Instructor: Michael Welsh

Disruption is real. We are currently isolated within our personal bubbles, but our  environments hold a wealth of artistic potential. Like ship wrecked sailors we will  comb our surroundings for materials that can be re-used to build what we want to  see in the world. We will explore the relationships between our ideas, our bodies  and our environments to envision new ways of making art. From what we collect  from our personal environments, we will experiment different ways to represent  ourselves and the personal worlds we occupy.  

In class we will explore making collage and sculpture through working with found  and scavenged materials and readymades. We will rely on what we already know  about making art. From what we can scavenge and collect, we will make  something new. While we are making, we will be exposed to artists and ways of  working that parallel what we are doing in class. We will explore different artistic  methodologies as a jumping off point to approaching new ways of working in our  own artistic practices and reflect on what skills we have learned along the way. In  this class we will practice the ideas and actions involved in working in collage  and sculpture. 

Class project prompts:

Class 1: Create a collage from found paper and ephemera you’ve collected from your home personal environment. 

Class 2: Using the images of sculptures and monuments you  collected as source material, create a collage of a new monument that represents  your home.  Then using your collage as a blueprint, create a 3 dimensional  monument from found objects and materials.  

Class 3: Using whatever sculpture and collage methods and materials you  have available, transform your article of commercially manufactured clothing into  a sculpture that represents something about yourself or body.  

Class 4: Using whatever found materials, ready mades and art supplies you  have available, create a piece of clothing to cover or adorn a specific part of your  body.  

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Josephine (JoJo) Abell

Class 1 activity
Title: Sky Jellyfish

I made this out of a variety of magazines, newspapers, and scraps of construction paper and paper towel. I cut and ripped strips and shapes out of paper, sorted them by color, and glued them to a sheet of paper. It is meant to convey both a sense of calm (with the colors and the peaceful sky) and a feeling of being lost or out of place (because of the mixing of water and sky as well as jellyfish being creatures that have little control over their movements).

Class 2 activity
Title: Balanced City

I created this piece using only scrap materials found around my house, such as light bulbs, jars, sponges, newspaper, string, wire, fabric samples, plastic bags, old books, foam sheets, old takeout containers, and more. It represents New York City, where I live. It is a combination of different materials and shapes, making one structure that relies on every other piece for balance. I tried to use organic shapes to show that, though physically the city is very man made, it holds a lot of life.

Class 3 activity
Title: The Body is an Ecosystem

This sculpture is made with acrylic paint, toothpicks, wire, hot glue, clay, and an old shirt. It symbolizes the twisted ways we view our bodies and the environment. We view the earth as something that we can constantly take from and industrialize, rather than protect, hence the bulldozers, power lines, and smoke stack. We view our bodies as things we need to change to fit societal standards rather than parts of ourselves that allow us to live and do the things we do. This is shown by the twisted and shaped old shirt, as well as the bulldozers that are changing the landscape made by the shirt.

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Akbota Aryn

Class 2 Activity
Piece: Akbota Aryn, Family Tower, 2021 

For this project, I combined physical materials and digital 3D tools. The lower part of the tower is the representation of the negative side of the world. That side when the world seems painful and it feels lonely. This swap with tentacles is made out of clay and red thread. 

However, there will always be the upper side where your loved ones are waiting for you. Therefore, I made lights in 3D modelling software that are the symbol of people that make our lives brighter. And the tower itself is made out of glass in 3D modelling software, too.

Class 2 Activity
Piece: Akbota Aryn, Takiya, 2021 

Takiya is a traditional Kazakh headdress, which is most often worn by men. In its usual form, Takiya has dark colors and monotonous Kazakh ornaments. I made this Takiya for women as well. I wanted to show that Takiya can be worn by all people, because it is a very convenient and beautiful attribute of the Kazakh culture that can be worn every day. My Takiya is made of thick dark fabric. In addition, I used bright colors for ornaments, white and purple stones, and shiny jewelry in order to make the Takiya more modern and suitable for daily wear. I think it is very important to integrate culture into our modern life, because it’s our connection with home, family and history.

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Wenhao Cai

Class 1

Title of piece: Past, Present, Future

Statement: Using newspapers collected around my house, I created a collage using the article names and headlines. Although I was only able to find papers published from the span of 2017 to 2019 before the pandemic, the 2020 presidential election, the rise in Asian hate crimes, and the Black Lives Matter movement, violence and instability has always been a part of our society. It shapes the way we grow up, and in the process, normalizes injustice and desensitizes us from brutality. This piece uses the past to illustrate the pain of living in the present. The child on the swing symbolizes hope, and purity, but even childhood innocence can easily be polluted by our society. 

Class 2

Title of piece: The American Dream

Statement: In this piece, I used different kinds of wire collected around my house to create a sculpture. Inspired by the Statue of Liberty in New York, the torch that is supposed to symbolize freedom is instead, haphazardly on the floor. The flame, made of cardboard, candle wax, and red crayons, cowardly oozes from the torch. The malleable nature of wire and wax reflects the fragility of this symbol of freedom. Rather than standing tall near Ellis Island to welcome immigrants, this interpretation of Lady Liberty is unable to support the lie that has become freedom, and the so-called “American Dream”. 

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Sophia De Leon

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Willa Rose Field

Class 1 Activity- 

Piece: Willa Field, Oikos, 2021 

For this piece I printed photos of sculptures I like and turned them into a collage. The concept behind it was home, and for me, home is not a single place. The ancient Greeks saw home(oikos) as three distinct concepts: the family, the family’s property, and the house. Aristotle defines home as the social unit of a house. My home is defined by the people I’m surrounded by.  

Class 4 Activity- 

Piece: Willa Field, Recycled Corset, 2021 

For this piece I created a corset belt from discarded cloth, a plastic bag from clothing I bought online, an old Smithsonian magazine, tinfoil, and string. I created the structure from the cloth and the bag, and used tinfoil as the boning. I used the magazine to line the top and bottom, and the string to connect the two ends. 

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Anna Groninger

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Aanya Gupta

Class 2 Activity

Piece : Aanya Gupta, Self over Society, 2021

Materials : Air-dry clay, found objects

Using images of my favourite sculptures, I created an abstract collage, which I then used as reference for my final 3D installation. The idea for the sculpture centres around the impact of expectations of society from individuals as a part of it. The set of norms and rules set forward by society are often too rigid and difficult to fit into, imposing on our identities as individuals and our sense of self. This imposition tends to make us merely a shell of who we truly are, stripping us of what makes us, us, just to fit in and belong.

Class 3 Activity

Piece : Aanya Gupta, Dysmorphia, 2021

Materials : Readymade clothing, plaster 

For this piece, we were asked to use a readymade piece of clothing for our sculpture and the first thing that occurred to me was the unrealistic body standards presented for women, with no representation for normal body types. Although some large-scale brands are trying to be more inclusive now, we have a long way to go. My installation represents different body types  with all their imperfections, with confidence. While still keeping the function of the clothing item the same, I transformed a skin-fitting dress, associated with being skinny, with body positivity and representation where its due.

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Victoria Haaker

Class 1 Activity
Piece: Victoria Haaker, A Softer Celebration, 2021 For this piece I used handmade paper, magazine cutouts, a polaroid, gold paint, a watercolor
sample, and wire. I started off with a city background taken from a Vogue issue. I then knew I wanted to match the colors with paper I had handmade months before and never used. I found similar colors in a watercolor sample paper I had and added that. I then found a New York Times cover that matched the colors and fit the narrative I had begun to create. I painted a polaroid gold and added silver wire on top to create a firework-like image to tie the piece together. I created this work shortly after the fourth of July and wanted it to replicate my own celebrations. I
often shy away from the brash and bold theatrics of the night and felt that this piece encompassed the feeling I get from my own private get together- warm, familiar, and happy- while still incorporating reds and blues.

Class 3 Activity
Piece: Victoria Haaker, A New Way, 2021
For this piece I used an old school tank top and wire. I began by cutting the tank top into vertical strips and tying the strips in increments until halfway down. I then used metal wire to make flower-like shapes and super glued them onto the piece. The intention behind this piece is to show the ability to recycle negative experiences into a completely new use. I am heavily inspired by recycling when decorating interior spaces and wanted this to act as a sort of decorating board in which more things could be added to in the future.

Class 4 Activity
Piece: Victoria Haaker, Sharp Tongue, 2021
For this piece I used air dry clay, magazine cutouts, paint, and modge podge. I started out by modeling my clay into a bracelet shape that still encompassed the movement of a snake. I then painted it green and began to modge podge the magazine cutouts on. I painted on the scales and the gold edges after. Finally, I added the paper tongue. I wanted this project to make real the power of words. I knew I wanted my found pieces of paper to be from my magazine collection and noticed that most of the articles I was searching through were full of backhanded gossiping language. I came up with the idea of the snake as it was both something that could easily be made into a wearable piece, and something that really represented two-faced behavior. The entire piece is meant to represent the deceitful and sinful nature of our current media and beautiful image of luxury and power, the gold, it hides under.

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Katherine  Johnson

Piece: Katherine Johnson, Plastic, 2021 

Materials : Barbie Doll parts, hot glue, readymade clothing, paint pen, canvas, clay For this piece I wanted to speak out about the issues of body image in our world today. As a woman, I think it is especially thrown into our faces, what your body “should” look like. In this sculpture I wanted to recreate the horrific image that body shaming can do to our minds and I tried to accomplish this through the pile of carefully placed legs, arms, and torsos. The shadow behind the piece is one of my favorite unnoticed outcomes, with the jumbled body parts depicting an image that is not only gory, but insightful. There are so many issues that come with body dysmorphia and I just wanted to capture that idea in this sculpture. 

Piece : Katherine Johnson, Emotions, 2021 

Materials : Buttons, paint, paper, charcoal, printed images 

For this piece, I decided to create a collage that could invoke feelings in the person who sees it. The eyes, and mouth both invoke a completely different emotion, whether that be sadness, or lust – it is up to the viewer to decide. I tried to incorporate things in my life that have become sentimental to me, but the emotion was what I truly wanted to speak through the collage. Our lives are roller coasters, flooding with feelings, and that is what this piece is about.

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Kari Lee

Class 2 Activity 

Piece: Kari Lee, Ballgown, 2021

Prior to making this sculpture, I went around my house to collect anything I could use to create something new. Looking at the materials I collected, I challenged myself to put together something with only the items I gathered. I decided to make a dress. I used post-it notes, candy wrappers, plastic bottles, aluminum foil, plastic bowls, and toothpicks to make Ballgown. The sculpture itself seems to be elevated when displayed because of the plastic bottle glued underneath.

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Gabriella Merritt

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Toby  Mossa

Class 1 Homework Activity-

Piece: Toby Mossa, The Rich, 2021

For this piece I cut out numerous gems, jewelry and high end luxury goods out of a New York Times magazine. After that I found that the jewelry I cut out had hands attached to them, so I began to make a figure with multiple arms. I found a woman in a bikini and cut it out. I love fashion so when I found this it made my ideas come together. I placed a head (side profile of a woman) onto the body and then added eyes (front view of a woman). In this work I wanted the mood to be sultry and sexy as well as portraying my interests; Fashion, the female figure (I like drawing women) and of course jewelry. One thing I would change is to add a jewel brain inside the cut open head to show how money and materialism takes over your life and that is all you think about.

Class 2 Activity-

Piece: Toby Mossa, encaged and escape, 2021

For this project I combined many different sculptures that I felt a connection with or admired and made a 2d sculpture design. I started by picking an old mediterian style sculpture with a modern twist (colored blue). Then I chose an almost dystopian sculpture of a wire woman that was a waterfall and finally the last one was a picture of a girl huddled up with elegant long hair. I picked these sculptures because I feel I have a connection with women art and sultry, feminane and elegant art. In this piece I wanted to portray a more vulnerable woman on the inside but a stronger woman on the outside.

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Nishka Narang

Class 1 Activity –

Piece: Nishka Narang, grading, 2021

For this piece, I created a collage that represents school work. I used an old math test, colored pencils, multiple types of paper and tape, and a sticky note that I used for a to-do list. I wanted to create a ripped, hectic look that modeled the messiness of school papers. I used colors and shapes to represent a range of emotions that can come from seeing a grade.

Class 3 Activity –

Piece: Nishka Narang, reach, 2021

For this project, I wanted to create a sculpture that made use of the many art supplies that have been sitting in my closet for years. The main focus is the cardboard “hand” reaching to grab the “jewel,” with the different colored ribbons and feathers alluding to veins and good/evil. The materials I used were: a foam cone (the only thing I needed to actually buy for this project), fabric, cardboard tubes, ribbon, fabric flowers, feathers, a fake plant, a wooden block, two types of twine, an embroidery hoop, a necklace piece, and mini mushroom charms.

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Aina Puri

Class 2 Activity-
Piece: Aina Puri, Corn, 2021

For this piece, I created a sculpture that represents where I live. I am surrounded by corn fields, and the corn is currently being harvested. My sculpture of an ear of corn is made of objects I found around my house: tissue paper, clay, bottlecaps, nails, and pins.

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Mary Ives Remien

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Zoe Thompson

Piece: Zoe Thompson, Cardboard Corset, 2021

As this project required us to make an article of clothing with found objects, I decided to make use of my large found cardboard collection in order to make a corset. I wanted the piece to reflect my younger self’s desire for thinness, so I utilized cardboard, as it was one of my favorite materials to create with when I was younger. I also wanted to reflect on themes of reusable materials and upcycling, as one of my favorite hobbies as an artist is upcycling old clothes and materials to make new creations. 

Piece: Zoe Thompson, Pulling My Shirt Tight, 2021

In this project, we were told to utilize a ready made article of clothing in order to create a sculpture. The article of clothing I chose had particular meaning to me, as I used to wear it on days when I felt chubby. I decided to use the meaning of the article of clothing to juxtapose my current, healthier, state, so I took the shirt and pulled it tight against a body I crafted out of cardboard, foam, and cotton stuffing. I then created a pulling hand behind the piece in order to ground it and make it make more sense to the viewer. 

Piece: Zoe Thompson, Under My Skin, 2021

For this piece, I drew inspiration from a fellow artist who took all of her assorted college mail and made a self portrait. I had been wanting to do something similar for a while, and the collage assignment we were given was perfect for the college collage. After arranging 5 assorted pieces of mail into a self portrait, I decided to create a pull out tab that showed the darker, more stressful, side beneath the innocence of college mail.