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Fine Arts · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Mixed Media Sculpture

This course liberates students from the constraints of traditional materials. It explores the art of “Assemblage” and “Bricolage,” where found objects, industrial refuse, and organic matter are combined to create new meanings. Students will learn advanced joining techniques—mechanical fasteners, adhesives, and wiring—to fuse disparate materials like wood, metal, plastic, and fabric into cohesive sculptural forms.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master the art of Assemblage: Composition using ready-mades
  2. Execute "Cold Connections": Rivets, bolts, wire lashing, and tabs
  3. Understand Adhesive Science: Epoxies, resins, and contact cements
  4. Explore the conceptual implications of material juxtaposition (Soft vs. Hard)
  5. Finish complex surfaces: Unifying diverse materials through paint or patina
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01History of Assemblage: Picasso to Rauschenberg
  2. 02Collecting & Sourcing: The Art of the Hunt
  3. 03Mechanical Fasteners: Bolts, Screws, & Taps
  4. 04Wiring Techniques: Armatures & Binding
  5. 05Deconstruction: Breaking objects to rebuild
  6. 06Wood & Metal integration
  7. 07Plastic Manipulation: Heat forming & Cutting
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Adhesives Lab: Epoxy, Cyanoacrylate, & PVA
  10. 10Casting inclusions: Resin & Found Objects
  11. 11Soft Sculpture: Fabric & Sewing in 3D
  12. 12Light as Material: LEDs & Transparency
  13. 13Surface Unification: Gesso & texture
  14. 14Installation: Suspension & Balance
  15. 15Documentation of complex forms
  16. 16Final Project: The Large-Scale Assemblage

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Large-Scale Assemblage

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. The Art of Assemblage by William C. Seitz
  2. Mixed Media Sculpture: Methods and Materials by Mark R.
  3. Make It Stick: The Guide to Glues & Adhesives
  4. Found Object Art by Dorothy Spencer
  5. Unmonumental: The Object in the 21st Century (Phaidon)
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