Designing Art: Making Objects from Ideas
a Discovery Core Experience
This is a BCORE 120 (Arts & Humanities) course
About This Course
A project-based Arts & Humanities course that explores the design and creation of physical properties and visual aspects of media and performing arts — focusing on storyboarding, then building to discussions and work on film/stage props, lighting design, costume design, and set design and the function they provide in a larger context. The basic skills and concepts explored in this course are a great base for a range of creative endeavors, and additionally address the specific needs for student success in upper division arts courses. In addition to providing a practical and theoretic foundational arts and humanities course, the skills gained would be applicable to video game design courses, media production courses, performance arts courses, and dance/theatre courses and will expand creative processes. Class exercises exploring a range of art forms and historic contexts for these projects will strengthen students’ understanding of the function of the arts and their ability to create high-impact projects.
What Are We Designing?
The final project will require students (working in cohorts) to select an existing story or poem that holds collective meaning for them (personal, social, political) and will utilize the tools developed in the course to break the story/poem into beats, to discuss a desired tone/feel/mood, and to create models and sourcebooks of their final proposals showing how they would design and effect the physical/visual impact they propose for their story/poem. Since workspaces and tools are limited for construction projects (and to reduce student fees), end-of-quarter projects would be created as drawings, storyboards, sourcebooks, and dioramas and culminating in an on-campus exhibition.
What Does It Mean That It’s Co-Taught?
As a co-taught course, faculty will bring together expertise in performance arts, stage design, creativity and 2D/3D project development to support and propel students’ imagination and creative production.
Professor Gavin Doyle (he/him/his)
Education
- J.D., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
- M.F.A. in Performance, University of Louisville
- B.A. Theatre, Roanoke College
- B.A. Biology, Roanoke College
Contact
Email: gdoyle@uw.edu
Professor Gary Carpenter (he/him/his)
Education
- B.F.A. Painting and Drawing, University of Washington
- M.F.A. Painting and Drawing, University of Washington
Contact
Email: glc2@uw.edu