Have you ever considered taking an art class in college? If so, I HIGHLY recommend and ship this conquest! During my sophomore fall, I took Sculpture I with William (Willie) Udell. I originally only took sculpture to fulfill my distribution requirements, but it soon became apparent how it helped scratch the recurring artistic itch I had as a college student. The visual arts were something that I was always familiar with and active in; I crochet, draw and even paint. However, exploring more diverse mediums did not cross my mind much. Which leads me to the first art project we had for the class. The theme was “found objects” ouuu ahhhhh. What this meant was that all of the students chose mediums that can be easily found/accessible, some examples included bars of soap, packing peanuts and those little tree air fresheners for your car. For me, I kind of took the whole found objects project to another level. Many people had to order their found object materials, but mine were literally found around campus and in the compost. At the time, I was a Green Advisor (GA). GAs are residential peer leaders (RPLs) who work on environmental and social engagement within residential halls, while also contributing to sustainability projects throughout the academic semester. We also sort through compost…lol. During my composting shift, I found newspapers, magazines, and various plastics (none of which are compostable) and grabbed them all. I also took used packages from the Post Office. It will all make sense soon. At the end of this project, we all shared our artist critiques. Below are some pictures of my work, enjoy:
I really admired our first project as it got my gears turning on what art could look like from a lens of sustainability. Our second project had to be “sort of a figure” (yes, that was the literal name for this project…lol). For me, I ended up making a bench that was the size of a full-grown human. Before starting the project, we had to make a presentation consisting of various poses/physical manipulations. I had a lot of fun being my own personal model. I captured myself in a few obscure poses, which I have so graciously included below (I actually fell while taking one of them…). Beyond my poses, the final outcome of my project is also attached. Originally, it was positioned on its knees to represent a bench, but my instructor manipulated it to sit upright, which was a bit trippy to see upon entering class.
This now brings us to my FINAL project, which was centered around a “slant step.”
Slant Step Lore
Within the art community, the history of the slant step was documented by late artist William T. Wiley, who purchased the said “slant step” at a thrift store for 50 cents. No one knew the actual significance of the step, but many claimed it embodied pathetic beauty. There were no affirmative things to decipher what the slant step was, but it soon struck an entire art movement, primarily in Northern California. Slant-step-inspired art was found in food, puppetry and even people. The slant that started it all can be seen on the left.
Photo by Cleber Bonato
We are now getting to the real meat and potatoes, what I did for my slant step project. I had gotten a lot more experience in woodworking, so I knew that I wanted to incorporate that into my final project. I also knew that I wanted to showcase the Black body through some form of my own physical attributes; I ended up making a mold of both my feet and hands. It was very interesting casting my feet in front of my classmates. This project exposed me to various mediums and 3-dimensional practices beyond casting and woodworking, like staining and working with clay. My artist inspiration came from Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems and Gordon Mata Clark. The storytelling and complexity of their work are very compelling to me because of the poetic undertones I wanted to showcase in my work. In the end, I made an incredible chair (it’s really cool, I swear), and it was one of the most fulfilling final projects I have ever completed at Swarthmore. It was such a labor of love and brought me such joy and wholeness to have finished it. I now present to you my chair!
To keep it short, TAKE AN ART CLASS AT SWARTHMORE. I can assure you, it is worth your time plus you get more experience with the Makerspace.