Our sculpture program includes both contemporary and classical approaches, embracing a broad range of approaches to making art—from traditional figurative sculpture to video and installation art.
In the sculpture program, you'll explore new, expressive ways of making sculpture. You'll learn about tools and technical procedures of sculptural composition and fabrication, figure modeling and carving, bronze casting, woodcarving, welding, plaster casting, foundry and site-specific sculpture. Courses in anatomy with sculpting the figure from the life model combine theory with practice. Courses in materials and techniques lead up to the process of casting your sculpture in the bronze foundry. Advanced courses teach you how to get sculpture commissions and to create public sculpture. Sculpture students receive private studios while also having access to large common studios and excellent sculpture shops and tools. The Annual Student Exhibition is a chance to exhibit your professional quality sculpture and site-specific work.
Course Curriculum.
Faculty
Robert Roesch (Sculpture Department Chair)
Linda Brenner (emeritus)
Kate Brockman
Billy Dufala
Steven Dufala
John Horn
Steve Nocella
Jody Pinto
Gary Weisman
John Greig (Sculpture Shop Manager)
Sculpture Facilities
We provide all of our advanced Certificate and BFA students with studio working space. Students have 24-hour access to the studios, which are maintained in a new facility with safety and security features.
The Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building houses outstanding sculpture facilities, accessible to all of our students. These include a large clay figure modeling studio, a room for casting and plaster work, a mold-making room used for ceramic shell molds, rubber molds, wax working, patina work and sand blasting.
Our sculpture shops have a supportive and inspired atmosphere. The shop manager provides technical advice, including one-on-one instruction with tools. Every student receives an individual studio; the work done in your private studio is the basis for working with galleries and gallery presentation. Students also participate in tutorials and group critiques, showing their work to an art-informed audience.
We have a large, multi-room fabricating area with a wood shop, metal shop, foundry (ceramic shell casting) and a separate shop dedicated to stone carving. Our metal shop has a number of welding stations and is equipped for gas MIG and TIG welding, and the foundry is capable of pouring 120 pounds at a time. There is a kiln for firing small clay sculpture and a portable hoist. The wood shop is completely equipped with an instant stop table saw, radial arm saw, stationary sander, miter saw, band saws for metal and wood, drill press, planner, joiner, lathe and pneumatic air tools. Hand tools can be checked out, and materials are sold on site.
We also have a large “gang studio” for installation and independent sculpture work and a dedicated room for sculptural installations. Our sculpture gallery hosts changing exhibitions of student work.