For your edification and enjoyment: A Guide to Arts IAPs 2015

Once again, it is time to sign up for The Independent Activities Period (IAP), a special term at MIT that runs from early January until the end of the month. IAP 2015 will run from Monday, January 5, through Friday, January 30, 2015. IAP offerings are distinguished by their variety, innovative spirit, and fusion of fun and learning.

Economist John Maynard Keynes warns in his 1930 essay, “Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren,” “There is no country and no people, I think, who can look forward to the age of leisure and of abundance without a dread. For we have been trained too long to strive and not to enjoy. It is a fearful problem for the ordinary person, with no special talents, to occupy himself….” In MIT’s “48/14” culture, IAP presents a remedy to this predicament. Improve, edify and enjoy yourself by enrolling in one of the many courses offered this year.

To help you navigate the profusion of arts courses, we have compiled a list of classes in the Visual Arts, Graphic Design, Multimedia, Music, Performing Arts, Architecture, Books & Letters and Film & Television, beginning with two IAPs offered by CAST Visiting Artists Anicka Yi and Pawel Romanczuk.

 

CAST-SPONSORED COURSES

The Art and Science of Bacteria
Anicka Yi, MIT Visiting Artist, Tal Danino, Postdoctoral Fellow

MIT Visiting Artist Anicka Yi teams up with Postdoctoral and TED Fellow Tal Danino to present their current work to engineer a collectively-scented bacteria, created from the DNA of 100 women. Participants will learn about the art and the science behind the project.

 Anicka Yi’s work explores scent and decay, creating a sensorial experience that disrupts our predominantly visual culture. At MIT, Anicka Yi is collaborating with researchers to create new scents based on bacteria and new materials for creating installations. Anicka’s work will be on view at the List Visual Art Center May 22 through July 26, 2015.

Tal Danino is a postdoctoral fellow at MIT’s Laboratory for Multiscale Regenerative Technologies, whose research combines biology and engineering. He is actively involved in developing science-based art and outreach programs that promote interest in science and cancer research to a general audience.

This course is open to the MIT community; graduate and undergraduate students will be given preference.

Small Instruments – Musical Instrument Building & Performance
Pawel Romanczuk, MIT Visiting Artist, Instructor

Polish composer and instrument builder Pawel Romanczuk started Małe Instrumenty (“Small Instruments”) in 2006. He explores new sounds using a wide array of small instruments – found, rebuilt from spare parts, or designed from scratch – from toy pianos to homemade child-sized cellos.  Inspired by the soundtracks to old Polish animated films, the instruments used in the group’s sonic experiments feature an ever-expanding array of instruments, children’s toys, and strange musical inventions. Małe Instrumenty’s music reveals the unique colors of sound, from the beautiful to the surprising to the insightful.

Romanczuk’s one-week residency at MIT involves a daily 3-hour workshop in instrument building and composition for MIT community and students, culminating in a public concert at the MIT Museum on Friday, January 9.  Participants will have the opportunity to create their own instruments, develop techniques to play them and create an ensemble for live performance.

 

Paweł Romańczuk of Male Instrumenty (Small Instruments), Photo by Christine Southworth
Paweł Romańczuk of Male Instrumenty (Small Instruments). Photo: Christine Southworth.

 

GRANT WRITING & CURATING

Getting a grant from the Council for the Arts at MITSusan Cohen, Director, Council for the Arts at MIT

That Project Belongs in a Museum!Seth Riskin, Co-director, MIT Museum Studio, Allan Doyle, Co-Director, MIT Museum Studio

 

VISUAL ARTS/ 3D

MetaPiano: a Collective Sound Sculpture ExperimentSeth Avecilla, Fabrication Associate, Floor van de Velde

Biological Origami: Using Living Cells as Design ToolsWen Wang, Postdoctoral Associate, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Jifei Ou, PhD Student/ Designer, Lining Yao, PhD Student/ Designer

Forces Frozen: Construct & exhibit outdoor frozen structuresCaitlin Mueller, Assistant Professor, Architecture

Working with LightSeth Riskin, Co-director, MIT Museum Studio

Knitting for ProgrammersMarie-Jose Montpetit

Welding — (MIG, TIG steel/aluminium)Jack Whipple, Technical Instructor, D-Lab

Introduction to the Art of Glass BlowingProf. Michael Cima, Professor

Introduction to the Potter’s Wheel Section ADarrell Finnegan, Technical Instructor

Introduction to the Potter’s Wheel Section BEleonora Lecei, Technical Instructor

Introduction to the Potter’s Wheel Section CEleonora Lecei, Technical Instructor

Introduction to Ancient Coil PotteryEleonora Lecei, Technical Instructor

Totally TeapotsDarrell Finnegan, Technical Instructor

Super Bowls Section AJason Pastorello, Technical Instructor

Super Bowls Section BJason Pastorello, Technical Instructor

Mighty Mugs Section AJason Pastorello, Technical Instructor

Mighty Mugs Section BJason Pastorello, Technical Instructor

Intro to JewelryTara Fadenrecht, Technical Instructor

 

VISUAL ARTS/ 2D

Introduction to Drawing, as taught in the Class “Introduction to Design for Engineers,” Carolyn Jundzilo-Comer

Colors, Chords & Creativity, Joan Levy Hepburn & Joe Bouchard

Portrait Photography classKim Bokeh

Analog Black & White Photo WorkshopNicole Tariverdian, Technical Instructor

Photoshop for Photography & Photography for PhotoshopTheresa Mislick, Technical Instructor

Introduction to Gum Bichromate PrintingTheresa Mislick, Technical Instructor

Photo Transfer with Digital ImagesTheresa Mislick, Technical Instructor

Zentangle!Maria Thomas/Rick Roberts

Interpreting a Still LifeNicole Tariverdian, Technical Instructor

2D & 3D Nature StudyEleonora Lecei, Technical Instructor

Beginning Oil Painting WorkshopNicole Tariverdian, Technical Instructor

Before the Paint: Learning to Prime and Prepare Paint SurfacesNicole Tariverdian, Technical Instructor

LineStorm: AnimationPell Osborn

Enameling CourseTara Fadenrecht, Technical Instructor

Hands-On HolographyDr. Robert A. Freking

 

ART TOURS

Art and Architecture Tour of the Boston Public LibraryCynthia Stewart, Docent, Boston Public Library

Boston Contemporary Art Gallery CrawlHenriette Huldisch, Curator, List Visual Arts Center

 

GRAPHIC DESIGN

DUSPviz: Basic Habits of Effective Graphic DesignersMike Foster

DUSPviz: Code your First Web Site — Introduction to HTML/CSS/JavascriptMike Foster

DUSPviz: Create a Research Poster — Intermediate Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop/InDesignMike Foster

DUSPviz: Intro to Interactive Cartography — Using Leaflet to Create a Web MapMike Foster

 

MULTIMEDIA

Beginning Exploratory ProgrammingNick Montfort, Associate Professor of Digital Media

Brain Hacks: The Art and Science of Brain-Computer InterfacesGrace Leslie, Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT Media Lab

How Different Software Languages & Libraries Affect Your Creative ProcessCraig Carter, Professor of Materials Science

 

MUSIC  & PERFORMING ARTS

 Electric Guitar – Build your ownJohn Armstong

Chamber Music Discovery & Sight-ReadingForrest Larson, Circulation/Reserves Associate, Lewis Music Library

Change Ringing on HandbellsElaine Hansen, Cally Perry, Naomi Schurr, Ellena Popova

Facing the Music: Recreating Performances from the PastTeresa Neff, Lecturer, Music

Heavy Metal 101Jeffrey Pearlin, MIT GSL Systems Administrator

Mathematics Department Music RecitalMichael Andrews

Movement, Relaxation, and Concentration Skills for PerformersJean Rife, Lecturer in Music

Is This On? (Become A Member of WMBR Radio, 88.1FM)Generoso Fierro

MIT FLUTE ENSEMBLESue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin, Lecturer

24 Hour ShowShakespeare Ensemble

Blues Dancing LessonsLindy Hop Society

International Folk Dancing for EveryoneKristi Beck, Valarie Rosen

Intro to Contra Dancing, with Live Folk MusicAnn B. Cowan, Kristi Beck

Israeli Folk DancingDavid Goldfinger, Valarie Rosen

Stop Kiss – presented by the MIT Shakespeare EnsembleShakespeare Ensemble

Trash Can Drumming IAP 2015Rupak Chakraborty

Exploring Leadership through Storytelling & ShakespeareChristine Kelly, Senior Lecturer

 

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

Architecture & PsychologyRhett Nichols, Alumna Courses 4 & 9: S.B. & B.S.A.D.

Soft WoodSheila Kennedy, AIA, Professor of the Practice, Dept. of Architecture, Trygve Wastvedt, Teaching Fellow

Third World Challenge: Brainstorm and Design a Starter Core House that Grows IncrementallyReinhard Goethert, Professor

Network analysis in urban designMartin Scoppa, SUTD/MIT Postdoctoral Fellow

LEED Platinum Certified tour-Artists for Humanity Sustainability PracticesSara Gallegos, Coordinator of Student Engagement

 

BOOKS & LETTERS

Creative BookbindingKate Beattie, Ayako Letizia

Historic Letterlocking: The Art & Security of Letter WritingJana Dambrogio, Thomas F. Peterson (1957) Conservator

Rare Book Speed DatingStephen Skuce, Program Manager for Rare Books

MIT Writers’ GroupSteven Strang

On the Screen – activityEugenie Brinkema, Literature Professor

An Introduction to Independent PublishingKatharine Dunn, Scholarly Communications Librarian

Pleasures of Poetry 2015David Thorburn

Love and Romance in Ancient IndiaShekhar Shastri

Kevin Pilkington: New PoemsDavid Thorburn, Professor

Beyonce: Black Feminist Thought in Popular CultureSandy Alexandre, Professor of Literature

Using Images in your work: A look at copyright, fair use, and open licensingEllen Finnie Duranceau, Program Manager, Scholarly Publishing, Copyright & Licensing

Basics of Copyright and Software Intellectual PropertyDaniel Dardani

 

FILM & TELEVISION

The Best of The European Short Film Festival 2014Kurt Fendt, Executive Director, MIT HyperStudio

37th Annual Science Fiction MarathonVictoria Gunning

China’s Nightmares of AffluenceChristopher Leighton, Assistant Professor, History

Full Throttle: Gender Representations in Car FilmsRenee Blackburn

Harry Potter, World War II & and War on TerrorAmanda Rothschild, PhD Student Political Science

 

 

 

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Sharon Lacey