Art & Design Intensive Workshop In New York City 2014 Lead by Professor Thomas Bosket, Parsons New School of Design
Day 1 Introduction I. Establishment of Personal Goals and Responsibilities II. Tour of NYC with a focus on current Art and Design Practice III. Group theatrical activity to aid in Ensemble Interaction and Awareness: this skill is used frequently to aid students in creating a community rather than a one to one interaction. IV. Introduction to the Guidelines of Creativity: Space, Safe, Surprise, Surety and Structure. This section will aid students in understanding what they personally need to create as well as how to relate that ability to their larger community. V. Student will be drawing throughout the day to absorb and understand NYC. Evening Homework: Students will gather physical making and research materials. Day 2 Opening Up I. History of Art Practice and Theory of the last 100 Years: this will facilitate the student’s ability to engage with current materials and methods of production. We will draw on their ability to express their intentions and communicate clearly. II. A “Visual Haiku” (Designed by Rhonda Mann and Thomas Bosket) exercise, a free drawing and a word “Cut-up” poem will be developed to aid in acknowledging each students design habits. They will discuss the work and recognize commonalities and differences. Their strengths will be celebrated and utilized the remaining days. III. Research Look-Book: Students begin research on their personal design and art concerns. Looking at their culture, backing up to include the larger world but also zooming in, looking at their concern through their own lens of personal discovery and interest. In this students will create a “look-book” of their main interests, influences and concerns.
This will include sketches, found imagery, historical precedent and any relevant documentation. This book will grow as the week unfolds. (This book is an anchor they can return to over and over as they develop as designers and artists.) Evening Homework: Students put together Look-Book and consider some applications of the History of Art Practice and Theory in regards to their interests. Day 3 Exploration and Invention I. Students engage in one aspect of NYC that relates to their experiences in Taiwan. Through drawing, photography and written explorations they will find what is most exciting or disturbing about culture and begin to develop their answers to this problem. II. Material explorations are pursued to aid in creation of projects. Simple materials will be used to explore without question but with clear intention. Students will work in at least three mediums and at least one of those must be contemporary (social practice, formlessness, the abject, performance, etc.) Evening Homework: Students will put together a presentation of first three mock-ups. Day 4 Presentation of Mock-Ups Students will turn in first mock-ups and prototypes, these will be discussed and reworked by class. All supportive drawings and creative work will be refined. Day 5 Day of Diversion. Today students will engage in a most important aspect of creativity, but one often ignored - Intentional Play. We will again explore NYC, but with an intention of understanding our project’s main concerns and elements. We will create two works that support our intentions. One will explore the “Joys of Life” the second will explore the “Fears of Life.” Evening Homework: Students will complete one of the two projects from Day 5 and a “wild rework solution” to another students project will be
created. Day 6 Refine and Reflect I. Working in a small group students will pool their skills and help each other in refining their individual projects. Each student will choose which two projects they will refine. II. Work on the projects will continue throughout the day. Evening Homework: Students will continue work on projects with a focus on what is Essential and Supportive versus what choices have limited their full expression? Day 7 Discussion and Celebration Students will review what they have created, learned, discuss next steps in their process and be introduced to the ways they can carry this information back to their communities in Taiwan. Final Project Presentations Preparation for arrival 1. Using a Sketchbook students will collage, draw, photograph and take written notes of several things they love in art and design, collect a few designers work they admire and document what they see and experience in their lives at home in China. This sketchbook will be filled with all that they are excited about and is to be shown to no one before they arrive in NYC – it is preferable that this sketchbook remain private until they enter this class. -2. Please bring any art materials that they are most happy with, they do not need a lot as they can buy most in NYC, but if they have a favorite they should bring that with them. -3. Cameras and laptop computers would be a plus, but we can work without them. -4. Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat Pro on their machines would also be useful.