The Center: Object Design and Architecture

Anderson Ranch’s Facilitated Studio Practice approach provides artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving regular one-on-one mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff and interns. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation and access to equipment, as well as five hours of weekly technical guidance in the Ranch’s state-of-the-art facilities. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. A limited number of participants will be accepted and rigorous health and safety standards, as well as social distancing requirements, must be followed. *Studios are open 24 hours a day and on weekends for students enrolled in multiple weeks, with limited use of equipment due to safety requirements. Evening monitoring hours are Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7 - 9 PM. Facilitated Studio Practice winter sessions run January 3-21 and participants may register for one, two or all three weeks. Cost is $1,000 per week.  Private dorm rooms are available at Anderson Ranch for one, two or three weeks for an additional fee; please inquire for details and availability. Contact Liz Ferrill to apply: lferrill@andersonranch.org  

Historical events like the 1680 Pueblo Revolt may not immediately spring to mind when you think of science fiction, but blending age-old traditional methods with contemporary clay techniques traverses into the future. Using visual storytelling, students learn about the central cast of characters from Ortiz's screenplay Revolt 1680/2180 and how they shape the fantastical world he's creating with clay and multimedia art. Using a unique coil and scrape building process and carving methods, participants examine, explore and build a mid-sized scale bust. Students also create a personal rendition and interpretation of Virgil Ortiz's latest character to be revealed and exhibited at Vladem Contemporary Museum, Fall 2022.

Throughout the history of art, steel is a material commonly associated with industry, violence and strength. This workshop challenges such connections, investigating ways that steel can become visually delicate, and inventing new meanings and visual relationships through combining steel with materials that contain opposite characteristics. Exercises address both technical and creative inquiries regarding how steel is cut, shaped and physically joined and how to challenge material assumptions if steel becomes a secondary, rather than a primary, compositional element. We explore the aesthetic and technical consequences of combining steel with soft, vulnerable, contradictory and unexpected materials.