Instead of doing this class by class, as I have done in the past and how I reviewed my two academic classes, I have decided to just list my major projects in my three studio classes, and explain a bit about each.1) $5 project – Production Due Sep.10th
Crit. Sep. 12
Make a piece of jewelry out of something you bought at CVS for $5 – you may bring in other materials such as metal to complete the piece, but it can't be the focus.
This is what I did – the white things are cut up ping pong balls with a bit of gold paint. The whole thing is riveted to a silver band making a kind of huge ring.
2) Stone setting samples – Jewelry 3A
Due Sep. 19th
No crit.
We are learning all the cool stone settings. I have now learned all the tube settings and made samples.
We had a stone lecture.
Look at all thoughts beautiful stones!
We still have to do basket settings and prong settings as well as flush and pave settings.
5)piece suite – Production
Due Oct. 1
Crit. Oct 3
Make a five piece set – does not have to be jewelry, they must relate to each other, this is to help us start thinking about collections. I have no idea what I’m doing but I better figure it out…cuz that deadline is approaching fast…
4) Ego Ethnic Projects
Due. Nov 4
Crit. Nov 6
Part one Due: Sep. 23
This is kind of a major and complicated project, but in summary it’s all about personal identity. I hate these kind of projects, which is why up until now I have kind of phoned them in, however I can’t really do that this time. We are supposed to study our background and give a 20 minute class presentation and then base our projects off that. I’m not thrilled, but for the presentation part I’m going to make two infographics which I’m happy about, so that will be fun. This might turn out good or it may be a drag…
5) Five identical piece project – Production
Due. Nov 5
Crit. Nov 7
Make five piece that are the same, and time yourself for the completion of all of them. This may seem a bit silly, I make pieces that look just like each other all the time and I have a fairly rough estimate of how fast I work. For instance, with the circle pendants with the stones like this one, (photo) I can make 5 in about 6 hours, if they are all the same and I do them in assembly line production style. I’m a bit weird in the jewelry department and find this kind of thing fun, but I’m in the minority, most of my classmates have never done anything like this. I’m looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll use a few of those casting skills I picked up freshman year.
6) ego/social Tool project – Jewelry 3A
Due. Dec 4
Crit. Dec 9/11
Make a tool to solve a problem, any problem. We have three questions to ask ourselves, and then we have to go out and ask 40 people a question we came up with that will influence the tool. The tool does not have to solve the problem; it’s representation. This project bothers me, but I think I already know what I’m going to do – something with sound so I can wrap in some cool tech stuff.
7) 5/5 – Production
Due. Dec 10
Crit. Dec 12
These are five piece’s based on an historical art movement – I'm thinking about doing Art Deco. I feel like Art Deco gets a bad rap, REAL Art Deco took the best from the Arts and Crafts movement and the Art Nouveau movement.
That’s really it for studio projects. I’m leaving out Digital Tools because its just a lot of small projects that I hope to wrap into these projects as much as possible.
You will also notice that each project has two dates; a Due date and a Crit date. Its a change to have that this year. In past years your project is due in Crit. For anyone who has never been in a critique, its kind of an intense process where we all go through everyone's work and give encouragement or suggestion. Your grades depend in part on what happens in Crit, what the class thinks and how you respond. Really there is a ton of other stuff on critique that I would love to write about at a later date, but I digress. I'm thrilled about the change. As a person who works hard and plans to avoid pushing deadlines, I am sick of coming into a Crit to see things that are not done, or things that are done but the creator is asleep because they worked straight through the night. All nighters may be a romantic and historic art school idea, and you occasionally need to pull one (I do at least once a semester), but the time to pull one is not the night before Crit! It makes for a suckey Crit for everyone else. I can not be more pleased at the change.
Anyway, that’s all for now – talk to you all later. Katie