Sculpture and the Environment

Catalog description

This hands-on studio art course is an introduction to three-dimensional design principles and contemporary sculptural issues focusing on art work related to the topics of environmental activism and the field of environmental ethics. In this class, students will see and discuss work examples that include environmental art, socially engaged public art, and land art among others. The design phases incorporated will include sketching, model making, and joinery techniques in wood. Image presentations, group discussions, and class critiques will complement the studio projects. The ethical frameworks of natural law, utilitarianism, and deontology will be discussed and utilized to further examine public policy around the management of natural resources. Art work examples created and presented in this course will be discussed in the context of 20th and 21st century art historical traditions—students explore pressing environmental issues and artistic impulses that lead contemporary artists to draw attention to environmental themes in their work.