Design Projects for Pioneers of Modern Design

This assignment includes two major components: research into the philosophical foundations and historical background of a particular design movement considered in this class (reflected in a process/concept essay and bibliography), and a design/craft element built on that research.

Ideally, especially for soon-to-graduate students, this project can become portfolio piece that reflects both the student’s design and academic skills. The selected project could also be a collaborative effort between members of the same or different programs, with a single proposal and bibliography, but separate essays.

While this is not a typical research project in the sense that it doesn’t require a “research paper” as such, your concept statement/process essay must indicate that you have accomplished the necessary reflection upon the philosophical background of the movement or artist that inspires the actual content of your project.

The project proposal, due week 4, consists of a short (two-pages, double-spaced) essay describing your project and indicating the philosophical, historical, critical, and visual research that suggests the probable success of a high-quality, college-level project related to your field. Tell me where the project comes from: that is, where you got the idea, what it has to do with the nature of this class, as well as what you envision the project to include. You should also roughly describe how you plan to proceed once you've accomplished the necessary research. That research, in its initial stages, will be described in a preliminary bibliography of at least five sources from a variety of media (i.e., not all websites).

Possible projects could include one of the following:

A set of rooms or a house based on some aspect of the Arts and Crafts Movement (using the philosophical ideas of William Morris, CFA Voysey, the Greene Brothers, or the Roycroft Society, for example). The project would include drawings, colors, fabrics, etc. that reflect the principles of the movement or designers chosen, and available to the modern designer.

A collection of clothing designs grounded in a specific movement, reflecting the principles and practices of a selected designer and his or her philosophical perspective. This option would also include drawings, fabrics, and even additional elements such as accessory designs.

A photographic portfolio of Arts and Crafts or Modernist (or other) buildings and homes in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, with descriptions that consider how the design influence reflects on the philosophical basis of a movement. The presentation of results would necessitate a slide show with accompanying commentary on included images.

A short video piece that explores some aspect of a movement or its participating artists; such a video could include elements like interviews and public-domain images, footage shot in the local area, or an artistic interpretation of a work created by a writer or poet affiliated with one of the movements we discuss.

An artist’s book that reflects the principles of one or more of the movements under consideration and/or the philosophical ideas that have informed artist’s books over time. The "subject matter" of the book must relate to the course material, and the book itself explore the craft of the book as a work of art.

Illustrations or designs for a short story in the public domain and from a period appropriate to the range in this class, with suitable typography and layout inspired by the chosen movement. The design should reflect the principles of a particular historical movement from the period under consideration, and the selected text should be one appropriate to the movement--such as a Medieval story for an Arts and Crafts interpretation.

Numerous other possibilities exist, and I am open to suggestions.

Each project must contain the creative element, an essay (4-7 pages) describing the research conducted and its relation to the creative process, and incorporating specific philosophical ideas or principles as they apply to the project itself. A carefully and thoughtfully annotated bibliography of works consulted in the project’s development is also essential to the successful completion of the project.

Please do not submit a standard “research paper.” The process essay/concept statement is instead intended to be a description of the philosophical roots of your project, and your own description of the process from concept to completion. Carefully acknowledge the resources you used by annotating your bibliography to describe how you used them.

Throughout the course we will be discussing how philosophy informs art (and vice versa), so that by the time you compose your essay, articulating the ideas that contribute to the project should be a fairly straightforward task.

A research and project development workshop will be held week 3, during which we will discuss the parameters of the project, research strategies, and possible avenues for creative engagement in the course topic. A project completion workshop and writing clinic will be held week 9, in order to help you present the best possible project "package": the creative component, the essay, and the bibliography.