I just finalized my courses for the Spring and I’m really excited:
Digital Imaging II with Caroline Shepard:
The theory and practice of digital imaging will be explored in this course. The use of digital cameras; flatbed and film scanners; enhancement of images for various output options; tonal and color correction, color management, restoration and retouching techniques will be addressed, with a focus on creative masking and compositing techniques to create images from multiple image sources. Creating photo-real and surreal composites, exploring abstract panoramic image-making and creating a body of work that is well-executed from concept to presentation will also be included.
The History of the Book with David Ross:
The photobook has played a central, if neglected, role in the history of photography. Artists have always known that their use of photographs to tell a story implied the need for some narrative device, and the photobook has long served that role. From early artist books and lavish 19th century albums to mass-produced trade editions and self- published books, photobooks allow images and photographs to be experienced widely and intimately – shaping the medium, and influencing fellow photographers and artists, in profound ways. We are now in the midst of a series of radical changes to the idea of the book as “dead-tree” publishing is being transformed by the online revolution. Through attention to specific books, publishers and online projects, this class will examine the history of the photobook from the earliest efforts to new innovative avenues of self-publishing, print-on-demand and the advent of the photobook in a paperless society. In addition to lectures, guest presentations and discussions, the class will also include field trips to publishers, artists studios and special collections.
Visible and Invisible: The Lens as Interpretation of Reality with Silvio Wolf:
At once abstract and indexical, the lens-based arts reveal and transform the world. Using the visible and invisible as a metaphor, this course investigates the language, experiential and theoretical nature of the lens based arts in all its forms – video, photography and installation. Each session will consist of lectures and discussions of artistsʼ works, including: Antonioni, Arbus, Bacon, Barth, Basilico, Bruegel, Cartier- Bresson, Casebere, Cattelan, Lorca di Corcia, Close, Crewdson, Demand, Escher, Hatakeyama, Kosuth, Lutter, Magritte, Moholy-Nagy, Michals, Ousler, Richter, Rodchenko, Ruff, Sherman, Sugimoto, Struth, Viola, Wall and others. Works are not discussed on an historical basis, but for the insight they can offer to critical examination and study of the concepts explored. In addition to lectures and discussion, there will be assigned projects and written essays that reflect upon theories, concepts addressed and works presented.
Master Critique II with Gus Powell:
Group critique seminars are the focal point of student activity in any given semester. Guided by prominent figures in the visual arts, and assisted by their peers, students concentrate on producing a coherent body of work that best reflects their individual talents and challenges the current boundaries of their media. The program is designed to expose students to divergent points of view.
Right Here, Right Now with Lyle Rexer:
This course offers a forum to research, debate and unravel some of the pressing issues that affect contemporary photographers. Each week, we will concentrate on a question or a theme that is crucial to contemporary practitioners. Subjects include: does size matter? contemporary print aesthetics; the return of black & white; the new color; where has editorial gone? the power of the edit; roles of nostalgia in a digital era. Through lectures and readings, we will connect contemporary photography with historical precedents, and through discussions explore these connections to each student’s photographic practice.
giddy-up!