BRUCE DORFMAN Combined Media, Assemblage, Art in Three Dimensions AM Class Studio 16 1st Floor - 8:45 am – 12:30 pm

PM Class Mixed Media Studio Basement - 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm

LPM Class Mixed Media Studio Basement – 4:50 pm – 6:50pm

Prospective students must meet with the Instructor (between 12:20-12:30pm with portfolio) before signing up for the class. Bring actual work or images.

The Instructor is present Tuesday and Thursday unless otherwise announced.

Prospective students may visit the class. The class monitor may be able to answer any additional questions.

New students should first read through the page in the current ASL catalogue that pertains to this class.

There is no materials list for this class. Materials may be suggested based on the specific needs of the particular student.

All critiques and instructions are on an individual basis.

This ongoing workshop is for students and artists with some experience. It is primarily for those who are continuing on but may also be for some who are starting out. The workshop provides hands-on access to the ever-expanding language of techniques and concepts of collage/ assemblage/ construction, which have become major means of expression for today’s artists. Students work in the studio and/or may bring work for critique and instruction, which is usually on an individual basis.

When Mr. Dorfman is not immediately available, there is a monitor who may be able to assist you, especially with information, handouts, and any administrative matters. The Monitor is an artist who is also Mr. Dorfman’s class assistant.

THINKING ABOUT ART

1. Don’t worry about expressing yourself. It’s impossible to avoid it. 2. All art is abstract. There is no art that is not abstract. 3. There are always those times when a particular blue won’t work and another will; when a space must be a bit wider or rounder. 4. Keep you eyes, ears, and minds open. Consider possibilities, potential, the unfamiliar, and the unknown. Also the known, to the extent that it is tied to oneself. As with everything in art, anything that is used to accomplish creation should never be routine or automatic. Art should always reflect urgency, involvement, and preferences. 5. What one expresses is usually surprising and not necessarily what one anticipated. 6. Don’t propagandize your emotions. 7. Stay away from false economies and convenience; they lead only to postponement. 8. Drawing means dividing a space with a mark that refers to both the space and any other mark. 9. Consider the differences between complexity and complication. 10. All art is direct as it can be and it is never simple. Art does not simplify; it makes more direct and it clarifies. 11. The appreciation of art does not necessarily mean liking it or enjoying it. 12. Balance in art involves tension; it is a qualitative thing, not quantitative. It is asymmetrical and a matter of character. 13. Each time you create, do more than you can. Avoid “just practicing”. 14. There are many differences between conception and preconception. Art evolves from conception. 15. Concepts are never a problem. The difficulty is in giving concept clear and coherent expression. 16. Structure in art is rooted in clarity of concept. 17. It is possible and essential to distinguish between art and what is artistic, illustration, propaganda, design, and decoration. 18. With art, one gains the understandings, freedoms, and disciplines unique to the particular artist; one gains aesthetic expressions of utter distinction. 19. With each creation there is a gain in freedom and a shattering of innocence; but the innocence returns. 20. I read somewhere that 89, 774, 531, 902 butterflies weigh 4 pounds. 21. Don’t wait for Godot

Protocol for student work areas

1. All individual work areas must be assigned by the class monitor. 2. Full-time (F/T), 5 mornings or afternoons a week students will hold their assigned areas. 3. Part-time (P/T), 2 mornings or afternoons a week students’ work areas are based on available remaining space – with approval of monitor. 4. If it is known to the monitor that a F/T space is to be vacant that day, then monitor may OK for a P/T student to work in that space. 5. F/T spaces may only be held unoccupied until 10 AM for am and 2 pm for pm classes. After this time, the monitor may give P/T students the use of those spaces for the day.

Remember that great art has often been made on small folding tables.

1. Criticism in this class is entirely on an individual basis. There is no predictable criticism pattern or formula. 2. There are no class criticisms or critiques. 3. When criticism is given, it is based on the judgment and timing of Mr. Dorfman, whom you have chosen to work with. 4. Once you have committed (even if just once) to the public exhibition of your work anywhere away from the school, you have expressed and acted on your independence and identity as an artist. Hence, you will no longer be approached simply as a student. As such, your work may be discussed but may not receive criticism in ordinary student terms. 5. Do not solicit criticism from the instructor 6. Classes will end on time and no further criticism will be given at or after that time or after the instructor has left the class. 7. Letters of Recommendation: In order for Mr. Dorfman to write a letter of recommendation:  Student must have worked at least one month full time with Mr. Dorfman.  The request must be made at least two months prior to the application deadline.  All required information on the letter or application must be completed legibly in ink or typed.  All letters must be addressed to a specific individual or institution. No letter will be addressed “To Whom It May Concern.”  A stamped envelope, addressed to the receiving institution along with the above materials must accompany any request.  Please understand the risks involved when requesting a letter of recommendation from the instructor.

The Constructed Image

COLLAGE

An artistic composition of different materials and objects pasted or fastened together to form a unified whole. Collages are usually made of two-dimensional material – typically torn paper and fabric.

ASSEMBLAGE

A composition made of different objects and materials that share a unifying theme or principal. Assemblages, unlike collages, are usually constructed of three-dimensional materials.

CONSTRUCTION

A construction is a more intricate and elaborate assemblage. It is always three dimensional, often combining whole large objects and varying materials. A construction can be thought of as a sculpture made through assemblage.

INSTALLATION

As installation is a three-dimensional environment created from various materials, usually made for a specific space. The site of an installation is an important and integral part of the work. Typically, an installation – unlike a construction – ceases to exist once it is moved or disassembled from its site.

Students of Studios 15 & 16

1. Do not leave chairs, stools, easels or boards in perimeter hallways as these are fire exits. Obstructions in these areas are a violation of NYC Fire department regulations and the League can be substantially fined. Place easels, drawing boards, and tables in the area provided for them.

2. If a work is in progress and you’re working on un-stretched canvas or paper; attach it to the pin-boards in the hall outside of your studio at the end of your session. Work on un-stretched canvas or paper attached to any other area will be removed and the League will not assume any responsibility for damage.

3. If you are keeping more than one piece of work on these pin-boards walls they are to be layered one on top of the other.

4. Do not cover or move the work of other students on the pin-boards, speak to the monitor if an issue arises.

5. Make sure the work being stored on the wall in the hallway does not cover the heaters during wintertime.

6. We recommend that you attach your un-stretched canvas and paper to foam-core boards that are for sale in the school store so these works can be easily stored in the painting racks.

7. Do not store bags, paint-boxes or other materials except paintings in the painting racks. Periodically the maintenance staff will go through the rooms at night and discard these types of items if left in the painting racks.

8. Take finished works home! You may not keep more than 3 pieces of work in progress in the racks.

9. Painting racks and pin-board back walls are for works in progress, not storage. Place small works in the small racks and large works in large racks. 10. Do not work larger than the storage space allows.

11. Keep in mind that at the end on the summer and spring sessions all work must be removed from the studio.

Your cooperation is appreciated by all, ASL Office.