Week One: Critical Response Process

October 22, 2006

On three large work tables, bizarre and alternative materials were laid out. All 17 students had one hour to make whatever they wanted with these materials. In Bianca’s sketchbook, she wrote, “It’s liberating to be given such a huge variety of materials without having to plan or design anything beforehand. At first it’s overwhelming, but after some messing around, themes and ideas automatically surface.” Anand wrote about his process: “I did not expect the really hard base to break before the rubber bands snapped, but the separate layers ripped apart where one of the poles was connected.”

When finished, the students undertook an intense, forward-thinking, and mature critique. Being so impressed with their articulation of their own and each others’ work, I opted to continue the critique, forgoing the plans for the remainder of the class. The students also decided how this week’s blog entry should be formatted, and decided they would describe in their sketchbooks their process, their critique, what their classmates said, and what they thought of their own work. Accompanying these articulate descriptions were confident sketches of their work. This week, the class will see the show The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas. I’m excited to see the connections they make between the show’s pieces and their own work.

--Erin Root, instructor