Arts Workshops
Discovering Subject Matter for Drawing and Painting
K40.1410 4 CR SSII: W 9:30-3:30 Katz
The character of a work of art is based on sources which provide visual information, and are then converted by the art student into elements of pictorial form. A variety of different locations can be helpful in providing source material for drawing and painting. To provide this varied subject matter, field trips are built into this studio course. One of our goals will be to capture the open feeling of these beautiful sites rather than simply reproducing them. In addition, we will develop a better understanding of the complexities of visual art through discussions of contemporary art theory and references to well known artists. Through visiting and working at sites—including the grounds, luxurious home and studio of the important nineteenth-century American artist, Frederick Edwin Church (now a NY State Historical site), and the seaside locations on the east end of Long Island used by William Merritt Chase, another American artist—the art student has the chance to add to his/her visual vocabulary. Selected venues in Manhattan complete this unique studio art experience. Portable art materials will be used to facilitate the outdoor drawing and painting aspect of the course. The site schedule is presented at the first meeting at Gallatin. The final class meets at the Gallatin School for a class critique of the term’s work. Students should plan to pay for their own travel and admissions fees, including visits to the Church estate and the east end of Long Island (weather permitting).
Guerilla Screenwriting
K40.1574 4 CR SSI: MW 1:30-4:30 Cristiani
A screenplay must not only hold a solid dramatic structure and deep character development, but also the ability to be translated into a viable film production. This workshop will focus on storytelling strategies that allow for optimal creativity in the framework of feature film and television projects. Students will be guided through the fundamental stages of their own creative process: from the development of an original idea —the pitch— through revisions and preparation —synopsis, treatment— for the outline of a shooting script. The study of screenplays and feature films will be coupled with exposure to the screenwriter’s tools and weapons, allowing the students to integrate the cinematic language into their own work-in-progress. New York City is one of the great filmmaking capitals of the world, and it will be used as a constant creative ground to explore and develop storylines and characters. Auster’s Smoke, Anderson’s Rushmore, Singer’s The Usual Suspects and Serling’s The Twilight Zone will be part of the in-class screenings. Texts will include McKee's Story: Substance, Style and the Art of Screenwriting and Vogler's The Writer’s Journey, as well as excerpts from selected screenplays, feature films and TV series.
Future Noir
K40.1605 4 CR SSII: MW 5:30-8:30 Goodman
Rapid transformation of 20th-century technology and culture has engendered a new cinematic genre, sometimes called “future noir.” It includes utopias, dystopias, and documentaries on social and environmental change. Visionary projects by artists and architects can also be included in this genre, for they address issues of the future city through drawings and designs. Using New York as a prototype, this course examines a variety of urban issues. Films like Brazil, Metropolis, and River of Steel serve as a basis for discussions of technology and culture. Projects by architects and planners provide an introduction to the problems of designing cities and urban services. Reading assignments include urban theorists like Mumford, Le Corbusier, Jacobs, and Koolhaas. Students are asked to write a short paper and create an essay, in slides or photographs, on the New York environment; they should have access to a camera. Topics might include Times Square, Wall Street, subways, parks, skyscrapers, art in the city, or the homeless. Documentary methods for making a strong environmental statement are discussed. Photography and film techniques are also introduced.
Digital Art and Media
K40.1625 4 CR SSI: MW 5:30-8:30 Sanders
Digital media and new methods of visual communication affect how we work, play, see our environment and ourselves. With digital media we can build images and edit graphics easily and effectively. Painting and imaging programs form flexible and powerful tools for constructing imagery that lead to new ways of creating work, new design criteria, and new aesthetics. When computer imaging is combined with interactivity, and distribution such as CD, DVD, and the Internet, the result is interactive multimedia. This project based studio course, designed for beginning to intermediate students, explores ways of constructing images and interactivity. In the computer lab, we focus on methods of creating digital media and art, including painting programs, digital image editing, authoring interactivity and time-based work. Critiques of individual student work, readings, and discussion will examine the evolving formal criteria, aesthetics and social implications of this work. Readings include selections from Paul Klee’s Pedagogical Sketchbook. We will visit exhibits of digital work, on-line and at New York City's art spaces.