KINETICS & ELECTRONICS CLASSES

Introduction to Mechanical Sculpture
Entry-level
Want to make your creations move, or are you just curious how movement happens? This course introduces such simple and complex mechanisms as gears, cams, pulleys and linkages; shows how to create, convert and control movement; and teaches how to combine these elements to get the complex motion you desire. Hands-on labs using foam-board, plastic, wood and wire deepen your understanding of these concepts, which you can apply to other sculptural material. Personal projects and interests are welcomed and encouraged.

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Intermediate Mechanics for Artists
Prerequisite: Introduction to Mechanical Sculpture or solid mechanical fundamentals
Take your mechanical sculpture to the next level by delving into construction techniques, geometry, and problem solving for mechanisms and contraptions of all sorts. We will make gears, learn how to work with four-bar movements, and practice mapping out mechanisms on paper or using computer drafting. We will dissect machines to find out how they work, and build our own using the drill press, bandsaw, and simple hand tools. Work on an organized project, or bring your own design to work on. If you have basic metalworking skills and know a bit about mechanics, and want to get started constructing complex devices with interesting, reliable movements, this class is the place to start.

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Electromechanics for Everything
Entry-level
Using the simplest of electronic and mechanical components, learn to make things spin, twitch, jump, bend and wiggle. This class covers switches, buttons, relays, motors, servos and solenoids, along with some basic analog and digital control circuits, AC/DC current and safety. You can apply the techniques taught in this class to almost any kind of project.

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Arduino Microcontrollers: Building Smart Art
Entry-level
Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. Designed for people with little or no programming or electronic background, Arduino is perfect for artists, designers, hobbyists or anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. Sensing the environment through input from a variety of sensors, Arduino can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors and other actuators using its free programming language and development environment.

Starting with basic electronics and programming, we thoroughly review Arduino's hardware and software features. Plenty of hands-on lab time deepens your understanding and enables you to create interactions of your own. Personal projects are encouraged and welcomed. A laptop is helpful but not essential. An Arduino board and accessories are provided.

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Flame Effects for Art
Entry-level
In this hands-on class, we cover all aspects of making safe, effective and beautiful flame effects with propane. You will learn many different ways of manipulating fire in sculpture including accumulator "poofer" effects, fuels, ignitors, colorants, plumbing, blowers and electronic controls (most classes use compressed air or water). You will design and build your own flame effects sculpture and you will get hands-on, flame-on experience with the flame effect sculpture you've created. Personal projects are welcome and you will take home your final project. This class focuses on mechanical and fire aspects. "Electronic Controlled Flame Effects" is a complementary course that is a great follow-up to this class.

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Electronic Controlled Flame Effects
Entry-level
In this hands-on flame effects and electronics class you will learn how flame effects work, how to design and build them safely and how to use a Arduino microcontroller to create complex fire sequences and interactive behavior, while building your own "poofer" fire sculpture.

Topics that we will cover include solenoid valves, sensors and programming interactivity. You will also learn how these same techniques can be used with other fluids such as compressed air and hydraulic fluid, often used in robotics and kinetic sculptures. This class is a perfect "next level" for any artist who wants to control their art in exciting and interactive ways.

There are no prerequisites for this class, though exposure to basic electronics and programming is helpful. A laptop computer is highly recommended but not required. Personal projects are welcomed. You will take home your final project and are welcome to add to it. This is a complementary course to "Flame Effects for Art".

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Handmade Electronic Music & Sound Design
(Rare Offering)
Entry-level
If you've ever thought about integrating electronic music or sound art into your work, this course provides an engaging introduction to the craft of making—as well as creatively cannibalizing—electronic circuits for artistic purposes. This guided tour through the world of electronics teaches the inner workings of basic electronic devices so you can use them for your own creative ends. Covering basic electronic principles and practical circuitry from the artist's point of view, this course will help you transcend any fear of electronic technology and experience the pleasure of working creatively with all kinds of analog circuitry.

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Programing Interactive Art and Games with Processing
Entry-level
Get started with programming using "Processing," a simple yet powerful graphic programming language targeted to artists and designers. In this hands-on course you will learn programming fundamentals by writing your own programs, from computer games to cutting-edge algorithmic art. Though it is simple to use, Processing is a full-featured language, not a toy: the concepts you will learn (variables, loops, functions and arrays) are fundamental and necessary for programming in any other language. In particular, the popular Arduino hardware platform is based on the Processing language; fundamentals learned in this course translate naturally to Arduino and beyond. A laptop computer is very helpful but not essential.

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Kinetics Project Lab
Taking a lab is a great way to practice and perfect the skills you learn in class. In labs, you can work on class assignments or your own projects. Lab time is supervised, but does not include instruction or materials.

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