Intermediate SIS: Wood

Catalog description

Intermediate Wood is a studio course focused on contemporary woodworking techniques used in sculpture, installation, and object-based studio practices. The course emphasizes hands-on learning through guided projects that introduce students to working with wood as a primary structural and expressive material. Students will work in the School of Art wood shop and learn a range of core woodworking processes, including cutting, milling, shaping, drilling, routing, sanding, and turning. Equipment used in the course includes table saws, routers, sanders, miter saws, drill presses, planers, and the lathe, alongside a wide range of hand tools. Instruction will cover material selection, measuring and layout, joinery methods, surface finishing, and safe operation of all tools. The course is structured around three guided projects with defined prompts and technical requirements. These assignments focus on planning and building functional and sculptural forms, emphasizing joinery, structural logic, and precision. Students will learn how to develop projects through sketches, mock-ups, and material testing, and how to combine hand processes with machine-based techniques to achieve accurate and durable constructions. Class time includes demonstrations, supervised shop work, individual feedback, and group critiques. By the end of the semester, students will have developed a strong working knowledge of woodworking tools and processes, along with the ability to independently plan and execute wood-based projects suitable for studio and exhibition contexts. Foundations Sculpture II is recommended to be prepared for this course.