- Beyond Words

Institution:

The Evergreen State College

Subject:

Description:

Faculty: Lisa Sweet (visual arts), doranne crable (performance studies) Major areas of study include drawing, movement, Butoh, art history, dance, anthropology and writing. Class Standing: This all-level program accepts up to 25 percent freshmen. The human figure is dynamic and expressive¡ªits gestures in performance, drawings and sculpture speak volumes without utilizing words. Indeed, the belief that art "expresses the inexpressible" hinges on the idea of art's capacity for transcending common language and text to speak to the heart, mind and soul in another, more complex and focused language. In Beyond Words, we will explore the body's expressive capacity through movement and life drawing. Our focus will be the gesture. One may think of simple gestures absent-mindedly used to communicate on a daily basis: the hailing of a bus, waving at a passing acquaintance, a facial expression of displeasure, the ritual of washing one's face, or embracing a beloved. The impressionists made much of these small gestures¡ªthe picking of peaches, dance rehearsals and images of the bath were among the simple gestures these artists focused on to create works of art. Likewise, the history of dance has been rooted in a broad range of both grand and humble gestures of physical human expression to convey meaning. The gesture as ritual, communication, form and movement will be at the heart of our work. In drawing, we refer to the gesture in two ways: as the pose of the body, and as a type of loose, quick preliminary drawing that captures the essence of the human figure's pose. These drawings aim for accuracy of emotion and movement rather than anatomical accuracy. In dance and movement, we refer to the gesture as the first element in a phrase (initiation) leading to where the gesture creates movement through full-body posture (follow-through and recuperation). Paralleling the use of gesture in drawing, in dance it serves a similar purpose: it is subtle, often quick, and expresses a moment of memory so that the postural pose can carry forward to reaction or response. Intensive workshops on life drawing and fundamentals of movement with a focus on Butoh technique will form the core of our work. Students who are self-motivated and are able to commit, without reservation, to collaborative work will benefit from our inquiry. Expect about 50 hours of work in class and outside of class: in studios, out-of-class assignments and reading texts that will enrich our understanding of the body and the expressive power of its movement. Lectures and readings on the use of the body in performance and art history will complement our studio work. Total: 16 credits. Enrollment: 40 Special Expenses: Approximately $40 for drawing materials. Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in expressive arts therapy, movement theater and visual arts. This program is also listed under Expressive Arts.

Credits:

16.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.evergreen.edu

Phone Number:

(360) 867-6170

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Quarter

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