School of Art Faculty Participants
Brad Schwieger, Ceramics, Fall 2007
Students were given the opportunity to “ Experience the Potter’s Wheel” during this session with hands-on demonstrations and instructions by Professor Schwieger and two of his graduate students on how to create a work on the wheel. Starting with a ball of clay to create their own version of a pot in any form or shape, students were exposed to the beginning intricacies and tactile nature of this discipline. Tours of the facilities and kilns were also conducted to show the range of skills needed to create ceramic work at all levels.
Julie Dummermuth, Painting, Fall 2006
The project envisioned by this professor was called “About Face” involving expandable foam. Each student chose a partner and sketched a rough outline of the partner’s face. This outline was then covered with industrial expandable foam and then allowed to dry. Imagine the surprise and delight the next week when each student found their “face”, now morphed into a whimsical caricature of the original sketch! The second part of the project gave each student an opportunity to hang their work as a collective exhibit in one of the student galleries in the School of Art.
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Jim Fike, Photography, Fall 2005
“The Exquisite Corpse” was the name of the project this professor chose which gave each student an opportunity to explore the process of automatic drawing in small groups of three. Each group created three “fantastical” animal figures which were then painted based on individual preferences. Some students named their figures and others created stories about their strange, mythical creatures!
John Sabraw, Painting, Fall 2004
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This professor engaged the RLC students in collaborative painting which was done right on the basement walls of Mackinnon! Students were divided into majors (art, dance, music and theater) and each group was asked to create concepts such as movement or embellishment using acrylic paint. The colorful, abstract results were left on the basement walls for the entire year.
School of Dance Participants
Zelma-Badu-Younge, African Dance, Fall 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
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The high energy of this professor was contagious to all participants! Students left their inhibitionsbehind as they were led through various vocal calls and dance steps while listening to complex African rhythms being played live by her husband, Pachal Younge and class members. Everyone got a great workout while experiencing a taste of African culture and the community of group participation.
Travis Gatling, Choreographer, Fall 2004
This experienced choreographer spent time teaching all the students to become familiar with moves associated with African dance. The basement in Mackinnon was transformed to the sounds and sights of art, dance, music and theater students working together to master intricacies and fun of this activity!
School of Music Participants
Paschal Younge, Ethnomusicology, African Drumming, Fall 2004, 2005, 2006
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The excitement of African drumming/music combined with a quick overview of his native Ghana was shared by this professor to all members of the class. No wallflowers were allowed as he explained that everyone in the African village would participate in singing, dancing and music from a very young age. Rhythm games followed by a quick lesson in playing various rhythm instruments got the entire class involved in the joyous celebration of African music!
Louise Steele, Music Therapy, Fall 2004, 2005
As a licensed music therapist, this professor shared some of her experiences with the class and brought in video examples of music therapist “in action”. She also engaged the class in some therapeutic activities involving singing and drumming, led by her upperclass music therapy students.
School of Film Participants
A recognized expert in the area of Appalachian film and music, Jack Wright shared his love of this region through a screening and discussion of film clips about Appalachian life created by his students. The class also listened to Appalachian music as revealed through coal mining songs of the region. Jack produced this CD which has been nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Recording Package, Best Liner Notes and Best Historical Album—what an opportunity for our Freshmen RLC participants to hear about these topics first hand from Jack!
School of Theater Participants
Students were asked to take a single idea or thought (freedom, mystery, water, etc.) and create a mask as a visual representation of that idea. Materials such as beads, feathers, paper, dried flowers, cloth and sequins were provided to spark ideas and creativity. At the end of the session, each student shared his/her mask to the class along with an explanation of how the creative process worked in the selection of materials for the finished mask.
Erik Ramsey, Playwriting, Fall 2006
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This professor wanted to utilize the Kennedy Museum of Art located at the Ridges in Athens, so the class got to take a field trip for this activity! The students were asked to view the various exhibitions and think about how they each reacted differently to the same work. The lively, thoughtful conversations about perception, engagement and narrative process associated with viewings work of art reflected the active interaction between the professor and the students. No right or wrong answers, just a dialogue of thoughts and contemplations.
David Russell, Costumes, Fall 2004, 2005
Puppet making was the project of choice for this professor. He divided the class into groups of 4 or 5 students and gave each group an “emotion” , such as love, envy, liberty, and passion, to translate into a moveable puppet. Students were provided with boxes of odds and ends, props, beads, feathers, materials, etc. and given free reign to create a life sized puppet. Organized bedlam might be a good way to describe the activity they were undertaking! At the end of the class period, each group introduced their “puppet” to the class and provided an explanation of the emotion they were portraying.
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Interdisciplinary Projects
Each class participates in a culminating final project which is interdisciplinary in nature. Examples of past projects include:
Video Arts Project
Katherine Milton/Nathan Berger, Aesthetic Technologies Lab (@Lab), Fall 2007
The focus of this year’s project was to expose students to the potential opportunities that exist in the virtual world for the arts, primarily through 2nd Life. Visiting Artist Philip Mallory Jones shared his work created in 2nd Life and students developed their own avatar throughout the quarter. The final project required their avatars to delve into the various arts venues of choice (art museums, concerts, dance or theater). Students showed the class where they visited and the insights gained into this different and cutting edge perspective on the creative process.
Katherine Milton/Nathan Berger, Aesthetic Technologies Lab (@Lab), Fall 2006
Students were given access to the Fine Arts @Lab to come up with a final collaborative project which had to include the use of technology found in this cutting edge lab as one of the components. Students from different disciplines were paired with each other and were asked to construct a 3-5 minute project based on the topic of “From the Ordinary to the Extraodinary”. They were given some basic ideas from the @Lab’s visiting artist, Phillip Mallory Jones, who showed his work and explained his conceptual ideas in transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. Sample final projects included original art work paired with vocal performances, theatrical monologues synchronized with music, dance movement overlaid with visual images, animation with narration and gestural movements generated by sound.
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William Condee, Director of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts, Fall 2005
This professor brought his experience and theatrical background to the seminar’s final project by having the students create a “toy theater”, using a small cardboard box and their imaginations. Students were paired together by different majors, asked to incorporate art (set design and scenery), movement (characters and props), narrative (original or adapted) and music (live or electronic) into a 3-5 minute “play”. Projects ranged from a miniature adapation of “My Little Pony” to an original production of “Tooth Decay”!
Molly Kinne and Beth Henke, Resident Directors of Mackinnon and Pickerington Halls
This project involved small groups of students creating their own videos of various arts related events. Each group was given access to a video camera and came up with their own rendition of what it meant to be in “the arts”.
The Fine Arts Film Series was started to give our students an opportunity to see films our faculty and staff felt were important to a specific discipline, genre, or idea. The films were screened weekly during the Fall in the basement of Mackinnon. Each series was organized by Lorraine Wochna, Film Bibliographer, Alden Library and Ovgu Gokce, Interdisciplinary Arts PhD student. They invited Fine Arts faculty, graduate students and staff to provide a pre-talk for each film. These participants were knowledgeable and passionate about the films, generating some interesting discussions after the screenings!
2007 Series (Cinemateque)
A new venue became available for this year’s film series, Cinemateque http://www.finearts.ohio.edu/artsforohio/cinematheque.htm, held at the Athena Theater as a part of the newly implemented Arts for Ohio initiative. The new format included screenings of art films from around the world centered around specific topics and themes with introductions to each film presented by guest speakers with post-discussions after the show. Students could choose from one week’s worth of films per month to attend (free of charge!).
2006 Series...more
2005 Series...more
The College of Fine Arts recognizes the importance of digital literacy for our students. Although many students enter college with technology skills in place, the changes in the digital world are fast and constant. In an effort to equip our students with the skills needed for currency in the various arts fields, this seminar course has provided the following opportunities for technological interactions:
Access to the Fine Arts Aesthetic Technologies Lab (@Lab) see Interdisciplinary Projects
Construction of personal webpage through the Academic Advancement Center (AAC) located in Alden Library. D. Lee Beard, an instructor in the AAC lab, worked with our seminar students to develop their own webpage, complete with photo and video options.
Health and Wellness
Kennedy Museum of Art, Fall 2007
The Kennedy Museum of Art at the Ridges in Athens was the site of a field trip experience for the class. Sally Delgado, Curator of Education, along with several student interns, led the RLC students through various galleries in which they explored the topics “What is Art and Why Does it Matter?” These provocative questions certainly generated interesting and lively debates!
Gail Berenson, Piano, Fall 2006
This fall we provided our seminar students with a special class on “Performance Anxiety” led by nationally recognized clinician Gail Berenson, a member of our piano faculty. Her comments and suggestions on ways to manage stress, the impact of stress and anxiety on one’s physical and mental health, and practical solutions to these problems based on her own years of experience as a performer were presented with humor and understanding. Students in all four disciplines gained information to help them with anxiety brought on by impending performances, tests, oral presentations and other experiences they might encounter as Fine Arts students.