Crafting Portal (List View)

Whenever we see a painting or a sculpture we might think many different things; we might wonder why we like or dislike it; what is its meaning; and why the artist created it in that way. In this series we will explore different art periods, movements, and artists. We will discuss the context, symbolism, style, and what each of these periods/ movement/ artists tells us today. Some of the questions we will ask during these modules are: what is art? How is art different from arts and crafts? What is the purpose of art? Why are some art pieces famous? What are some of the most prominent styles? Why are some artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh, so popular today but not during their own time? How and why do we relate to different pieces in different ways and with different emotional responses? Each module stands on its own and no previous knowledge of Art History is required. The idea is to engage with the different topics from different lenses and to share different ideas and opinions about them. [show less]

C.S. Lewis is one of the most prolific and influential writers of the 20th century. And yet, in his early career as an Oxford don, he viewed himself as a failed poet. Moreover, his most canonical and transformational writing happened during the most stress-filled periods of his life. This short course allows students to peek into the writing life of C.S. Lewis. Our goal is to see through the lines of printed text by visiting the letters and archival remains of Lewis in a virtual setting. Most of C.S. Lewis's papers remain undigitized and unpublished, available only locally at archives in North America and England. As Professor Brenton Dickieson has visited these archives, he is able to invite students to appreciate C.S. Lewis's writing life by looking at the way that he consciously and unconsciously built his literary career. This course is for writers who are developing their own habits and literary life-prints, as well as folks who are curious about C.S. Lewis's life beyond the biographies and bestselling books. We are not doing text close readings, but looking at the “paratextual” information available to us: writing drafts, letters, diary entries, manuscripts and typescripts, title, and the like. Week 1: Lewis: Pen, Ink, Paper • C.S. Lewis’s Single-jointed Self-Conception as a Writer • What Lewis Says about his Writing Habits • Legendary Bonfires, Stuffed Dolls, and American Suckers: A Story of Lewis’s Papers and Manuscripts • The Screwtape MS. Story: Part 1 Week 2: Leaves, Bombs, Stains • The Screwtape MS. Story: Part 2 • “Villainous Handwriting”: Charlie Starr’s Lewis Handwriting and Rough Draft vs. Fair Draft • Reconsidering the Lindskoog Affair with Manuscript Evidence of “The Dark Tower” Week 3: Joy, Theft, Death • “The Quest of Bleheris”: Lewis’s Teenage Novel Week 4: • Is it True that Lewis Wrote in a Single Draft? • A Grief Observed • Tumbling Through the Wardrobe: The Discovery of Narnia • Arthurian Torso • A New Sketch of Lewis’s Writing Process(es) Note: This course includes a significant amount of visual material on the screen. Please contact the SPACE team if you have visual accessibility requirements and we will do everything we can to accommodate. [show less]

Do you love the physical object of a book just as much as the information it contains? Do you smell your books when you get home from the library or the bookstore? Do you like working with your hands to make things? Then this module is for you! This class is an introduction to the materials, tools, and methods of making books by hand. Whether you're looking to make "junk journals" on a tight budget or want to rebind your favorite tome in leather, you'll find the information you need in this module! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Course Outline: • Class 1: Brief History of Book Binding and Tools Overview • Class 2: Materials and Terms - The Anatomy of a Book • Class 3: Text Block Assembly 1 - Glued Binding Options - Perfect Binding and Double Fan Binding • Class 4: Text Block Assembly 2 - Sewn Binding Options - Kettle Stitch, Coptic Binding, and Japanese Stab Binding • Class 5: Cover Assembly 1 - How To Make a Softcover - Paperback and Wrap Covers • Class 6: Cover Assembly 2 - How To Make a Hardback - Classic/English Binding and Hollow Back Case Binding • Class 7: Cover Decoration and Finishing - Traditional and Modern Methods • Class 8: Overflow, Resources for Further Research, and Final Q & A • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • [show less]

Do you love to look at paintings, but aren’t sure how to make them yourself? Do you want to paint, but you don’t have room to store flammable, smelly chemicals like turpentine? Do oil/acrylic canvases and easels take up too much room for you to work in a small space? If you’ve painted watercolor before, have you wondered why they looked washed out or why you get certain unexpected textures in your color mixes? Then this module is for you! This class is an introduction to the materials, tools, and methods of watercolor painting. Whether you're brand new to making art, a seasoned painter who wants to connect with other makers, or you just want to find out how Tolkien created many of his Middle-earth illustrations, you’ll find a place in this module! Course Outline: • Class 1: Defining Watercolor – What makes Watercolor different from other art media? • Class 2: Materials and Terms – What you need and where to get it • Class 3: Prep – What to do before you start painting • Class 4: Composition – Tips for visually interesting paintings and how to save your whites • Class 5: Values – How to get good tone, range, and contrast • Class 6: Color Mixing – Sediments vs. stains and how to make harmonious paintings • Class 7: Texture – Tips for interesting textures and brushwork • Class 8: Overflow, Resources for Further Research, and Final Q & A [show less]

How do films tell stories — not just through dialogue and plot, but through images, sound, and structure? This short course introduces students to the language of cinema, exploring how film techniques such as framing, editing, mise-en-scène, sound design, and performance work together to create meaning. Through close analysis of carefully selected clips, students will develop the tools to “read” a film, learning about the choices that shape interpretation and audience response. Taught by Maggie Parke, whose work engages deeply with adaptation and visual storytelling, the course will draw on popular examples including The Fellowship of the Ring as our central case study piece, other well-known adaptations, and also original screen stories. We will examine how cinematic language transforms narrative across mediums. This class is designed for students from any background, and it is a viewing and discussion-based course offering an accessible yet rigorous introduction to film analysis, sharpening both critical insight and appreciation for the craft of storytelling on screen. *Note: Since this module is about visual interpretation of a scene, parts of it may not be accessible for visual/sight or hearing impaired. [show less]

In this module we'll work together to create individual goals, projects, and action plans for the year to come and establish a journaling system to keep you accountable. We'll also cover techniques that I've found helpful and figure out how they best apply to you individually. Each session will begin with a 15–20-minute mini-lecture on the session’s topic followed by examples from my own life. We will then take however long is needed for Q&A and discussion on the topic. The rest of the session will be a workshop format where we will share with one another the results from your own work on the previous session’s topic and “assignment”. To get the most out of this class, expect to spend 1-2 hours outside of each class session and be prepared to share your personal goals and projects in class so that we can help each other refine and reach our goals. As this is a SPACE module, there are no requirements. But I do encourage you to take 1-2 hours or so between sessions to work through your implementation of what we talked about in the previous session. Class Outline A very rough outline is as follows. I want this class to be focused on what you need to succeed in the year ahead so I am open to changing this as we go to best serve you all. Part 1: Introspection • Class 1: Establishing Your Foundation (alt. Finding Your Why): Pillars + Roles • Class 2: Pursuing Excellence: Arete • Class 3: Guiding Principle(s): Your Annual Theme & Journaling Part 2: Planning • Class 4: Habits + Goals • Class 5: Projects + Tasks • Class 6: Reviews + Plans: Annual, Quarterly, and Monthly Part 3: Action • Class 7: Taking Action: Weekly and Daily • Class 8: Following Through: Tools, Tips, and Techniques [show less]