Nathan Sawaya: LEGO AMBITIOUS

Many people think just because something is a painting or a bronze sculpture it is a piece of art, however, traditional materials like clay, metal and canvass are not what defines an object as art. Nathan Sawaya, based in New York, creates this large scale, amazing pieces of art with LEGOS. I saw one figurative LEGO art piece and was astonished. Once I checked out his website, I was overwhelmed with awe! I highly recommend you check out his website!!

http://brickartist.com/
and here is a really good blog too with nice sized images! LINK

Benito

Quick and Easy Lunch Bag

Hey guys! Finally got my blog up--- it's a quick video on how to make a handy lunch bag!

It's quick, easy and cute! Come in and give it a try!

S C R E E N P R I N T I N G! Zing Pow!!

Hello! I'm Kim Sullivan and I'm the taking over the Marketing Manager position at the Studio Arts and Crafts Centre. I'm a Graphic Design major graduating next December. I've been working at SACC for a little over a year and I think it's one of the best facilities on campus for both art majors and non art majors.
We have an awesome Screenprinting class that is starting Monday March 29th. Screenprinting is so much fun to learn and it's a great medium for anyone. You can print on tee-shirts, bags, paper, wood...well just about anything.
I've been working on a little marketing campaign for the Craft Centre for the past month of so called the Doo-Dad project. The craft centre employees have been busy collecting random objects from the studio space and as a result I've been designing and printing these little informative cards that will get tied on to all these pieces in order to be scattered through the campus. You can use screenprinting as a form of marketing for any organization or club you are involved in, just come in and ask us. Here is a little snippet of what the Doo-Dad cards will look like....

Here are some other fun things that have been Screenprinted...

design courtesy of Chris Gulczynski

screenprinted on stained wood

If you are interested contact the Studio Arts and Crafts Centre
and sign up for the Screenprinting class starting March 29th, 2010!

Greetings!

Hello everyone,

My name is Kate Kopp, and I'm currently training as the new Program Manager here at the Studio Arts and Craft Center. I'm a Junior receiving my undergrad in Painting/Drawing, a minor in Psychology with hopes of receiving my masters in Art Therapy. I also enjoy working with Ceramics, Photography and Metals.

I'm so excited for this opportunity and can't wait to meet all the students and community members who use this space. Please stop by and introduce yourselves! I would love to hear any suggestions you may have. Also please let me know if your interested in instructing or the possibilities of future employment.

I'm extremely passionate about the community that forms when artists work as a collective. Just think of how dull are work would be if we didn't have other artists to communicate with. Therefore, I'm leaving you with a website I look to for inspiration. This site speaks to a wide range of artists and will hopefully help you with any future road blocks.

www.ffffound.com

Metals!

Hi everybody,

My name is Emily, and I'm the Jewelry & Metalsmithing Lead Assistant here at the Studio Arts and Craft Centre. I would just like to take this opportunity to update all of you on the metals happenings at the SACC and UWM in general.

First of all, there are only two spots left in the Introduction to Jewelry and Metals class that I am teaching this semester. So if you are interested, you'd better hurry and sign up! The other jewelry classes here such as Copper Enameling, Easy Etching, Bronze Casting, and Resin Jewelry and Magnets all have plenty of room, but I'm sure they'll fill up quickly as well.

I would also like to mention one of the visual art guest lecturers who will be visiting UWM this semester for the Artists Now! Lecture series. Lisa Gralnick will be lecturing on her current project, The Gold Standard, in which she explores the societal values placed on precious material. Gralnick's lecture is scheduled for March 31st at 7:00 in the Arts Center Lecture Hall, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. This is definitely something to be excited about if you are interested in jewelry and metalsmithing!

Photography

Hello avid SACC blog readers,

I am the lead assistant for the photography lab and will be giving you tid-bits of information about photography this semester.

I would like to start off by recommending a video for everyone to watch. This video is done by Alex Roman of http://www.thirdseventh.com/. The video name is "The Third and The Seventh." From his description I take the name as the sequence of art forms. He uses Architecture the Third and video the seventh form of art in a historical context. I hope you enjoy the video there is beautifully shot architecture, exciting camera work, old school cameras, tributes to Robert and Shanna Parke Harrison (Architects brother) and most important Milwaukee's own architectural wonder MAM.
Check it out and enjoy.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

I would also like to recommend taking a walk over to the architecture building and looking at the photography show up in the gallery--Inflected Modernism: The Architecture Photography of Balthazar Korab. He was a prominent architectural photographer in the 60-70's. Working with Eero Saarinen,Frank Lloyd Wright and other modern Architects a like. You can see stunning images of the Milwaukee War Memorial and Falling water. It only runs for another week so rush over there and check out the beautiful B&W Prints.

Finally I would like to extend the welcome to be a part of my photography classes this semester. I will be teaching an Intro Black & White Photography Class every Thursday starting Feb. 18th that will go until March 18th. You will learn the basics of your film camera, sharpen your composition skills, and start developing from black and white negatives. You must provide your own camera. The other supplies are available for purchase at SACC. I will also be teaching a refresher course for those who have ventured into a darkroom before but have been gone for some time. I will introduce you to our photography space and remind you of the darkroom details that might have slipped away.

Well stop in to the craft center and ask for, me, Corey Gaffer if there is a photography question on your mind. I will try to answer them all.

I almost forgot--if you would like to join Focus, the photography club at UWM, come to the Craft Centre on Mondays at 6:30. We network, create, and show student work.

cggphotography.blogspot.com

Open Clay!

The kilns at the SACC are now working and ready to fire your work. The cost of clay is $15 for students and $20 for community members. This fee includes the cost of glaze and firings. Saturday, February 6 we will have Open Clay from 1pm to 4pm. During the Open Clay session, our resident ceramic specialist will be on hand to give you tips to make the most of what we have to offer. Plus there will be free clay for MEMBERS of the SACC. Come and Create!!!

The Studio Opens for Spring on January 25!

Welcome back for the spring semester! The UWM Studio Arts and Craft Centre (SACC) is squeaky clean and ready for another round. Stop by and grab a schedule full of classes, workshops, free events, and more. If you’re not familiar with the SACC, it’s located on the UWM Union ground floor in room EG30 and open 7 days a week.

The SACC opens on January 25th and the staff would be happy to give you a tour around the space and sign you up for your membership! If you had a membership last semester, drop by to renew it for the spring. Registration for classes and workshops also begins January 25th, so reserve a spot early.

Just to give you a taste of what we’re all about, the SACC is an open studio space with specialized areas in jewelry and metalsmithing, fibers, photography, and ceramics, but there is plenty of space for drawing, painting, printmaking, and whatever else your heart desires. We have plenty of tools for check out and many supplies for sale. Stop in to work on a project, mount your work, buy supplies for classes, or just be crafty for awhile. If you’re looking to build skills in any of our areas, our classes and workshops are a great place to start.

Our new website will be up and running soon, so check back Monday for an update.

See you soon!

Gallery Night & Day!

This weekend is Gallery Night & Day in Milwaukee, so make sure you check it out! There is plenty of wonderful art to be seen.

Meet Benito Tyjeski!!

21 years old
Ceramics and Art Education major
Operations Manager @ the SACC for 1½ years

Favorites:
Band: anything with a latin beat and African drums
Hang-out spot: Brewed on Brady (the black bean wrap!)
Artist/work: Luis Jimenez “Man on Fire” – what a way to communicate to many cultures!
Class/teacher: Mrs. Kulich – my elementary school art teacher!

What do you do in your spare time? Road races, read & write at the coffee shop, go dancing, paint, projects
Why are you a ceramics & art ed. major? I have a certain love and respect for all mediums, however, I go crazy in ceramics! And I want to be an art teacher to not only work with students, but to bring together communities through art.
Useful tips: Always remember why you are doing what are and have fun!
The plan once you graduate? Get lost in India and Africa, grad school/teaching
What do you like about the SACC? It’s a resource center for artists! Where else can you meet other artists/crafts people, find out about galleries, promote your artwork, and attend or teach a workshop? Wow!

Check out Benito’s artwork at tyjeskib.weebly.com!

Other resources:
National Geographic (the best resource to discover the world)