Course Description: Form Study is an introduction to the central tenets of three-dimensional art and design. Understanding 3D form and space is vital to sculpture, crafts, industrial design, and architecture, as well as necessary for the composition and production of successful two-dimensional forms. Employing a wide range of materials and processes, we will design and construct projects that investigate the three dimensional elements of volume, mass, surface, and space.

Course Objectives: Students are expected to successfully meet the following learning outcomes.

1. To become familiar with the basic 3D elements as listed on Form Study Elements and Employment document (volume, mass, surface, space as well as the employment of materials, processes, and use).

2. To better see and recognize the internal logic of the 3D forms and our shared material world so that you may conceive and develop your own ideas three dimensionally.

3. To develop basic 3D fabrication techniques and gain knowledge of varied processes and materials.

4. To develop critical thinking skills in relation to the elements and employment of form, and to speak and write articulately about the material things you do, make, and experience.

Course Content: We will meet our course objectives through these activities.

1. The development of craft and technical skill in the Form Study Lab, as well as in your individual research and development.

2. Presentations, readings, demonstrations, and artist talks.

3. Iterative form making, including preparatory drawings and models, the development of new processes and materials and revision.

4. Individual and group critiques of you and your peers’ work.

Course expectations:

This is an extremely process oriented class...there is a lot of information to learn and digest

throughout the semester. Absence from class means missing crucial technical demonstrations, as well as valuable individual instruction and work time. Knowledge builds cumulatively from week-to-

week, it’s very important that you do not fall behind.

Speak up and be heard. In this class we speak through material, body, time, and mind

I expect you to at times be afraid, uncomfortable, dirty, and confused. All of which are a part of the ultimate joy and mystery of making things. Work through these challenges and you will do well.

Take risks and persevere. If something didn’t work, try it again. If your project didn’t pass: do it again. I will ask you to do it again and again and again and again.... Until complete, not just finished

Take responsibility for your work and your words. Leave nothing on the table, literally and physically.

Support the work of your peers. No meanness, no envy. Respect all around. Be generous. What you give comes back tenfold.

Work at FULL CAPACITY; work honestly. It averages out to 9 combined hours per week for 15 weeks (including class time). This is Full Capacity.

Don’t come to class in an altered state. When you’re high, you can’t operate machinery with the precision and care it demands, and you tend to talk too much or not at all. So: dangerous and not fair!

Here are high points of the rest of the syllabus (which you should still read in full😊):

Full Credit will be given to students who:

1. Complete all projects to a high and honest standard. A passing grade indicates this; an NC means you did not do the work. 

2. Participate in class: speak during critique, try new things, and work hard.

3. Attend all classes, missing no more than 2.

4. Show up to class ready to work with:

your complete work due for that class

materials you need to work in class

tools you need to work in class

pencil

eraser

sketchbook

Assessment: Each project will be assessed with the following criteria below. Each student must be able to demonstrate the objectives of the assignment and articulate the intention of their own work.

• Technical: close attention to construction + practiced and appropriate application of your chosen techniques

• Conceptual: clarity of idea and intention of the work + depth of inquiry into the project’s central purpose

• Formal: intentional relationship between material, form and content + consideration of presentation

Grading: In order to pass this course, students must complete all assignments: All students will need to document and submit high-quality digital images, along with project statements for each assignment.

• 70% Assignments & Coursework: a) Conceptual, b) Formal, C) Technical

• 30% Participation: a) Engagement and effort, b) Attendance, c) Preparedness

Late work can be accepted, but it must be complete, not just finished. 

Conduct, conversation, and critique:

-Absolutely no texting, using cell phones or unrelated technology in class.

-Critiques and conversations are critical and ongoing processes for artists and designers; these exchanges provide an opportunity to give and receive feedback while developing a project. Critiques are a reciprocal process; during critiques and other activities, you are expected to participate. 

-Class is a social structure. While in class we are either in conversation or working in a collective studio. Among the most valuable assets in building an art practice is the sense of community. Towards this end, I seek to foster an expressive, open, and responsive atmosphere in the classroom and in discussion. In particular I seek to enact communities that valorize diversity and difference as fundamental to both interpersonal relations and society. Moreover, I strive to impart that difference is continuous: there are no neutral positions or “natural” forms of being in any frame of reference including but not limited to gender, race, sexuality, religion, culture, age, ability, and class.

-Discriminatory language or behavior is unacceptable, but harm can also occur through unintended statements or assumptions. My goal as professor is to cultivate a vulnerable space in which assumptions can be challenged, discussed and diffused. I encourage students to speak with me outside the classroom if you have any concerns that you don’t feel comfortable voicing in class.

Communication: Check your Google Classroom and Massart email daily. All of your teachers will communicate to you through email, and I will occasionally email the class as a group. I check my Massart email daily during the week and not on weekends, and will return emails within 48 hours.  Feel free to follow up with me if you have not received a response in this timeframe.

Attendance (MassArt policy): More than 2 absences will result in NC for the course unless other accommodations are made.

• You are expected to attend and be present for the full period of all classes. Late arrival will impact your participation grade. 15 minutes late arrival/early departure/disappearance during class will be counted as tardy. Two tardies will result in an absence. 30 minutes late arrival/early departure will be counted as absent unless otherwise arranged.

• Missed class: If you miss class, you are still responsible for meeting work deadlines.

Preferred names and personal pronouns: All students in this class are encouraged to share their personal pronouns during introductions, or at any time during the semester.  Students who use a name other than their birth name are encouraged to update Self Service as well as going through the process of updating their student email with their preferred names, as this reduces confusion in grading and email communication.  Students seeking assistance with this should contact K. John Ashworth-King at kashworth-king@massart.edu in Tech Central.  If you are having difficulty navigating this process feel free to speak to me.

Students seeking additional support: The Academic Resource Center provides access to peer mentors, an academic coach and professional tutors for ALL students. If you have a disability or think you may have a disability that may warrant accommodations, please contact Samatha Hines at shines@massart.edu  in the Academic Resource Center (ARC), Kennedy, 2nd floor. If you require accommodations of any sort through the semester outside of this, please let me know ASAP so we can work together to make our classroom more accessible!

MassArt Student Conduct Policy: All students and faculty at Massachusetts College of Art and Design have the right to a positive and constructive teaching and learning environment. When students and faculty come together, the expectation is always that mutual respect and civility will prevail to ensure that every student has the optimum opportunity to learn and that each faculty member has the best opportunity to teach. Disruptions of any kind impact the atmosphere of civility and interfere with the opportunity for learning and growth to which both faculty and students are entitled. Disruptive behavior includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Verbally or nonverbally showing disrespect for others.

• Using vulgar, obscene, or other inappropriate language.

• Preventing others from being heard.

• Making disparaging remarks or making slurs based on age, religion, race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, disability, or sexual orientation.

• Disturbing and/or distracting classroom entrances that impact learning.

• Using cell phones, computers or other technology inappropriately during class.

• Excessive breaks not part of official accommodations.

• Sleeping in class and other inattentive behavior. 

• Coming to class under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs.

• Threats or physical violence.

Such behaviors could result in sanctions, as indicated in the Community Standards here