sculpture

SUMMER OFFERINGS

Alternative Moldmaking and Casting

Instructor: Alexis Arnold
10 Sessions / Thursdays, June 6–August 15, no class on July 4
Time: 6:30–9:30 pm
Location: Studio 106
Number: SC1003
Tuition: $400
Register | Materials

There is a world of possibilities when it comes to mold making and casting, but there are also a fair number of limitations, and a whole lot of steps to follow. In this course, we will push the limits of moldmaking through exploration of and instruction in both traditional and alternative techniques, using materials including concrete, clay, plaster, plastic, silicone to make a food-safe mold, wax, alginate, polymer clay, and found objects. We will learn specific techniques as a class and then adapt projects to meet each student’s individual conceptual and aesthetic ideas. We will have two scheduled critiques during the class (one midway and one at the end) in order for students to share their work, practice presentation, and receive valuable peer feedback. No prerequisite.

Alexis Arnold is a sculptor and installation artist living in San Francisco. Her artwork explores the visual manifestations of time and memory upon objects. Arnold incorporates a range of materials, from casting mediums to found objects, and catalyzes natural processes, such as crystal growth or oxidation, to inject the objects with a visual history. Arnold received her MFA in Sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2010, as well as a BA in Studio Art from Kenyon College in 2005. Her work has been exhibited throughout the Bay Area and nationally, including The New York Hall of Science, Southern Exposure, Root Division, Brooklyn Artists Gym, Gallery Hijinks, Alter Space, The Crucible, and through the San Francisco Arts Commission Art in Storefronts Project. Arnold’s work has received review in Art Practical, The Wall Street Journal, OGlobo.com, Redefine Magazine, ArtSlant.com, Beautiful/Decay, The SF Examiner, SF Gate, and KQED’s Gallery Crawl series. In addition to her own studio practice, Alexis works as a youth and adult art educator. www.alexisarnold.com

Puppetry with a Twist

Instructor: Basil Twist
15 Sessions / Tuesdays & Thursdays, June 17–August 9, no class on July 4
Time: 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Location: Studio 117
Number: IN1220-01
Tuition: $2,500
Register |

This course will be about students creating their own puppet or object/figure in the context of an expressive idea or theme with an ultimate eye towards performance. Twist will tailor a very hands-on and individualized experience for each student, incorporating their own artistic practice or discipline with the concept of animating the inanimate. Students will be encouraged, inspired, and informed with examples of an array of puppetry styles and techniques from around the world, including the instructor's own. The course will be as broad as each participant's creative expression. No prerequisite.

Basil Twist is a third generation puppeteer who furthers the artistry and technical craft of puppetry through his diverse range of works. He is the sole American graduate of L'Ecole Superieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionette in Charleville-Mezieres, France, where he studied with the greatest puppeteers of the 20th century. Twist has guest lectured at the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of Maryland, Duke University, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and with the U.S. State Department throughout Russia. Twist is the Director of the Dream Music Puppetry Program in New York. http://www.basiltwist.com/