All Active Courses and Workshops

In the Lighting Lab course, students delve into the intricacies of lighting design, covering aspects such as energy efficiency, light level measurement, and the specification of lighting solutions tailored to diverse requirements. Ideally scheduled concurrently or immediately following Design Studio Three, this course allows students to apply their design work … Read more

In this course you’ll learn the essentials for designing with fonts, and build typographic skills that are applicable to a wide range of visual communication design endeavors. You’ll be introduced to key typographic concepts, work between class meetings on a series of structured assignments, and get in-class feedback from peers … Read more

This course introduces illustration methods for the fashion designer and creative professional.  Demonstrations and exercises cover basic anatomy to the analysis of fashion figures.  Stylized drawing skills, composition layout techniques and industry flat sketches are taught, along with methods of critique and the editing process of designer collections. Students illustrate … Read more

This course is an introduction to the basic concepts and skill sets needed to create kinetic and interactive objects. Students will be instructed in the fundamentals of making and understanding DC circuits, lightweight and modular construction, foundational mechanics, the use of 3D printers, spot welder, soldering and brazing. The class … Read more

In this digital capture / photo production intensive, students are introduced to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography while exploring photographic history and current practices. Participants learn to use a digital (DSLR or mirrorless) camera to create photographs using raw file formats and fully manual controls. Topics covered … Read more

Screen printing is an old and versatile process with many modern uses. We present a variety of techniques and contemporary fine art applications of silkscreen printing. Students are guided through the transformation of an idea to printed image and encouraged to take a creative approach. The emphasis is on experimentation, … Read more

BioPoetics and Science Integration explores the intersection of biology, art, and design, focusing on how biological concepts, scientific inquiry, research, and discoveries can inspire creative expression, experimental practice, and innovative applications.  This course examines the use of biological metaphors, poetics, natural history imagery, symbolism, and narratives in artistic and design … Read more

This seven-week course aims to advance students’ evolving painting practice by providing a structured yet flexible environment for artistic exploration. The course begins with quick exercises from observation. In later weeks the focus shifts to self-directed work, students will respond to creative prompts and may incorporate their own source materials. … Read more

Documentary Bootcamp is a seven-week, immersive learning experience covering the fundamentals of documentary filmmaking from pre- to post-production. Participants learn storytelling principles, the aesthetic and technical skills for image making and sound recording, scripting, interviewing, and editing. Knowledge and skills are developed through presentations, discussions, in-class and at-home or in-community … Read more

In this drawing class, you will use the figure as a basis for understanding basic drawing elements such as line, form in space, spatial relationships, value, gesture, and composition. The instructor will guide you through drawing fundamentals and thorough observation. Beginners are welcomed and continuing students will also be challenged. … Read more

Students will learn how to construct a basic pair of pants from measurements to muslin. We will also build sampler file with seam techniques, pockets, fly finishes, and a style library. Prerequisite: Completion of a basic sewing course or equivalent.

This course will provide a solid foundation in the digital skills used in the fashion industry to create the “fashion plates” that introduce a line or collection. Through hands-on projects, students learn how to use Photoshop and Illustrator to design presentation boards and fashion collections in flats. This is the … Read more

This course includes an introduction to the laws of linear perspective, an exploration of how three-dimensional reality is depicted on a two-dimensional surface. Additional course content includes tools of the trade, various techniques for producing technical illustrations, informational art and instructional illustrations in sequential series. Note: This is not a … Read more

This hands-on course immerses students in the art of creating bespoke elements crucial to interior design projects. From sketch to finished product, students will learn how to transform concepts into detailed, precise measured drawings ready for fabrication. The studio emphasizes translating sketches into accurate drawings suitable for fabricators, incorporating dimensions, … Read more

This class is an introduction to 2D animation. Students learn how to transform static drawings into fluid moving animation. Starting with traditional hand-drawn techniques on paper, we translate those techniques using digital drawing and editing tools including Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects. Through short 2D animation exercises, the class … Read more

This 7-week online intensive is designed to equip students with the essential tools and skills to professionally present and promote their artistic practice. Whether preparing for job applications, open calls, residencies, exhibitions, or grant submissions, this class guides students toward building a comprehensive portfolio tailored to their professional development goals. … Read more

In this introductory course, students will learn the foundations of drawing, including line, proportion, shape, gesture, blocking, value, mark-making, and space. Students will focus on developing these skills through a variety of in-class and independent assignments in-class that emphasize drawing from observation, iterative invention, and materials exploration. No prior drawing … Read more

Through the study of some of the representative works from World Literature we will take a panoramic look at the development of Civilization from its earliest beginnings. Through creation myths, stories of epic battles, and stories of love, we will learn more about who we are as part of the … Read more

This foundational class provides students with the skills required to work and experiment with agility in today’s digital space. Participants gain a top-down understanding of hardware and software relationships, file management, and both the Adobe Creative Suite and Google Workspace, including a big-picture understanding of how the applications in each … Read more

The course explores the art and composition of the graphic novel and examines its many sub-genres, from superhero tales to memoirs to manga. The textbook is Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. Other texts include Watchmen, Contract With God, Sandman, Maus, and Persepolis. For the final project, students create and make preliminary sketches for an original graphic novel.

Students explore the cultural and artistic responses to the major modern, social, and political revolutions between the end of the 18th and 20th centuries. The focus is on rarely covered artistic responses to political, social, and religious revolutions of the 20th century. Historical, political, philosophical currents and their impact on … Read more

This course introduces students to the art of the African diaspora, defined here as transnational networks of forced and chosen dispersal of people of African descent. By definition, diaspora rejects the category of the nation-state and accompanying nationalisms. Instead, we take mobility, migration, and flux across borders as a starting … Read more

In this studio course, we will create abstract paintings using a variety of media while exploring aspects of form, color, composition, and format. We will also discuss a range of historical, technical, and conceptual approaches to abstract painting through slide lectures with a particular emphasis on current developments and trends … Read more

What is Sound Art? Imagine mind-bending sound pieces created with a piano filled with nails/bolts/nuts/screws, a floor tiled with LPs, a secret tone playing underneath a grate in New York City for 30 years, or nothing but the echo of a space. The course will provide a solid knowledge of … Read more

What hot-button issue isn’t to be found in the oeuvre of Andy Warhol -sex & celebrity, money and civil rights marches, camp & kitsch, race & violence? Yes, drugs, too -but our emphasis will be on material culture and visual and artifactual evidence. Embracing the totality of Warhol’s art and … Read more

Traditionally, watercolor is a light-to-dark medium. Light washes are built up gradually in order to achieve rich tones. The focus of this course is to explain that when beginning a painting with the application of pre-mixed, middle value, transparent wet-on-wet watercolor washes, artists can create images that exude “instant” atmosphere, … Read more

This writing course focuses on skills for thinking and writing about artwork. Writing helps to develop the ability to reflect on creative processes. The course uses an interdisciplinary approach—crossing boundaries and integrating insights from visual art, writing, library science and other disciplines— for research.  Students learn to tell the story … Read more

Speculative fiction is a field of storytelling in which imaginative scenarios are created to illuminate real-life questions and problems. It encompasses many genres including science fiction, gothic novels, plays, films, and even operas and graphic novels. The syllabus ranges from *Utopia* to *Frankenstein*, Octavia Butler’s *Parable of the Sower*, *Ursula … Read more

 A rigorous and immersive intellectual experience designed to introduce the first-year student to college-level inquiry and university culture. This seminar-size course emphasizes close reading, critical analysis, information literacy, research skills, and oral communication. Course sections will vary in emphasis, assignments, and activities but will incorporate one or more common texts, … Read more

Discover the synergy between Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign with course work based on a real-life project. Each program is approached as a specialized tool: Illustrator for digital illustrations and web graphics; Photoshop for editing images and creating special effects for web, broadcast, or print design; InDesign as a desktop … Read more

Metalshop 1 is a comprehensive introduction to steel fabrication techniques and processes. It includes various welding processes, such as the venerable oxy-fuel process, the lost art of “stick” welding, and an emphasis on MIG welding, better known as the “hot glue gun for steel” (just point and shoot!). The more precision oriented TIG welding process is … Read more

The documentation and communication of ideas require fluency with symbolic and illustrative methods; a language. This course develops and refines the basis of this language, the “alphabet and grammar” used to communicate the characteristic of objects and systems. Through the exploration of various media using architectural or industrial design contexts, … Read more

Students are introduced to construction at a domestic scale through lectures, slides, and field trips. Structural calculations include safe selection of building parts by stress analysis, beam equations, and column computations. Students learn sufficient wood and masonry building techniques to design a small wood frame building. Assignments include structural models … Read more

Do patterns, textures, and colors bring you joy? Would you like to add more playfulness into your art using images from old magazines, decorative papers, and fabrics? In this 2 day workshop, Katia Wish invites you to bring more creativity and experimentation into your life. Based on your interests, you … Read more

Students are immersed in the nuts and bolts of architectural craft and construction technology practice. Through design sketch problems, hands-on demonstrations, and readings, students focus on the most common methods of constructing building systems in wood, masonry, steel, and concrete. Constructing a full-scale model of a wood-framed structure brings the … Read more

Introduction to the History of Art is a wide-ranging, multi-vocal introduction to the fundamentals of Art History and to many of the major moments, movements, artists, and works in the history of global art. Mindful of, but by no means limited by, traditional chronological and geographical approaches to the examination … Read more

An introduction to principles and techniques of floor loom weaving: including warp preparation, dressing the loom, pattern drafting, basic loom controlled and weaver-controlled weaves. Slide presentations emphasize a personal approach to the media.

In this course, we analyze several individual practices and group movements from 1945 to the present. Instead of adhering to the distilled summaries of a textbook, we engage art of this period at less of a remove. Students come to comprehend the difficulty and subjectivity involved in formulating a history … Read more

Have you ever noticed that when you look at the night sky and gaze at all those mesmerizing stars, you’re actually looking back in time? Did you know that Andromeda, the nearest galaxy to Milky Way, is 2.5 million light years away from us? This means that when you look … Read more

This course provides an introduction to architectural design as a social art that emphasizes form relevant to use, and design with an appreciation of site, landscape, and materials. The course is foundational, using observation of existing built environments to support basic design skills through families of form, attending to the … Read more

How might advertising be Art? How is it ideology? In this asynchronous course, we will use concepts and critical thinking strategies to study advertising and public relations as organizers and drivers of our cultural ideology. This online seminar course will include two sessions each week: One session will be made up of asynchronous assignments … Read more

What makes a children’s book a classic? We’ll find out as we read, analyze, and enjoy the best of the field–fantasies from Peter Pan to Harry Potter, realistic novels from Anne of Green Gables to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and stories falling somewhere in between, like The Secret Garden. Though our emphasis will be on … Read more

In this introductory, course participants will learn how to design and carve wooden utensils. Students will be shown how to safely and efficiently use the bandsaw as well as hand tools such as gouges, rasps, files, scrapers, and a variety of handsaws. Whether it’s spoons, spatulas, forks, knives, or something … Read more

In this course we trace the physical, physiological, and psychological investigations of experimental filmmakers over the last seventy years. Studying these three trajectories-matter, body, and mind-reveals “film” to be a complex interplay between what Paul Sharits described in 1969 as “celluloid, two-dimensional strips; individual rectangular frames; the nature of sprockets … Read more

By examining the varied traditions in portraiture, through the lens of time and culture, this course will investigate a rich diversity of expression, spanning the frescos of Rome, the psychology of Alice Neal, the beauty of Leonardo, the technique of Ingres and the vulnerability of Vincent Van Gogh. We will … Read more

For students who want an intensive day-long studio experience that provides individual instruction. Students work within a continuum from realism to abstraction, and formal concerns are emphasized and tied to personal expression. Includes use of the model. Class critiques, slide talks and field trips enrich the painting experience. For senior … Read more

For students who want an intensive day-long studio experience that provides individual instruction. Students work within a continuum from realism to abstraction, and formal concerns are emphasized and tied to personal expression. Includes use of the model. Class critiques, slide talks and field trips enrich the painting experience. Some painting … Read more

For students who want an intensive day-long studio experience that provides individual instruction. Students work within a continuum from realism to abstraction, and formal concerns are emphasized and tied to personal expression. Includes use of the model. Class critiques, slide talks and field trips enrich the painting experience. Some painting … Read more

This course examines video games and how the video game medium relates to art generally. The course questions how video games can reshape storytelling conventions, especially about film and related media and design studies. It aims to study video games from historical, theoretical, cultural, queer, and industrial perspectives (among others) … Read more

Rich and expressive, monotype joins the graphic qualities of printmaking with the spontaneity of painting. This hands-on workshop teaches the basics of chine colle, pronto plate, collagraph, as well as other processes, and explores the sequential possibilities of monotype to develop images conceptually and formally. Image-making methods, ink handling, print … Read more

This Summative Elective course seeks to build a bridge between the artistic aesthetics in Cinema and the scientific rigor of naturally plausible phenomena. In doing so, and through analyses of scientific foundations of scenarios portrayed in different genres of cinema, including but not limited to sci-fi and superhero, students will … Read more

This course will explore the transition from modernist thought as exemplified by the Abstract Expressionist movement to such postmodern notions of appropriation, parody, and fragmentation as they manifest themselves in the art of the 1970s and beyond. We will focus on such concepts and genres as minimalism, performance, video, installation … Read more

This course treats the evolution of film music from silent movies until the present.  It introduces students to musical syntax, the aesthetics of film music, and the means by which composers synchronize music and script to convey mood and render action vivid. Working chronologically, the course explores the increasing importance … Read more

This course covers the basics of using ink and mixed media to explore the abstract and expressive possibilities of this versatile medium. Discussions will center around the work of abstract expressionist artists and their focus on freedom of expression through spontaneity and exploration of wet media. Techniques such as wet-into-wet, … Read more

Thinking about a career in graphic design? Do you currently “dabble” in graphic design for personal projects? Have you found yourself designing flyers, webpages, brochures or other graphic design work professionally without any design training? This one-day workshop is specifically targeted for those with no graphic design background, to understand what makes a design “work” visually … Read more

The splendid colors of radicchio, watermelons, plums, and more will be the subject of our studies from observation. By examining essential color concepts such as value, hue, and saturation, we will deepen our sensitivity to those elements. In addition to working from observation, we will build color relationships independent of … Read more

Declutter, de-stress, and challenge your idea of what an artist’s book is or can be. Plunder books is a fun, spontaneous, and even silly, book-making process using found materials. You’ll be asked to let go of your expectations, follow your impulses, and see how and what can be made from … Read more

This observation based class involves various approaches to seeing and expressing. We will work thin, thick, quick, slow, voluminous, flat, tonal, narrative — until you’ve broken out of habits that may be holding you back. The focus will be on acrylics, but participants are welcome to use oil or gouache … Read more

Words, images, color, shadow, and line — drawings with thread on fabric are made up of the same components as drawings on paper. This workshop explores embroidery as a form of drawing through direct drawing, transfer, and projection. Using found, vintage, or new cloth, lessons include a variety of stitches, … Read more

We will investigate the power of the artmaking process through lecture, discussion, and hands-on work in the Studio. We will also study a specific process, printmaking, through the work of keynote speaker and multi-media artist Magda Leon, who will lead a collagraph workshop for each cohort. We’ll explore how to … Read more

An introduction to the intersection of business, art and design. The purpose of this course is to give students a fundamental understanding of how businesses analyze and respond to competitive market dynamics, with an emphasis on the creative economy. Through case studies, market simulations, guest speakers, and discussion of current … Read more

We will investigate the power of the artmaking process through lecture, discussion, and hands-on work in the Studio. We will also study a specific process, printmaking, through the work of keynote speaker and multi-media artist Magda Leon, who will lead a collagraph workshop for each cohort. We’ll explore how to … Read more

This intensive seven-week class develops students’ skills and agility in digital photography post-production. Using Adobe Lightroom Classic, Bridge, Camera Raw, and Photoshop, students learn a streamlined, professional workflow that takes images from camera to finished product. Learn the basics and beyond of powerful, industry standard software and systems, from file … Read more

We will investigate the power of the artmaking process through lecture, discussion, and hands-on work in the Studio. We will also study a specific process, printmaking, through the work of keynote speaker and multi-media artist Magda Leon, who will lead a collagraph workshop for each cohort. We’ll explore how to … Read more

Drawing on scholarship from the disciplines of history, art history, anthropology, and folklore, we consider the role of cloth in human experience. We will examine the use of traditional textiles in a range of historical and cultural contexts, with an emphasis on exploring social and symbolic functions as they relate … Read more

Everyone knows that accessories make the outfit and constitute a major part of the fashion industry. Explore handbag design as a specialization. Topics and projects include a brief history of the handbag, researching present trends, and creating designs. Using industry standards, students design and construct a clutch, soft shoulder, and … Read more

This foundational class focuses on expanding and honing students’ digital content-creation, design, and art-making skills, through exploration of a wide range of software, concepts, and techniques. Topics include digital compositing of pixel-based images, vector design basics, time-based media best practices, introductory 3D design processes, and thoughtful use of AI tools. … Read more

This course provides a foundational understanding of the regulatory codes and legal frameworks that shape the practice of interior design. It explores how different states in the U.S. recognize and regulate the profession, as well as the professional institutions that support interior designers and related fields. Students will delve into … Read more

This course introduces illustration methods for the fashion designer and creative professional.  Demonstrations and exercises cover basic anatomy to the analysis of fashion figures.  Stylized drawing skills, composition layout techniques and industry flat sketches are taught, along with methods of critique and the editing process of designer collections. Students illustrate … Read more

Design Studio Three builds upon the foundation laid in Design Studio Two. Students are presented with a challenging design brief that necessitates a fundamental grasp of building codes and material safety standards. Each student will develop an outline specification focusing on product safety and sustainability considerations. Lectures throughout the course … Read more

Explore the art of personal expression through landscape photography. Tsar Fedorsky, a fine arts photographer whose own work draws on images found near home, will encourage students to discover their own visual voice by choosing to take landscape photographs close to home. Nature is all around us. You don’t need … Read more

This course is a great start for beginners looking to make a functional wooden object. Course participants will learn how to build a wooden plant stand utilizing machinery such as the table saw, domino joiner, router table and orbital sander. This course will cover how to create a lap joint … Read more

Have you wanted to work in clay but firing your sculptures is impossible or impractical? Handmade paper clay is rougher than kiln clay, but it can take detail, and unlike kiln clay, it can be used over a wire armature. It hardens into a very solid object that does not … Read more

This workshop will be conducted in oil and water-based paints, including acrylics and watercolor.  Students will paint on location and will be assisted in setting up to paint: organizing and laying out a palette, setting up an easel, choosing a composition and making a painting. A sketchbook will be used … Read more

This class explores the continuing relevance and power of the personal mark as the foundation of the painting and drawing. Participants examine how this hand-made characteristic, combined with physicality of materials, can become a vehicle for creativity that roots communication back into lived experience while offering the possibility of more … Read more

Individual attention in a supportive environment is the focus of this comprehensive figure drawing course designed for students of all levels. We will examine the works of historic and contemporary artists to understand the common principals of sound figure drawing. The foundations of gesture, proportions, and anatomical structures will be … Read more

Reflecting diverse but interrelated cultural traditions, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean films offer a fun and fascinating lens through which to view the development of postwar Asian society.  The samurai film, Hong Kong action movies, and Japanese anime are some of the topics covered in following this development through a selection of … Read more

In this hands-on class, students will explore the intricate art of marquetry, where wood veneer of various colors is skillfully cut and assembled to form detailed images. Through a combination of demonstrations and practical exercises, students will learn the double-bevel cutting method, sand shading, and finishing techniques. By the end … Read more

What is placemaking? If you’ve ever worked on a community art project, thought about how to make your streets safer, or wondered about how cities can be improved by better design, you’ve been involved in placemaking. This course will use the city of Boston, past, present, future, as a case … Read more