Description:
How do the world cultures I’ve thus far studied intersect with American cultures? How does technology culture intersect with the ancient history of design and art? How does religion and the psychology of the human mind relate to technology?
Religion, art, culture, and psychological influences run in our subconscious much like programs on a computer. Dr. Carolyn Elliott writes that our personal demons bear resemblance to this description of the computer operating system Linyx: “that runs unobtrusively in the background, rather than under the direct control of a user, waiting to be activated by the occurrence of a specific event or condition.” When we look at modern design, which is mostly done using the tool of technology, we see it does not differ all that much from ancient tools, in that it takes advanced skill to learn the tool itself, let alone the way to create with such tools, and what to create! I aim to take a dual path this quarter, focusing both on the similarities and differences of art, jewelry, and its meaning when looking at the United States as opposed and influenced by to other cultures, by visiting cultural sites and museums, while also exploring tools of design technology and what it can do for us as artists.
I’ll be exploring museums and abandoned spaces to see the past while diving into the future through computer based art. Folk art and technologically built pieces are at odds yet coexist, much like what I saw of ancient and modern Buddhism in Southeast Asia, and what I saw of pre-colonial and modern jewelry in South America. How does one walk the path of a contemporary artist in the digital age while practicing traditional craft and marketing it? How does one learn to teach children growing up in a culturally rich environment that are proficient in computer design systems and want to navigate how to express themselves? How does an artist produce in a meaningful way today?
Learning Objective 1:
Explore the art, jewelry, design, and ornamentation of the American Southwest and South, Central Mexico, and the Caribbean, specifically focusing on the history of religion and culturally symbolic art of the regions.
Activities to Achieve This:
Travel to the areas I wish to focus on and view museum exhibitions, religious sites, and artist markets. I’ll also be reading a book on religion of the area.
What My Instructor Will Evaluate:
My ongoing WordPress journal and photo entries, and a 1-2 page book summary.
Learning Objective 2:
Continue refining my metalworking skills and get additional hands-on experience with another master silversmith
Activities to Achieve This:
I’ll complete 32 hours of jewelry classes online, then an additional 36 hours of Sterling Quest silversmithing school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico under a master silversmith. I’ll also be reading three books on jewelry making.
What My Instructor Will Evaluate:
My certificate from Sterling Quest, and my illustrated journal entries about my online courses and jewelry books, as well as my completed jewelry work.
Learning Objective 3:
Become proficient in a series of technology-based design programs, as well as some business, planning, and marketing skills that are necessary for the contemporary working artist and art instructor
Activities to Achieve This:
I’ll be completing 113 hours of learning online in the design and art computer program field, including three full certificate courses on Lynda.com. I’ll also be reading two books on life skills for the creative professional, and one on the ethics and culture of the non-profit art world.
What My Instructor Will Evaluate:
My certificates of completion from Lynda.com, and my illustrated journal entries about my online courses, as well as a two 2-3 page papers on my books.
