visual acuity and a personal drawing style while working in color. Work from nude model. Prereq: ARTS 106.

ARTS 212. Weaving, Fibers, and Textiles I. 3 Units.

Learn basic concepts and methods for designing textile surfaces: fabric painting and dyeing. Construct textiles using off-loom weaving and interlacing techniques. Emphasis on development of technical skills, application of design concepts and personal expression.

ARTS 214. Ceramics I. 3 Units.

The techniques of hand building in pinch, coil and slab methods. Development of sensitivity to design and form. Basic work in stoneware, earthenware, and glazing.

ARTS 216. Painting I. 3 Units.

The creative, conceptual, visual, and technical aspects of painting. Style ranging from naturalism to abstraction. Work in acrylic and mixed media.

ARTS 220. Black & White Darkroom Photography I. 3 Units.

This course will cover the fundamentals of film SLR cameras and black and white darkroom processes. Lectures, demonstrations, and assignments will address camera operation, optics, exposure, black and white film processing, basic darkroom printing techniques, principles of image composition and introduce concepts related to critically analyzing photographs. Students will complete multiple assignments in addition to developing a final portfolio over the course of the semester. Student work will be constructively critiqued in a group setting. Examples of historical and contemporary photographic works will be viewed and discussed. A 35mm film Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera with manual exposure controls, built-in light meter, and a 50mm lens is required.

ARTS 233. How to Do Things with Books. 4 Units.

This course introduces students to components of the book and bookmaking, including printing, which for centuries has been known as "the art preservative of all arts." Primary goals of this course include ensuring the accurate and precise description of parts of books, fostering a familiarity with essential bookmaking processes, extending to some scholarly applications of bibliography, and inviting creative approaches to twenty-first century bookmaking and book modification. The course pays special attention to the interplay between lexical content, expressive form, and artistic reflection. Class sessions balance attention to scholarly and historical readings, demonstrations and explorations of media, and independent and collaborative hands-on work. Offered as ARTS 233, ENGL 233, JWST 223, and WLIT 233.

ARTS 286. Indie and Art Game Design. 3 Units.

AAA video games are massive endeavors that require an enormous budget and an army of workers with highly specialized skills to produce. Despite the huge investment and the fierce competition for gamers -- or perhaps because of it -- many mainstream commercial games are uninspired, lacking distinctive artistic styles, engaging narratives or original gameplay. In contrast, indie and art games are much smaller affairs. One person or a small team develops the idea, creates the assets and programs the game, often designing it for a niche audience. The best indie and art games provide uniquely engaging experiences for players. They are personal expressions: compelling, thought-provoking and beautiful. In this course, students will work individually to create an original indie or art game using GameMaker Studio. Class discussions and demonstrations will help students build fluency in the conceptual frameworks, aesthetics and contemporary practices associated with indie and art games. Students will build skills in pixel art drawing and animation, "chiptune" audio composition, UI/UX design and programming. The course culminates in a completed game that is shared with the CWRU community in a custom arcade cabinet. Students with comparable student art experience (determined by the instructor) can request to override the requisite. Prereq or Coreq: ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 or ARTS 150.

ARTS 300. Art For Different Futures. 3 Units.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310, ARTH 410, ARTS 300, and ARTS 400.

ARTS 301. Video Art: Experimental Approaches to Time-Based Meaning-Making And Personal Expression. 3 Units.

This course explores unconventional and experimental approaches to meaning-making through the medium of video. Since its introduction in the 1970s, artists have used video technology to push against and critique the constraints of traditional art mediums and narrative forms of cinema and television. The accessibility and low-cost of the video medium affords artists the freedom to express intimately personal views and lived experiences and to develop radical and unorthodox approaches to time-based art-making. Students will learn to use video as an experimental and expressive medium to explore personal experience and sociopolitical views. They will manipulate and play with space, time, and form. And most importantly, students will gain a greater understanding of the possibilities and potential of the moving image to respond to, comment upon and critique traditional media forms and texts. Offered as ARTS 301 and ARTS 401. Prereq: ARTS 101 or ARTS 150.

ARTS 302. Architecture and City Design I. 3 Units.

The social spatial, and aesthetic elements in architecture; the components of the building: the window, door, roof, enclosing walls, and character of interior and exterior space. Projects related to small, intimate scale and residential structures. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 302 and ARTS 402.

ARTS 303. Architecture and City Design II. 3 Units.

The social, spatial, and aesthetic elements of the urban setting of architecture, the organizational components of the city, the path, the node, the edge, and the grid. Projects related to large-scale and public buildings and their relationship to the encompassing visual world. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 303 and ARTS 403.

ARTS 304. Architecture and City Design III. 3 Units.

A study of historic precedents and the social implications of modern and contemporary architecture including analysis and form interpretation as it relates to building and materials technologies. Practical application and synthesis of architectural knowledge through site visits and research of local and regional architecture. Discussions of historic and contemporary architects, engineers and significant architecture and engineering firms. Prereq: ARTS 302 and ARTS 303.

ARTS 309. War Games: Videogames and the US Military. 3 Units.

This course examines the longstanding and symbiotic relationship between the commercial videogame industry and the US Military, or what has been called the Military-Entertainment Complex. The first videogame, Spacewar!, was created by computer researchers at MIT in 1962, using nascent computer technology funded by the US Department of Defense. Since then, the commercial videogame industry has grown in tandem with -- and partly thanks to -- the US Military's development of computer and digital technologies. Today, military-themed videogames have come to dominate the gaming industry and gamer culture. Indeed, the ubiquity of these games has facilitated the US Military's recruitment efforts. Games such as America's Army and Call of Duty present seductive depictions of armed combat and military service and specifically target young gamers. Enlisted soldiers are trained for actual warfare on simulators that are nearly indistinguishable from games. The line between "real" and "virtual" combat has become increasingly blurred, further conflating war with fun and games, and eclipsing moral and ethical concerns about the relationship between technology and violence. Offered as ARTH 309 and ARTH 409 and ARTS 309 and ARTS 409.

ARTS 312. Weaving, Fibers, and Textiles II. 3 Units.

Continuation of ARTS 212. Exploration of a selected area of textiles in surface design or constructed textiles. Development of a personal aesthetic through design and execution of a series of projects. Prereq: ARTS 212.

ARTS 314. Ceramics II. 3 Units.

Continuation of ARTS 214. Problematic approach to technical aspects of ceramics; experience in wheel throwing and option of hand-building. Experimentation with glaze and clay body formulation available. Prereq: ARTS 214.

ARTS 316. Painting II. 3 Units.

The creative, conceptual, visual and technical aspects of painting. Styles ranging from expressionism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction. Work in acrylic and mixed media leading to the development of personal painting style. Prereq: ARTS 216.

ARTS 320. Black & White Darkroom Photography II. 3 Units.

This course builds on skills developed in ARTS 220 by presenting intermediate camera operation, gelatin silver printing techniques and deepening knowledge of the Zone System to fine tune B&W tonal control. Students will be exposed to a range of historical and contemporary photography-based artists and further the development of a personal aesthetic vision through a series of in-depth photography projects including developing a final portfolio. Work will be constructively critiqued in a group setting. A 35mm or medium format film cameras with manual exposure control is required. Students provide their own cameras, film and photographic paper. Darkroom facilities, photo chemicals, supplies for finishing portfolios and handcoloring are provided. Prereq: ARTS 220.

ARTS 322. Digital Photography I. 3 Units.

Introduction of color and digital photography. A systematic approach to the digital photography workflow and its application to creative photography. History of the medium. Field and computer lab work. Advanced amateur digital camera required. Prereq: ARTS 220.

ARTS 323. Creative Digital Photography II. 3 Units.

Creative Digital Photography II: Advanced theory and techniques of the digital photography workflow and its application to creative photography. Field and computer lab work. Advanced amateur digital camera and access to Photoshop CS6 required. Prereq: ARTS 322.

ARTS 324. B&W Darkroom Photography III. 3 Units.

Builds on skills developed in Black & White Darkroom Photography I and II by presenting advanced camera operation and gelatin silver printing techniques, exposing students to a range of historical and contemporary photography-based artists and furthering the growth of a personal aesthetic vision. Students will produce a series of in-depth photography projects and develop a final portfolio over the course of the semester. A film camera of your choosing is required. Medium and large format cameras are encouraged. Prereq: ARTS 220 and ARTS 320.

ARTS 325. Experimental Darkroom Processes. 3 Units.

This course builds on and expands fundamentals of black and white darkroom processes covered in ARTS 220 and ARTS 320. This course offers an opportunity to explore experimental photographic shooting and black and white darkroom printing processes while developing one's personal aesthetic vision. In addition to experimental shooting and printing techniques, lectures, demonstrations, assignments and critiques will address principles of image composition and related formal issues and methods for critically analyzing photographic media. Students will complete multiple assignments in addition to developing a final portfolio over the course of the semester. Student work will be constructively critiqued in a group setting. Examples of historical and contemporary photographic works will be viewed and discussed. A film camera of your choosing is required. Medium, large and experimental format cameras are encouraged. Prereq: ARTS 220 and ARTS 320.

ARTS 335. Chinese Calligraphy. 3 Units.

Chinese Calligraphy ("shufa" in Chinese and "shodo" in Japanese) is a traditional form of art with millennia of history behind it. It is also an art of self-cultivation and self-expression. It is one of China's greatest high art forms and is a cornerstone of Chinese culture. This course will explore the five more major styles of Chinese calligraphy and how to write Chinese calligraphy. Through intensive training and practice, learners will be able to create their own calligraphic art that showcases their engagement with the past and their creative spirit. The course is open to those who have taken Asian Languages or art and have had prior experience in calligraphy or writing Chinese characters by hand (optional). Offered as ARTS 335, ASIA 335, and CHIN 335. Prereq: ARTS 200.

ARTS 363. Research Studio: Fine Arts. 3 Units.

This studio art course is designed for advanced students pursuing the Minor in Art Studio with an emphasis on fine arts: painting, drawing, ceramics, fibers. Research Studio: Fine Arts combines the study of art and ideas with the semester-long creation of an ambitious body of creative work. Through lectures, discussions, readings and presentations by visiting artists, students will deepen their knowledge of contemporary artistic practices. In addition, students will conduct their own independent research in their areas of interest and they will compile their findings into a research archive that will be presented to the class. This archive will also be used to inform both the conceptual and the technical foundation for the student's own artistic practice. Over the course of the semester, students in this course will independently develop and create an original body of work in their medium of focus within the Art Studio Minor (the area in which they have completed the required sequence of two courses: painting, drawing, fiber arts or ceramics). Students will participate in peer critiques and write an artist statement. The course culminates in a public exhibition of the work produced in the class. The instructor will advise students as they design, curate and install the Art Studio Minor show. Arts professionals outside CWRU will participate in the final critique. Prereq: ARTS 101 and ARTS 106 and ((ARTS 216 and ARTS 316) or (ARTS 212 and ARTS 312) or (ARTS 214 and ARTS 314).

ARTS 364. Research Studio: Art and Technology. 3 Units.

This studio art course is designed for advanced students pursuing the Minor in Art Studio with an emphasis on art and technology: new media art, videogames, graphic design, computer assisted design. Research Studio combines the study of art and ideas with the semester-long creation of an ambitious original creative work. Through regular lectures, discussions, readings and presentations by visiting artists, students will deepen their knowledge of contemporary practices in art & technology. In addition, students will conduct their own independent research in their area of interest and they will compile their findings into a research archive that will be presented to the class. This archive will also be used to inform both the conceptual and the technical foundation for their own artistic practice. Over the course of the semester, students in this course will independently develop and create an original piece or a body of work: a single or multi-channel video, an indie/art game, or a gallery installation of designed objects or other media works. Students will participate in peer critiques and write an artist statement. The course culminates in a public exhibition of the work produced in the class. The instructor will advise students as they design, curate and install the Art & Technology Minor show. Arts professionals outside CWRU will participate in the final critique. Prereq: Declared Minor in Art Studio and three of the following courses: ARTS 150, ARTS 200, ARTS 286, ARTS 301.

ARTS 365B. Design and Color. 3 Units.

Advanced design projects determined in consultation with instructor. Prereq: ARTS 101 and ARTS 201.

ARTS 365G. Ceramics. 3 Units.

Advanced ceramics projects determined in consultation with instructor. Prereq: ARTS 214 and ARTS 314.

ARTS 365H. Weaving, Fibers, and Textiles. 3 Units.

Develop deeper skills to add to prior knowledge of textile techniques to create new individual works. Prereq: ARTS 212 and ARTS 312.

ARTS 382. Lost and Found in Translation: Print, Language and Text as Artifact. 4 Units.

This hands-on course explores translation and letterpress printing as interconnected material practices. Drawing on literary theory, book history, and cultural studies, seminar sessions will investigate questions of translatability, textual transmission, and the book as a physical object. The course combines theoretical readings with lab/studio practice, as students learn letterpress printing techniques while developing translations that will become the texts they print. Through weekly printing exercises and translation workshops, students will examine how meaning is transformed across languages and media. Students will work with texts in their own foreign language of expertise, engaging with multiple scripts and print traditions. No prior printing experience required; reading knowledge of at least one non-English language at the intermediate level (typically two years of university study or equivalent) is required. This course will fulfill UGER perspectives and may count as an elective toward foreign language majors. Students should consult with their major advisors. Offered as ARTS 382, JWST 382, and WLIT 382. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.

ARTS 399. Independent Study in Art Studio. 3 Units.

Independent Study in Art Studio; by permit of Director only.

ARTS 400. Art For Different Futures. 3 Units.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310, ARTH 410, ARTS 300, and ARTS 400.

ARTS 401. Video Art: Experimental Approaches to Time-Based Meaning-Making And Personal Expression. 3 Units.

This course explores unconventional and experimental approaches to meaning-making through the medium of video. Since its introduction in the 1970s, artists have used video technology to push against and critique the constraints of traditional art mediums and narrative forms of cinema and television. The accessibility and low-cost of the video medium affords artists the freedom to express intimately personal views and lived experiences and to develop radical and unorthodox approaches to time-based art-making. Students will learn to use video as an experimental and expressive medium to explore personal experience and sociopolitical views. They will manipulate and play with space, time, and form. And most importantly, students will gain a greater understanding of the possibilities and potential of the moving image to respond to, comment upon and critique traditional media forms and texts. Offered as ARTS 301 and ARTS 401.

ARTS 402. Architecture and City Design I. 3 Units.

The social spatial, and aesthetic elements in architecture; the components of the building: the window, door, roof, enclosing walls, and character of interior and exterior space. Projects related to small, intimate scale and residential structures. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 302 and ARTS 402.

ARTS 403. Architecture and City Design II. 3 Units.

The social, spatial, and aesthetic elements of the urban setting of architecture, the organizational components of the city, the path, the node, the edge, and the grid. Projects related to large-scale and public buildings and their relationship to the encompassing visual world. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 303 and ARTS 403.

ARTS 409. War Games: Videogames and the US Military. 3 Units.

This course examines the longstanding and symbiotic relationship between the commercial videogame industry and the US Military, or what has been called the Military-Entertainment Complex. The first videogame, Spacewar!, was created by computer researchers at MIT in 1962, using nascent computer technology funded by the US Department of Defense. Since then, the commercial videogame industry has grown in tandem with -- and partly thanks to -- the US Military's development of computer and digital technologies. Today, military-themed videogames have come to dominate the gaming industry and gamer culture. Indeed, the ubiquity of these games has facilitated the US Military's recruitment efforts. Games such as America's Army and Call of Duty present seductive depictions of armed combat and military service and specifically target young gamers. Enlisted soldiers are trained for actual warfare on simulators that are nearly indistinguishable from games. The line between "real" and "virtual" combat has become increasingly blurred, further conflating war with fun and games, and eclipsing moral and ethical concerns about the relationship between technology and violence. Offered as ARTH 309 and ARTH 409 and ARTS 309 and ARTS 409.

ARTS 605. Final Creative Thesis. 1 - 3 Units.

Students receive individual guidance for an approved self-designed creative project from program faculty members. A public exhibition or presentation is required. By permit only.