Educators ArtLab (EAL)

PAINTING

Drawing/Painting: Elemental Drawing
Instructor: Julie Farstad, Professor in Painting

$35 supply fee (students will be provided a list of additional personal supplies to bring)

How do our art practices and materials engage in a kind of cosmic awe? In this course, students will take a multidisciplinary approach to an exploration of the elements of nature such as water, earth, fire, and metal. Drawing inspiration from botany, geology, literature, and personal experience, students will explore drawing as an open-ended, experimental, and responsive practice. Participants will explore a range of materials including plant and mineral inks, water soluble graphite, paper, and many materials of their choosing. The purpose of this class is to engage in drawing/painting not as an image-making process, but as a vital practice that seeks to create relationships between different types of inspiration and information. Participants will approach each surface not as a neutral backdrop, but as an active site for action, poetry, imagination. For those who took the course in summer 2025, there will be new material investigations and prompts, with a focus on increased layering of different processes.

‎

FIBER

Garment As Personal Archive
Instructor: Hadley Clark, Lecturer in Fiber

$50 supply fee (students will be provided a list of additional personal supplies to bring)

This course has been designed for educators and presents a unique opportunity for those interested in exploring the potential of material reuse and the principles of fine garment construction. Students are encouraged to bring their own woven fibers from home, such as bedroom or kitchen linens, garments, and remnants from previous projects, etc. By using these materials, students will have the opportunity to add new layers of meaning, personal history, color, and memory to their new garment creations. Aided by demonstrations of technical garment construction and ongoing conceptual discussions, participants will gain a wider range of skills to bring discarded soft objects back to life through intentional acts of personal growth. Classroom instruction will include machine-sewing, fine garment finishings, hand-sewing techniques, and application of provided paper patterns to garments. By the end of the workshop, participants will not only have created a unique and meaningful garment but also gained valuable skills that they can apply to future textile endeavors.

‎

CERAMICS

From Mold to Wall: Synergy of Form, Surface, and Concept
Instructor: Elaine Buss, Visiting Assistant Professor in Foundation

$50 supply fee (students will be provided a list of additional personal supplies to bring)

In this immersive workshop, students will create visually impactful wall sculptures, exploring the dynamic interplay between form and surface – where 3D presence meets 2D compositional strategy. Using foam insulation boards, students will craft custom molds and explore versatile handbuilding techniques, including slab and coil. Customized hanging mechanisms will strategically integrate into the sculptures, securely supporting work on the wall while preserving aesthetic integrity. Students will work towards seamlessly blending surface, form, and concept and experiment with mixing and applying colored terra sigillata. Wall sculptures will be further augmented through washes and cold finishes resulting in surfaces ranging from dynamically expressive to quietly subtle. By the end, participants will leave with finished sculptures, personal molds, and an expanded vocabulary of handbuilding and surface techniques. Students who took previous iterations of this workshop can expect challenges tailored to their personal learning goals, including more complex design approaches or mixing custom terra sigillata colors.

‎

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Typo-Collage
Instructor: tyler galloway, Professor and Joyce C. Hall Chair of Graphic Design

$20 supply fee (students will be provided a list of additional personal supplies to bring)

In a digital-everything, AI-enhanced world, handmade things reinvigorate our humanity. Through two core creative activities – asking questions and making analog typography – students will ask expansive questions about their creative process and learn ideation techniques beyond brainstorming. Students will question notions of collage, typography, and test materials and processes widely; from letraset to letterpress, from typewriters to tape. Working from a few simple prompts will give questions direction and momentum. Along the way, participants will look at notable typo-collagers and learn typography fundamentals – anatomy, classification, and basics of typesetting. This course has been specifically designed for educators and will augment what participants bring to their classroom and their own practice. All resources will be shared freely with participants and space will be made in class each day to discuss the potential for application to participants’ classrooms.

‎

SCULPTURE

Digital Fabrication with Laser-Cut Wood
Instructor: Alison Wood, Assistant Professor in Product Design

$30 supply fee (students will be provided a list of additional personal supplies to bring)

This course introduces educators to digital fabrication processes through the design and production of interlocking, connecting and constructed projects made from laser-cut wood. Students will learn fundamental digital design skills using Adobe Capture, Adobe Illustrator, and laser cutters to create precise parts that slot, stack, or hinge together into built 3D forms. The week combines technical skill-building with creative exploration, as participants prototype their own built concept - ranging from wearable assemblies to sculptural objects or pedagogical tools. Discussion and demos will focus on scaling the process for classroom use, with attention to material selection, file preparation, and safe machine operation. No prior experience with digital fabrication is required.