Special Topics: get 'em while they're hot!

Every semester the department has at least one offering that is a special topic, meaning it's not a regularly scheduled class. Art students will have the opportunity to take any (or all!) of four special topics courses this spring. These include:

ART 370: A Furniture Making 8:30-10:50 T/R am Graham

This course will be an introduction into the techniques and concepts of traditional and non traditional furniture fabrication. Areas to be covered will include but not be limited to wood selection and movement, hand tools, power tools, traditional and non traditional joinery, wood manipulation and finish work. Each student will complete the course with 2 designed and finished pieces as well as a physical lexicon on joinery with container.

ART 370: B Portrait and Lighting 1:00-3:20 T/R pm Kincer

A semester of intermediate photography focusing on ideas, issues, and possibilities related to portraiture with special attention to lighting techniques. For those with experience in photography, this course will address issues of technique with regards to camera control, set and location planning, model stylization, and specific lighting controls, as well as an investigation of numerous methods, styles, and concepts for capturing the human form. The primary method of production will be digital photography, with the possibility of exploring traditional photographic printing methods. Use of a DSLR camera is recommended, but not required. Prerequisite: ART 120 or permission of the Instructor.

ART 370: C Publication Techniques 3:30-5:50 T/R pm Shields

Students will learn skills and concepts necessary for publication design while engaging in a thorough study of composition concepts including grids, typography and color theory. Fields of publication may include newspaper, periodical, directory, book, or brochure design. Application and output will be explored with the examination of industry processes and methods. Guest speakers and field trips will enhance students’ understanding of methods and application in a real-world atmosphere.

Software Utilized: InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop

Prerequisite: ART 234

ART 470: A Modern/Contemporary Mexican Art 12:00-1:15 MW Ratliff
This course examines modern and contemporary trends in the visual culture of Mexico. The course will begin with a brief overview of the history of art in Mexico but will predominantly focus on works and artistic formations relevant to the debates around visual modernism and contemporary culture in Mexico: tradition and modernity; national culture and the indigenous and colonial past; the role of visual culture in defining & differentiating national identity; cultural and aesthetic mestizaje; race, gender, and representation; the art and politics of popular and avant-garde cultures; art by Mexican-American artists in the U.S.; and the effects of globalization and the art market on contemporary Mexican art. We will examine the dominant art forms of late nineteenth- and twentieth-century Mexico including post-revolutionary muralism and socially-concerned representational art in addition to movements, artists, and visual genre outside of the mural school including abstraction, surrealism, photography, print culture, film, and performance art. The lectures, class discussion, and readings will focus our attention on key topics and ideas that help situate individual artworks within broader social and art-historical perspectives that operate in Mexico. Prerequisite: One course in art history or permission of the instructor. Students with an interest in Latin, Mexican, or Hispanic cultures and civilizations are particularly invited to register for this course. For further information, contact the professor: Jamie_Ratliff@georgetowncollege.edu

Feel free to ask faculty about their courses. You won't want to miss these amazing opportunities!

PS: Declare your major!