Students begin by studying simple concepts such as line as it interacts with space and build upon that knowledge base with projects relating to planes, and finally to volumetric forms. Each of these principles is studied in its relationship to the space the object occupies. Both traditional and non-traditional materials and approaches are used. The course demands rapid work on many small projects to get students moving quickly through a vocabulary of principles and forms. Later in the semester, once basic principles have been grasped, students may move into larger, more complex projects.
Emphasis is based on conceptual as well as formal development.
Students are not introduced to highly technical processes until the 3000-level courses. However, students are expected to put into practice a high level of craftsmanship with the simplest of materials. Student work may incorporate things that float, inflate, suspend, or stretch. Students learn techniques for creating specific physical effects in the sculptures they make. As in ART 2706, students are not introduced to highly technical processes as these are better taught in the 3000-level courses.