Integrative Studio 1

In this course we explore the creative process. It’s not simply about what we make, or how we make it, but why? What do you do with an idea? Is there more than one way to approach an assignment? How can research become part of this process? You will engage in a series of cross-disciplinary projects that ask you to make up and define your own rules. You will actively: question, observe, visualize, play, fail, reframe, experiment, fabricate, and reflect.

In Integrative Studio 1, projects scale from the individual to the collective. You will start with the self, and then enter into a conversation with your peers, before moving into a collaborative group dynamic. Finally, you will use research conducted in Integrative Seminar to inspire a culminating project which utilizes skills built over the semester across courses.

At the heart of the the integrative model is the connection to your Integrative Seminar class. Our goal is to make reading, writing and critical thinking essential components of the art, design and strategic thinking processes. The two courses are tied together conceptually through a shared theme (as defined by the keyword of your class) and through bridge projects. Bridge projects are shared assignments between studio and seminar. They ask you to explicitly and productively blur the boundaries between the two courses. What happens when making becomes a form of thinking and writing becomes a form of making? Keywords for the courses are: Fake, Memory and Shift.

read the full studio course description

Integrative Seminar 1

Sol LeWitt famously said that “ideas are machines for making art.” Integrative Seminar 1 awakens the possibilities of writing as an exciting, dynamic source of inspiration. It can be an experimental space full of play and invention. It can be a formal and rigorous space for debate. It can be a tool used to process, explore, express or reflect. Writing does not simply represent thought, it is a catalyst to form thought.

In this course you will be introduced to a diverse range of texts (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, journalism, theory) in order to consider the expressive possibilities of language. Class discussions will examine how writing conveys ideas and emotions. They will also make room for your voice to enter into larger critical and creative conversations.

At the heart of the integrative model is the connection to your Integrative Studio class. Our goal is to make reading, writing and critical thinking essential components of the art, design and strategic thinking processes. The two courses are tied together conceptually through a shared theme (as defined by the keyword of your class) and through bridge projects. Bridge projects are shared assignments between studio and seminar. They ask you to explicitly and productively blur the boundaries between the two courses. What happens when writing becomes a form of making, and making becomes a form of thinking?

read the full seminar course description