In Designing Pop-up Books Workshop, taught by alumna Teen Namiko Liu (BFA 01 Illustration), students explore 3D paper engineering mechanisms used in the publishing world—everything from children's pop-up books, pull tabs and novelty board books to pop-up greeting cards and fine art installation environments. In this 10-week course, students will animate their ideas using paper as their surface and tool, learn techniques to create movement from 2D to 3D, and develop a concept proposal ready for submission to their specific genre. Pre-press production and publishing submission requirements will also be covered. Skills learned can be applied across a range of disciplines, including entertainment, illustration, graphic design, fine art, product and environmental design.

“Together, with my artists, we dive hands-on with paper, scissors, tape, glue, X-Actos,” says Liu. “Most importantly, we make great mistakes to ultimately build prototypes of concept ideations using the artist's chosen medium to transform 2D into magnificent 3D forms—all manipulated by hand. This course challenges you to think out of the box—literally. Applying mechanisms to further engage and interact enhances your design voice to encourage infinite possibilities that will take you to places that may even surprise you.”

For examples of student work, visit the gallery here.

A branded environment is one of the most powerful ways to engage people in a true brand experience. By understanding the brand and its message, it’s possible to create a space that combines powerful methods of interaction with an emotional impact. In the ACX course Branded Environments, taught by ArtCenter alumna Stella Hernandez-Salazar (BS 11 Environmental Design), students learn how to turn their brand story into a 3D experience using space planning, interior architecture, materials, furniture details, graphics, lighting and media. They’ll explore a broad spectrum of projects including retail sites, restaurants, offices and exhibition spaces. By the end of the course, they’ll have created a well-conceived branded space. 

“We’ll use virtual boards that will allow you to share your work with classmates to create a dynamic environment of collaboration,” says Hernandez-Salazar. “This class offers a great opportunity to understand how to work with a brand to create a unique experience in different scales: from the overall design of an environment to the development of products that extend the experience beyond the physical space.”

Prerequisite: Introduction to Environmental Design 1 or by permission of an ArtCenter advisor.

Alumna Delbar Shahbaz (MFA 2017 Art) is known for her powerful sculptures, paintings, videos and installations that revolve around cultural and gender identity. When she was a graduate student at ArtCenter, she created three-dimensional pieces for her Grad Show, including the 8-foot-tall female sculpture The Monumental Fertility, made out of metal, resin, foam and paint.

In the online Fall ACX course Making Objects, taught by Shahbaz, students will discover their own creative voices and use materials including plaster, wire, wood, cotton fabric, found objects, resin and foam to create three-dimensional objects and sculptures.

With Fall ACX courses being taught remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shahbaz has transitioned Making Objects from in-person to online while still maintaining an art studio spirit of accessibility and community, she says. Students will build structures, manipulate materials and learn to safely use sculpting tools at home.

“The course supports students to create an art-making station for themselves in their own domestic space, no matter where they’re working from or what they’re working with,” says Shahbaz. “In a way, this transition to being online mirrors the found object, the concept of using what’s there, and seeing what’s new.”

Shahbaz, who also has a master’s degree in illustration and a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from her native Iran, places importance as well on students learning about a global variety of artists and styles. The course includes readings, discussions and demonstrations. Students will study artists from all over the world, including South Korean conceptual artist Anicka Yi, South African sculptor Nandipha Mntambo, British-Nigerian multimedia artist Yinka Shonibare and Swedish-Iranian installation artist Mandana Moghadam.

An ideal course for anyone interested in art or illustration, or preparing to apply to the College’s degree programs, Making Objects allows students to explore the wide reaches of their creativity—all during an unprecedented and anxiety-producing time.

“Working with different materials and mediums is a great way to express our emotions, and it gives us the ability to bring our imaginations into reality,” says Shahbaz. “We need to do that more.”