This is a listing of the classes available in 2008. The listing for 2009 will be posted later this year.
Cranbrook Summer Art Institute
Class Descriptions
This is a summer program for young artists 13-18 years old
Courses Offered Summer 2008:
Session 1: June 23 to July 11
Drawing and Painting: Portfolio Development
Film Photography and the Darkroom
Fashion Design: Adding Some Attitude
Graphic Design: Creating Websites, Posters and More
Sculpture: Working with Multiples
Art for the Undecided: Alternative Methods
Architecture and Design: Constructing the Environment
Session 2: July 14 to August 1
Art for the Undecided: Mixing It Up
Fashion Design: An Introduction to All Things Wearable
Graphic Novels and Comics
Introduction to Ceramics
Introduction to Metals
Drawing Workshop: Making and Breaking Rules
Video, Animation and All Things that Move
Session 3: August 4 to August 22
Art Car
Art for the Undecided: The Artist Within
Digital Photography: Finding Your Visual Voice
Screen Printing and Pop Culture
Color Theory: Communicate with Paint
The Body Conceptual: Drawing from Live Models
Sculpture: Thinking in the Round
Session 1: June 23 to July 11
Drawing and Painting: Portfolio Development
Athletes train their bodies each day in order to perform at their best. Musicians practice endlessly to master their instrument. Artists must also develop discipline in order to become successful. This class is designed to help young artists progress in the mastery of essential drawing and painting skills. Emphasis in this class is also focused on developing or building a student’s portfolio for college applications. The instructor will work one-on-one with students to evaluate work already produced, advise on assembling a portfolio and applying to college, and creating at least one portfolio-worthy piece. Students will work with graphite, charcoal, acrylics and ink. Life drawing skills through the work with live models will also form a core of this class.
Instructor: Mark Sengbusch is currently a second year student in the Painting Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. from the College for Creative Studies and operates an art gallery in the City of Detroit. His work has been shown in over thirty exhibitions and has appeared in six publications.Film Photography and the Darkroom
Digital technology has changed the way we think about the photography. Even so, the darkroom remains a vital and exciting tool to learn in the quest to be a skilled photographer. Issues of composition, use of light, contrast and processing are skills that are best developed through working in a darkroom. Students in this course will be taught techniques in traditional film-based photography and will be encouraged to express their artistic style in portraiture, landscape and still life. In addition to traditional camera and film practices, students will experiment with alternative processes such as masking, toning and solarization. Students will learn the skills that are necessary to become a skilled imagemaker.
Instructor: Chris Durocher is currently a second year student in the Photography Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. from the University of Windsor and taught a successful digital photography class at the Cranbrook Summer Art Institute last year. As an artist, his work has been shown in over a dozen exhibitions and he is represented by the Art Gallery of Windsor.Fashion Design: Adding Some Attitude
Clothing not only reflects your personality, it also affects how you feel. Dress determines posture and movement. Some clothes animate movement, others hinder it. The skilled fashion designer determines not only how someone looks in clothing, but also what the garments do to people wearing them. In short, clothing influences the emotional and physical attitude of the wearer. In this class, students will learn to think like a fashion designer, paying attention to fit and feel as well as look. Students will sketch illustrations, draft patterns, use sewing machines and construct wearable garments as they learn the design process from start to finish.
Instructor: Rachel Hunt is a second-year student in the Fiber Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned a duel B.F.A. in Art Education and Fiber at the Massachusetts College of Art. Recently, her work was featured on the cover of Fiber Arts magazine. She was the recipient of a Haystack Award in 2007. She taught fashion design at the Summer Art Institute last year and is returning for another successful year.Graphic Design: Creating Websites, Posters and More
Today, graphic designers are involved in many areas of communications. As the demands of clients grow, many graphic designers are finding the need to become experts in multiple software programs. In this class, students are will focus on three software system for designers—Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver. As students are introduced to these programs they will assemble a design package including a logo and a poster. In the process they will also learning core design concepts on the use of color, fonts, and composition. They will work on product packaging and a website. When finished, students of this class will have produced a full line of promotional material for a real or conceived product and have developed an understanding of what it takes to be a graphic designer in the real world.
Instructor: Peter Beaugard is currently a second year student in the 3D Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. in Ceramics and Graphic Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He teaches design classes at Lawrence Technological University and works professionally as a graphic designer.Sculpture: Working with Multiples
Every day we see a variety of repeated forms both in nature and in the manufactured world, from the leaves of a tree to products on the shelves of a grocery store. When the simplest object is multiplied many times it can acquire a visual strength. Through the repetition of materials, forms and textures, students in this class will create individual sculptures as well as work on group installations. Students will work with clay, wood, found objects and plaster casting materials which will all be used in carving, molding, joining and polishing finished pieces. Students will not only develop skills with fundamental sculptural materials, they will develop an enhanced appreciation for the discipline of sculpture.
Instructor: Katie Caron is a first year student in the Ceramics Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her B.S. in Education from Boston University and has taught high school art classes for many years. As an artist, her work has appeared in over a dozen publications and has been recognized with seven awards.Art for the Undecided: Alternative Methods
Do you love art but are unsure which style, techniques or forms of art you would like to pursue? This popular class is designed for students who love creating things but cannot decide what art form they enjoy the most. Explore drawing, painting, sculpture, installations and more through a variety of activities intended to serve as an introduction to the world of studio art. “Art for the Undecided” is offered in all three sessions, but each class is taught by a different instructor who will bring different expertise to the course. In the first session, students will explore alternative methods of artistic practice, including photo collage, model making and an inhabitable installation. Experimentation and risk taking will be emphasized as students learn craftsmanship and develop critical thinking skills.
Instructor: Michelle Hartwell is a second year student in the Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture degree at Roger Williams University and is currently teaching design at the University of Detroit Mercy. She has been a guest jurist for final student projects at five colleges including the Rhode Island School of Design.Architecture and Design: Constructing the Environment
Architects do more than design buildings. They also turn space into a functional environment with designs for parks, shopping areas, downtowns, and even whole cities. Instead of focusing on the construction of one structure, students in this class will develop work around the placement and flow of structures in an environment. Students may be asked to come up with proposals for the design of a new park for downtown Detroit, or use their imaginations and design a functional underwater city. Awareness of space and public needs will be emphasized as students construct drawings and 3-D models of their ideas, while collaborating with others in the class to work on one grand vision.
Instructor: Ania Jaworska is a first year student in the Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her Master of Science in Architectural Engineering from Krakow University of Technology. She is currently a junior designer at an architectural firm where she has worked on several major projects such as a park in Denver and sports stadiums in Cleveland.
Session 2: July 14 to August 1
Art for the Undecided: Mixing It Up
Do you love art but are unsure which style, techniques or forms of art you would like to pursue? This popular class is designed for students who love creating things but cannot decide what art form they enjoy the most. Explore drawing, painting, sculpture, installations and more through a variety of activities intended to serve as an introduction to the world of studio art. “Art for the Undecided” is offered in all three sessions, but each session is taught by a different instructor who will bring different expertise to the course. In this session, students will be working fast, learning how to work in diverse mediums, blending skills in 2D and 3D art to create mixed-media masterpieces. Ceramics, sculpture, drawing, painting and more will mix together in unusual and terrific ways.
Instructor: Brian Giniewski is a first year student in the Ceramics Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. at Millersville University and has been teaching in summer art programs for teenagers for the past three years. As an artist, he has won four awards and his work has shown in over twenty exhibitions.Fashion Design: An Introduction to Everything Wearable
Typically when people think of fashion design, they think of clothing. In reality, it is far more. From handbags to jewelry to scarves, fashion design encompasses anything that can be worn. This class is going to explore the many different ways that cloth and various fibers can be manipulated into something wearable. Basic techniques in dyeing, knitting, felting, pattern drafting and the use of sewing machines will be covered. Hats, shoes, shirts—the possibilities are wide open to create an array of wearable art.
Instructor: Amy DiPlacido is a first year student in the Fiber Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her B.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art and previously worked as a professional textile designer in Boston. As an artist, her work has appeared in over a dozen gallery exhibitions.Graphic Novels and Comics
More than ever, comics and graphic novels are being turned into blockbuster movies while the popularity of books and Japanese manga are gaining new audiences across the globe. In this class, students will focus on the development of comics and graphic novels. They willbegin with character generation followed by the creation of a storyboard that will become the foundation of a full-length graphic novel. The class will teach the use of traditional animation techniques to bring characters to life in a short cartoon video. In addition, each week students will publish a “zine”, a self-published mini-comic. In the end, students will have a strong start in the process of creating their own line of comic books and graphic novels.
Instructor: Blake Almstead is a first year student in the 2D Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Maine College of Art. He has worked for three design firms and won an award from the AIGA for creating one of the top 100 book designs in 2007.Introduction to Ceramics
Ceramics is a medium involved in the transforming of clay into art, with the possibilities wide open for interpretation. In this class, students will build dysfunctional teapots, unusual sculptural forms, and learn clay monoprinting, a unique technique that resembles a painting as much as anything else. Using various tools including a kiln, students will learn basic hand techniques, carving, low fire glazing, and image transfer as they find ways to mold clay into a permanent, wonderful object of art.
Instructor: Katie Caron is a first year student in the Ceramics Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her B.S. in Education from Boston University and has taught high school art classes for many years. As an artist, her work has appeared in over a dozen publications and has been recognized with seven awards.Introduction to Metals
Metalsmithing is much more than the cliché of a sweaty medieval man pounding on an anvil is a fiery forge. Today the reality is quite different. Some metalwork is quite large, such as the many impressive sculptures on the Cranbrook campus by Mark diSuvero and Carl Milles, but much of it is small enough to hold in your hand or wear as jewelry. In this class, students will work on the small scale, learning the basic techniques that enable metalsmithers to create works of any size. Students will explore several basic techniques including the manipulation of copper and brass, sawing, drilling, soldering and riveting. They will also learn how to finish their work by sanding, filing and polishing. In the end, students will have sculptural objects, jewelry, or other functional pieces along with the skills to continue making more.
Instructor: Seth Papac is a first year student in the Metalsmithing Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. in Metalsmithing at the University of Washington. His work has been featured in several exhibitions and is included in the permanent collections of the Tacoma Art Museum and the University of Washington.Drawing Workshop: Making and Breaking Rules
Art cannot easily be defined. Once certain rules, skills, styles and definitions are accepted, an artist comes along who finds a way to break them. Nevertheless, drawing is full of basic rules that are great to learn. As a young artist, it is important to master these skills, even if you know that eventually you will break them. In this class, students will learn the fundamental styles and guidelines that artists have followed over the centuries and through various movements in art history. They will then apply these rules, thereby learning that working within parameters can create an abundance of opportunities. We will then create our own rules and impose them on one another. This exercise helps students understand themselves better as artists. As part of the process, the class will practice observational, figure, still life and plein aire drawings. By the end of the class students will be stretched to try many different drawing styles guided by a self-defined system of working.
Instructor: Corrie Baldauf is a first year student in the Fiber Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her B.F.A. at the Kansas City Art Institute and has taught drawing workshops in the past five years. As an artist, her work has appeared in over a dozen exhibitions including three solo shows.Video, Animation and All Things that Move
Not long ago, home videos were made with huge camcorders and television producers spent an entire year making a half-hour animated cartoon. Websites were full of simple “gif” animations, like dancing babies and falling snow. People went to great lengths in order to capture motion, whether it was real or created. Fortunately, times have changed quickly. In this ambitious class, students are going to look at the many ways to use technology to create motion digitally. Students will be introduced to a variety of computer software programs including After Effects, Final Cut, and Photoshop in order to create motion. Video capture and editing, motion graphics for the web, and computer animation will all be produced. Technology is moving forward fast—this class will help students move with it.
Instructor: Meredith Morrison is a second year student in the 2D Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her B.A. in Graphic Design at Michigan State University. She is also a professional graphic designer, working for clients such as Disney, Lear and Chrysler.
Session 3: August 4 to August 22
Art Car
In the 1950’s, people “souped up” their car by jacking up the rear and adding painted flames and horsepower. Today, the tradition continues. People “trick out” their cars with purple lights, spinning hubcaps, and pneumatic shocks. Art museums have joined the fun by commissioning people to create an “art car” to park in front of their buildings. Artists have restyled the car, turning it into a submarine, a camera, or a cartoon character. In this class, students will work in small groups to modify a car and make it a work of art. To do this, they will mold wire armatures, sculpt plaster, rivet, and use hand tools as they learn the principles of sculpture and 3- design. The art cars will be professionally photographed so that students will have a permanent record of what they created. What better place to redesign cars than in the Motor City and right before the famous Woodward Dream Cruise!
Instructor: Carrie Fonder is a first year student in the Architecture Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned her B.F.A. from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and taught art in schools and workshops in Wisconsin for four years. As an artist, she has been commissioned by seven public and private entities to create sculptures.Art for the Undecided: The Artist Within
Do you love art but are unsure which style, techniques or forms of art you would like to pursue? This popular class is designed for students who love creating art but cannot decide what art form they enjoy the most. Explore drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and more through a variety of activities intended to serve as an introduction to the world of studio art. “Art for the Undecided” is offered in all three sessions, but each class is taught by a different instructor who will bring his or her expertise to the course. In this session, students will focus on self-expression, knowing that the medium of the art is not as important as the ideas. Students will experiment with a wide variety of skills in ceramics, photography, drawing, painting and more in order to better learn who they are as an artist.
Instructor: Russ Orlando is a second year student in the Ceramics Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. at Wayne State University and worked for more than 10 years as a senior art director and associate creative director for a national advertising firm. His past clients included: Burger King, Ford Motor Company, Jaguar, Goodyear and Trident.Digital Photography: Finding Your Visual Voice
The world of digital photography is changing by the day. New innovations, inventions, hardware and software keep the medium in a constant state of change. With all the excitement surrounding the appeal of the new, people can lose sight of the importance of the artistic eye. Now that everyone can take a photograph, how many can create an image that is truly riveting? This class will help students sort out the many creative options digital photography offers and help them develop an independent style. Students will shoot every day, completing assignments designed to develop skills and stretch abilities. Students will be working in the Academy’s exceptional media lab, using Photoshop, PowerMac G5 computers, scanners and printers to help turn what is inside your head into a visual reality. We recommend that students come equipped with their own digital cameras.
Instructor: Michael Mayer is a second year student in the Photography Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. at Creighton University and assisted in the digital photography class at the Summer Art Institute in 2007. Previously, he worked as a design consultant for clients such as NBC.Screen Printing and Pop Culture
The Pop Art movement is best known for the brightly colored prints of portraits and products, defined most popularly by Andy Warhol. Warhol and his colleagues in the Pop movement perfected the use of the screen print, most famously used in his series of Campbell Soup cans. Recently, screen printing has experienced a resurgence, with young people using the method to apply designs to clothing, skateboards and posters. Many have discovered success making personalized t-shirts, ties, and manipulating dress clothes. In this class, students will learn the two primary forms of screen printing: masking and photo emulsion. In addition, students will learn how to use professional screen printing equipment and how to continue their practice at home.
Instructor: Tim Eads is a first year student in the Ceramics Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned his B.F.A. in design from Texas Tech University and worked as an art teacher in junior high and high school for the past five years before coming to Cranbrook. He also owns his own screen printing business where he has produced work for clients such as the band Wilco.Color Theory: Communicate with Paint
The colors you wear communicate to the people around you. Whether the color you wear is cheery or mellow, authoritative or friendly, all colors communicate on a psychological and symbolic level. Color use is studied extensively by corporations, where hues can be used as a tool to get consumers to think in a certain way about products. In this class, students are going to learn the various meanings of color and how it is applied, both in the artistic and the corporate world. They will then master the art of mixing colors and apply them in a series of impressionistic paintings, calligraphy, and portraits. Colors give off energy. Students will learn to control that energy to get the most out of their artwork.
Instructor: Chitra Gopalakrishnan is a first year student in the 2D Design Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. She earned an M.F.A. in Graphic Design and Painting from L’Ecole Superieure d’Arts Graphiques in Paris. She is fluent in four languages and has worked professionally as a graphic designer for clients such as Radisson Hotels and Chanel.The Body Conceptual: Drawing from Live Models
The human form is the most universal image in the history of art, crossing across all cultures, eras and genres. From spiritual vessel to political tool, from the social ideal to the personal ordeal, the body has been the most powerful and controversial subject matter since the beginning of human history. As an artist, the ability to capture the human form is essential. This class will focus both on drawing sessions with a live model and on developing individual projects. Students will use graphite, charcoal, ink and alternative drawing materials as they grow comfortable working with a live model. Through practice and discussions, students will achieve a strong understanding of the human form and the power it has to shape the way we see others and ourselves.
Instructor: Michael Endo is a first year student in the Painting Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. He earned a B.A. from Portland State University. As an artist, his work has appeared in a number of exhibitions, including five solo shows.Sculpture: Thinking in the Round
Thinking like a sculptor means considering what your artwork will look like from every angle. Working like a sculptor means that you work with your hands and you are willing to get messy. The studio of a sculptor is filled with tools for carving, forming, molding, shaping, chiseling, polishing, and assembling. In this class, students will learn to work as a sculptor in a studio. Using various tools, students will not only learn the most useful techniques, including creating a rubber mold and casting objects in plastic, but they will also learn the concepts that drive the ideas of a sculptor. They will “think in the round” as they learn the fundamental processes in addition and reduction.
Instructor:Amy Feigley earned her M.F.A. in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2007. She earned her B.F.A. in Sculpture from Grand Valley State University and is currently an art teacher in Detroit. She is returning to the Summer Art Institute staff after teaching a successful sculpture class last summer.
This is a summer program for young artists 13-18 years old