SCULPTURAL PRACTICES

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Henri Matisse in bed still working

Henri Matisse

Don't let anything stop you from creating.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Facebook find on a blog for art professors figuring out what the hell to do for the rest of the semester online!

Figuring things out...and tips for photographing your work

Youtube

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Covid19 changes how we deliver sculpture and school in general

So while I am putting together this online version of my course, I keep reminding myself that our students will have unknown entities pulling them in every direction, and school , esp. sculpture, most likely is at the bottom of the list. We are supposed to pick up BFA work in a week and have had to think about the reality that we can set up a show, but there will be no one to see it, and contact with humans will have to be a part of this process. An online exhibition seems to be what we should do, but damn- this sucks! I can tell students are giving up, and freaked out and all you can do is say, this too shall pass. We have been given the task of going from interacting with our students daily, especially as a sculpture professor, to no interaction except through this machine I am currently praying does not die on me. I worry about my students mindset, what they are dealing with while I plan, and how this will work.
With all of this said, I think in times like this, when we are cooped up inside because a blizzard is coming, we should keep our hands and minds busy. Pretend we don't have to do anything, and use the creativity we have honed for our whole lives. Every day, when my boys are asleep, I pledge to put up art/sculpture ideas for students and artists alike to keep your mind and hands busy. It will help me as well to share what I love and imagine the 10 followers on this blog might turn into 100s just for the love of connecting to you as a human. Hope you enjoy and please reach out if you have any questions. ahc1@uwyo.edu

Todays food for thought...

We as teachers have these plans of what we will do every semester. I think about it, and play/practice with the ideas, research inspiration in artists to look at and materials/processes to focus on, and I have to figure out how my well thought out plan can be changed to eliminate our face to face interaction. Instead of giving the students big projects, focus on small tasks/pieces the students can finish quicker while still focusing on materials and processes they can do at home. They may be caring for an elder family member or watching their siblings while their single mom has to go to work, we simply do not know what other burdens our students are carrying, so instead of adding to it, allow them an 1/2 an hour-1 hr a day that they dedicate to keeping their hands and minds busy. I think of Linda Fleming and her maquettes. How beautiful and different each one is. Of course she does a lot of these with a laser cutter which is not an option, so what about an xacto blade and paper that the student picks whether from the to do list, or the newspaper that is in the recycle bin, or god forbid, an old book that is laying around. I am not only reconfiguring my class a bit, I am getting ready for a public art project proposal ( which has not been canceled crazily-yet..)with my husband which means writing and drawing to sell an idea and making maquettes to wow. Let's go back to the basics. Bigger is not always better, but give it some scale, a footer, a small person next to it so though the piece is 6 inches tall, the students finds or makes a tree, a figure walking, a dog made of sculpey next to the piece so we imagine what the piece will look like at 20 ft tall.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

16th Annual Iron Pour Fun

Every fall, we at UWYO, have an annual iron pour. This pour allows students to cast artworks in iron that is donated and broken down, but we also invite the community to come and create a tile that holds drawings or text and is poured in iron. We have created quite a following in Laramie. Pouring iron in particular really asks the students to work together as a group and accomplish something together. You have to lean on each other and trust has to be formed so the pour runs smooth and everyone gets out without scars. The work is beautiful/thoughtful and this year we got to throw around some iron as well.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Food for thought on teaching and making art

So it is April 2019, and the school's end of the semester is in sight. What a great semester full of interesting questions and delights as students feel their way through sculpture. 2018 was rough as it really taught me how much the college student as we have known them has changed. I wish I could say that that was a positive thing but not when you feel as if you are working against a wall most of the time. It is exhausting. This semester has taught me there is hope. I have great students that are a constant reminder of why I teach. They want to learn and want honesty in their art-making practice.
I could very well be comfortable in my studio dealing only with energy that is positive and hard working. Teaching does not always bring this energy, but I do my best to support my students while making work- often times alongside them.
On my off day- I run errands and accomplish things that are quick and I can scratch off of my list which leads to a smile every time. But I also can't help but plan for the next day of teaching. When I do this I often get ideas for my own work and the two processes feed each other. It reminds me of artists I have not looked at in awhile like Christiane Haase:

and Daniel Agdag:

Antony Gormley and Louise Bourgeois live in my teaching world each semester and always inform my work. If you have never seen the Art 21 with Louise- please do! It's my favorite. I love the way she touches her work while she speaks.

Teaching allows me to remember how I teach- very hands-on- fun but full of hard work. Fierce integrity and passion allow me to speak my heart and mind in the classroom and people either appreciate that or run from it.

4th Biennial Western Cast Iron Art Conference hug with Daniel Hunt and Noah Kirby in Laramie, Wyoming.

The most I can do is throw out ideas to the students and see what they catch and what they let go. Tells me a lot about who they are and what/how they want to learn.

Ideas have homes....

Ideas shape who we are and what we stand for.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Rian Kerrane and Yumi Roth coming to UW!

We are so lucky to have Rian Kerrane and Yumi Roth to UW .

Come to Laramie for both Talks:

Rian Kerrane. Tuesday November 13th 7pm Visual Arts Building

& Yumi Roth Thursday November 15th 7pm Visual Arts Building

Their exhibition is from November 12th- December 7th 2018

Come join us!

Rian Kerrane nd Yumi Roth

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

6th Biennial Western Cast Iron Art Conference

Check out WCIAA
www.wciaa.org for our 6th Biennial Western Cast Iron Art Conference in Granite City, Illinois- right outside St. Louis. Our keynotes this year are Jen Townsend and Renee Zettle-Sterling- authors of “Cast, Art and Objects made using humanities most transformative process” published in 2017. It’s a beautifully done coffee table book that covers a wide cross section of casting from small metals, to ceramics, glass, and some cast iron.