Photography

Scattergood boasts a full darkroom for black and white photography. Students enrolled in photography meet three times a week to learn the basics of the 35 mm camera, film developing, and printing. Students have ample opportunity to process their own photographs as well as learn advanced darkroom techniques. In addition, students have the opportunity to study other great photographers and attend photography exhibits at nearby museums. Overall, students have fun learning to see the world around them in a new way.

Stained Glass

The stained glass project begins with an overview of the history of stained glass, its use in churches and historical patterns and techniques. Students learn the tools of stained glass as well as important safety precautions. Students take a trip to Iowa City to select stained glass from a supplier as well as see examples from stained glass masters. Once students are ready to begin their own project, they may choose to design their own pattern or use one of the many models discussed in class. After they have chosen their pattern and selected their design, students cut and grind the glass, apply foil, and solder their project. Projects range from simple two dimensional sun catchers to more advanced three dimensional boxes, nightlights, or lamps. At the end of the project, students have learned a historical art form as well as created a colorful piece of art.

Weaving – Fiber Arts

Fiber Arts Class is an afternoon project usually lasting at least two blocks at a time. The studio is fully equipped with numerous floor looms of various sizes and styles, spinning wheels, inkle, tapestry and table looms. Students design their own projects. Projects can range from traditional pattern weavings, creating their own patterns, basket weaving, spinning our sheep's raw wool into yarn with either a drop spindle or spinning wheel, gathering natural dye material, dying yarn and many others as a student advances in the class.

Bow Making

Bow Making students learn to construct traditional archery tackle. Students build wood and fiberglass laminate longbows and wooden shafted, feather fletched arrows. If they choose to take part in the Archery course they are able to put this gear to use.

Archery

Archery students learn and practice basic shooting skills. We focus on traditional bare bow technique, which relies entirely on hand/eye coordination rather than various mechanical shooting and targeting aids. Intermediate and advanced students refine their technique by rotating through a variety of targets shooting at ranges of ten to forty yards. Individuals record their own scores so that they can note improvement. Toward the end of class we often play archery games such as roving and aerial target shooting or perhaps sit under the trees to read aloud from Robin Hood. Advanced students may challenge themselves through field trips to an indoor video range and an outdoor field range.

Ceramics

In order to be able to cater to the new ceramic student as well as the returning advanced student, Ceramics is divided into beginning and advanced ceramics. Beginning students are introduced to the fundamentals of ceramic technique and work on various projects including slabs, coils, wheel, and sculpture. There is also an early emphasis on the origins of clay and such often overlooked procedures as clay production. Advanced students are encouraged to create their own curriculum and focus on areas that they are most interested in. Examples of this have included advanced wheel technique and larger-scale production pottery.

Glass Blowing

While in the studio, each student takes turns making a blown object of their choice with help from the rest of the class and the instructor. We work in the studio two days each week and the third day of class, students work on individual projects of their choice. Each day in the studio, students perform a different task in order to gain skill and awareness of various aspects of studio blowing. Designing, reheating, gaffing, shielding, and opening and closing the furnace door are among the basic skills that student gain during this course.

Woodworking

Students in woodworking project learn the use of the tools of the trade as well as how to plan, create, and finish long-term projects. In the past, students have learned to make three-legged stools (lots of geometry needed for this one!), birdhouses, CO2 cars, as well as working from time to time on areas around campus needing special woodworking attention or creating independent projects of their own. Overall, students should gain a greater understanding of the different skills involved in woodworking as well as a general sense of accomplishment for completing their own creations.

Knitting

This class is open to anyone who wants to knit. Total beginners are welcome, and advanced students should have fun too! Students can choose projects which interest them, and get help figuring out how to make their knitting dreams reality. Scarves, socks, sweaters, mittens, stuffed animals, avant-garde sculpture ... many things can be knitted. We visit the knitting store, and also the library to look at books.

Painting

Painting students work in acrylic paint on a variety of surfaces. They start out using black and white paint on heavy paper, and experimenting with the texture of the paint and with possible brush strokes and marks. After an extremely quick introduction to color theory (color wheel, warm and cool colors, color complements), students work at capturing in paint the relationship between two colors in a still life, using only the primary colors plus white paint (they must mix their own blacks and grays). Later, painting a still life of all white objects gives them an opportunity to notice the colors of light and shadows.

During the first part of painting class, students work on assignments given by the teacher. These assignments include the still lives already mentioned; landscape painting (capturing a sense of distance); and painting a dream or memory (working at evoking a particular emotion). During the last third of the two-block class, students choose their own subjects to paint. During the course, students paint on a variety of surfaces, including frosted acetate and canvases which they stretch themselves. We put a display of student paintings up in the Main building at the end of the Painting class.

Drawing

Drawing class has two phases: in the first block, students complete drawing assignments. In the second block, students focus on their own drawing interests and don't have to fulfill specific assignments other than to work at their chosen drawing projects during class time. During the first block of class, students spend much of their time drawing from life (rather than photographs or imagination) and their subjects include buildings, landscapes, traditional still life, and human figures in motion. Students use a variety of media, including pencil, charcoal, brush and ink, and pen and ink. Assignments are designed to help students work with creating the illusion of a three dimensional world on a two dimensional piece of paper. We look at ways to capture perspective and proportion accurately; we work on getting a sense of distance, light, volume, movement, and gesture in our drawings. Work from both the first and second (more independent) blocks of the class goes on display for Scattergood Day, at the end of the course.