Printmaking: Intaglio Artt 340-0101

Fall 2009 Printmaking: Intaglio Artt 340-0101 Professor Humphrey 5-1453 Mon. Wed. 12:30 – 3:00 pm.

A New Introduction And A New Focus The Chesapeake Project Sustainability in Studio Art: Artt 340-0101

We are all aware of the global initiative and mantra “Save the Planet’”. This phrase however diminutive is perhaps the largest and most important undertaking that man has endeavored, as a global initiative. The University of Maryland has started a program to incorporate this initiative into its classes through “sustainability”.

The making of art has through the centuries, and to this date has involved the use of toxic chemical carcinogens, and in other instances, the earth’s valuable resources. They are petroleum- based products of oils and solvents, and ores, such as iron silver, gold, copper and aluminum. The natural resources such as wood, stone such as marble, limestone, and quartz. These are just a few of the more common elements that are most familiar.

In studio art, on the highest level of global awareness, is at this moment doing all that it can through out institutions around the world to reduce toxins in the studio by changing methods and materials to a more healthy studio “green” environment. Materials that were traditionally used are now discarded after use is now being recycled. If they have not already been doing so.

This course will be practicing sustainability based on the criteria introduced by the University of Maryland’s Chesapeake Project, sponsored by the UMCP Depart of Sustainability.

We will research copper and its propertie and the impacts of its use and its scarcity. We will discuss its sacrifice to our legitimacy of making art with copper and what this means to our eco system for using this scarce material.

This will be a different focus in the making of art in this course. However, perhaps it will establish more sound criteria for the making of art. In this way we can learn that relinquishing of carcinogens for less harmful materials for sustainability of the environment and our lives.

Copper plates will be reversed at midterm and recycled at the end of the semester.