LCAD
After a common first-year core in traditional full-animation practices, as a student of LCAD’s BFA program in Experimental Animation, you will branch out into purely digital approaches to narrative character animation. Limited animation techniques along with alternate approaches to stop motion and CG techniques will prepare you for the fast-paced world of animated series production. Thesis projects in your junior and senior years will allow for specialization in your area(s) of interest, including storyboarding, show design and internet series projects.
All LCAD Experimental Animation students enjoy access to top tier faculty from a diverse range of industry backgrounds. Most faculty have served multiple roles in both television and feature Film production. Working with classes capped at 18 students, our faculty teach through hands-on projects putting creation at the heart of learning. Their collective credentials include: 2D feature films, 3D feature films, television shows, video games, character design, production design, storyboarding, stop-motion animation, visual effects and much more.
All LCAD Experimental Animation students enjoy access to top tier faculty from a diverse range of industry backgrounds. Most faculty have served multiple roles in both television and feature Film production. Working with classes capped at 18 students, our faculty teach through hands-on projects putting creation at the heart of learning. Their collective credentials include: 2D feature films, 3D feature films, television shows, video games, character design, production design, storyboarding, stop-motion animation, visual effects and much more.
Chair of Experimental Animation
Glen David Miller, BFA, MFA, began his career in the early 90's. He has worked over the years creating and supervising award-winning CGI for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Imagining (seaQuest, Star Trek Voyager), Digital Domain (James Cameron's Titanic), Marvel/Seban (Silver Surfer and Captain America), DNA/Nickelodeon (Jimmy Neutron), was a founder of Station X Studios (Dogma, Hunley), and continues to create for the industry as a director, cinematographer, and visual effects supervisor.
The Senior Capstone experience is designed to foster intellectual, conceptual, and artistic self-reflection by the graduating senior as they contemplate, articulate and expound on the meaning, value, and purpose of their Senior Portfolio Project. There are two major components to the class: the writing of a major essay (with drafts and related assignments) comprising a detailed, in-depth, analytical explication of the student’s Senior Portfolio Project or Thesis Film focusing on the student's creative intent and processes involved, followed by a formal oral defense of the same. The student must receive a passing grade on both the essay and the oral defense in order to pass the class and graduate. Senior Capstone must be taken concurrently with the student’s final Portfolio/Thesis class so that the work being done in one class simultaneously informs the work being done in the other. This class is graded pass/no pass. A passing grade in Senior Capstone is required in order to graduate with a degree. Senior Capstone may not be taken as Independent Study.
This Liberal Arts course is developed especially with the Experimental Animation student in mind. Where many approaches to character animation lead directly to mainstream industry, students of experimental animation may also choose to pursue an artistic life in new media. This class covers topics of the modern media “auteur”, including online video platforms, podcasts, social media strategies, mobile apps and other ways of distributing animation content while creating a presence and defining an artistic identity in virtual space. The course is designed to be continually adapting to and adopting new platforms and strategies as they evolve. Although designed for the animator, this course can be taken by students of other artistic disciplines as well.
This course concentrates on preparing students to enter team-based creative environments with emphasis on digital portfolio and reel development, communication skills, industry networking opportunities and success strategies for collaborative projects.
Human Sexuality is a course that combines lectures, films, discussions and research regarding our sexuality from physiological, psychological and sociological perspectives. Topics include history, anatomy, reproduction, cross-cultural perspectives, gender roles, myths, safety and variations in sexual expression.
Art: The lifeblood of creative expression. A world without art is a difficult scenario to imagine. But, behind any major art project is a transaction that requires business skill and legal knowledge. Students preparing for a career in the arts should be aware of their legal rights and responsibilities. This course will provide a detailed overview to the artist in the areas of copyright, trademark and right of publicity law. But that’s just part of the picture: the business aspect of managing an art portfolio and being able to uncover opportunities is essential to any successful career that uses art as its primary income source.
Human Diversity explores biological variation in modern humans, biological concepts of species and subspecies and the race concept from a social perspective. Following completion of this course you should have a greater understanding of the misuse of the term "race," an appreciation of human biological diversity, and a grasp of the adaptive nature of human variation.
This course will examine storytelling as our most powerful means of understanding ourselves and the world around us. Literature becomes the lens through which to view the human mind and the scientific mechanisms by which it operates—focusing on how we, as individuals, may come to understand (or misunderstand) ourselves. Students will learn the basic premises of psychology through the way humankind has told stories through great works of literature. Led by primary texts, students study story as touchstone to explore our human nature, just as the science of psychology does, finding truth and meaning about ourselves through the fictional lives of others. Some specific psychological topics will include identity, memory, crisis, depression, psychopathology, healing, and resilience, covered through the lens of the great writers and storytellers that came before us, including many not often taught.
The challenge for the animator is to create the illusion of life in animated images. This course involves the animator in theoretical considerations of performance, analyses of animated films, and studio experiences aimed at realizing the animator's goal of creating the illusion of life in animated images. This course is reserved for Animation majors.
This course provides an overview of the theories of human origins. Areas emphasized include human genetics, selective pressures, Darwinian gradualism, continental drift, migration patterns, mammals, comparative anatomy, and the fossil record. A quantitative approach is employed.
Designed to introduce students to a sociological understanding of how we build and live in communities. With a strong emphasis on the psychology of power structures, social institutions, social reasoning, and social constructivism, this course helps students to understand the role of the individual within the larger society. With a broad scope into the science of groups, topics may also include urgent current events to build a vivid understanding of the social interactivity in everyday life.
From the mystics of the East to the Classical philosophy of the west, this survey course takes a look at our cultures' attempts to understand the world we live in and how to live the good life.
This course is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to the coastal oceans of Orange County. As a part of the course work, students will observe and analyze physical processes and distribution of organisms in the intertidal and shallow zones, and document their findings. These findings will be translated into digital educational materials that will be made available to the public. Students will also investigate coastal processes, coastal marine ecosystems (kelp forests, the intertidal zone) and the impact of humans on the coastal ocean. Students will study the marine mammals that call the Orange County coast home, for migratory seasons, or for all of the year.
This course is an ecological survey of the native flora and fauna of our surrounding wilderness area. Students will collaborate as a research team to participate in the ecological restoration of a coastal sage scrub community, develop research questions, document results, and propose further research. The canyon offers a unique outdoor class environment, applied research opportunity, and a rewarding experience of engaged stewardship in our ecological community.
This course explores the basic psychological concepts underlying human behavior and development. Students may gain an understanding of the history of the science of psychology and how it has advised our culture over the last century.
A survey of the cinema of the Americas, this examines film -- its filmmakers, time periods, themes, and genres as a touchstone for understanding the greater culture of American time and place, including the social conditions from which the art emerged and why it was important.
How do environments influence our experience of the world? The spaces we occupy can be understood as characters in the stories of our lives. This course will examine the intersections between psychology, narratives, and environment. Environment is understood in its fullest sense, encompassing the built and natural world. encompassing intimate spaces, architecture and design, landscape, and the natural world. Students will read theory and research on environmental and narrative psychology, in connection with contextualizing material drawn from fiction, poetry and philosophy. A range of topics will be covered including: psychology of intimate versus public spaces, architecture and design, landscape, the natural world and the stories we tell to make sense of our relationship to it, and the psychology of climate change. As storytellers, students will gain deep insight into the ways in which the spaces we occupy, both in our lives and in our imaginations, shape the ways in which we make sense of our world.
Myths are the dreams of the people. And familiar faces and patterns — that is to say, archetypes — run rampant in these myths. To be familiar with myths and archetypes is to understand the foundations of what makes humans human. Through readings, lectures, discussions, and writing exercises, students will learn to recognize and analyze archetypal motifs that appear across cultures and time periods and understand their significance in shaping human thought and behavior. By exploring the power of myths to connect us with our past and illuminate the present, students will gain insights into the complexities of the human experience, and develop a deeper appreciation for the foundational stories that stir our emotions and inspire our actions.
The Science of Sight is a comprehensive overview of the visual phenomenon of eyesight incorporating information from disciplines of anatomy and health, history, psychology, sociology, natural science and computer science. Though topics outside of the discipline of art will be introduced, the primary intended audience are those who intend to focus their career in the visual arts. The class consists of lectures, mini-experiments, viewing of short films, group discussions, and student presentations. Guest lecturers for specific topics are encouraged when available.
This course provides an introduction to the human body structure and its functions. Skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, and reproductive systems are studied. Projects are intended to prepare students for their studio experiences in life-drawing and life-painting. No other course may be substituted.
According to Luis Buñuel, "Mystery is the essential element in all works of art." Mystery, then, is the thing that makes us ask questions, look closer, think in different ways, and consider other possibilities—a great resource for developing logic, reason, creative thinking, and empathy. This course will use mystery writing -- both fiction and nonfiction -- to explore the nuances of logic, rhetoric, and critical thinking. Through close readings of exemplary works, as well as hands-on writing exercises, students will learn how to identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments and evidence. The course will wrestle with the precision of language, alternative perspectives, fallacious reasoning, and logos, ethos, and pathos in analysis and narrative. Students will apply both inductive and deductive modes of reasoning to solve mysteries and craft their own compelling narratives.
In the end, we’ll all become stories, says Margaret Atwood. As such, it is essential that we understand the power of narrative and how to craft our own stories. This course explores various forms of narrative, including prose, oral traditions, scripts, and verse. Through close readings of exemplary works and hands-on writing exercises, students will gain an understanding of how to craft engaging narratives that capture the human experience in a variety of contexts. Topics covered will include narrative structure, theme and/or main idea, point of view, voice, and an exploration of how these elements are synthesized to maximize emotional, intellectual, and creative impact.
This course prepares students for the writing, reading, and analysis required in their undergraduate education by learning various methods of argumentation, logic, and inquiry. Students practice their reasoning skills in writing assignments and discussions that demand analysis via critical reasoning. Assigned readings focus on basic philosophical questions and issues facing thinkers in all academic disciplines. This course helps students discover that writing is a natural, creative, and meaningful activity that helps them learn about themselves and the world. Students also learn the importance of questioning and critiquing the words and ideas of others. Ultimately, students experience first-hand how critical reasoning enables them to become informed and educated citizens of the world, with the abilities to affect change via their own words and actions. Successful completion of this course is a prerequisite for all Liberal Arts & Art History courses.
This course is the first leg of a full-year writing requirement and focuses on exploratory writing and methods of rhetoric. The goal is to provide the groundwork for the more sophisticated writing and thinking that is required later in their academic careers, as well as to help students reach a level of expository prose writing deemed appropriate for the university level. Classes are conducted in a workshop setting where students explore issues of craft as it relates to the process of writing.
This foundational course prepares students with an introduction to graphic design, color and composition concepts traditionally used in the field of limited animation. Analysis of traditional analog limited animation design strategies will be explored and contrasted with modern digital limited animation strategies. Although computer processes will be examined, course assignments will be completed in both analog and digital approaches.
This course introduces the students to the complex interface of Maya, one of the leading software programs in animation and graphic design industries. Students will learn how to navigate Maya's interface exploring basic modeling, rigging, lighting, texture, and camera set-up.
This introductory course covers the principles of full animation technique, dimensional constructive drawing techniques as well as the analysis of action and movement in the natural world. Students explore these concepts through exercises which isolate the core principles being taught. Additional topics include acting and characterization, a brief history of animation and an introduction to the animation industry as it exists today.
This course is an exploration in story structure and the incorporation of classic storytelling techniques/archetypes in the medium of film.
This course is an introduction to drawing the human form that explores observational and imaginative drawing techniques using graphite and charcoal. Students work from the draped and undraped model. Emphasis is on accurate representation of the figure utilizing observation with the elements of gesture, measurement, construction line, volume, proportion, and surface anatomy. Materials include graphite and charcoal.
This is a comprehensive drawing course that covers technical and observational skills necessary to create convincing representations of simple and complex still-life forms. Students are introduced to applied perspective drawing to strengthen their ability to communicate ideas using drawing media. Topics covered are composition, creating volume and space utilizing lines as measurement, construction drawing, linear perspective systems and basic light logic. Materials include graphite and charcoal.
This course is a continuation of EX418. By the end of the course students will have completed their experimental animated film they storyboarded in AN390 and took to 50% completion in EX418 or students will complete the finished first episode of their series concept developed in the show bible. Students projects may be limited animation, stop motion animation or experimental CG in their approach. Mixed techniques and post-production processing of animation footage will be encouraged. The instructor acts as facilitator in this advanced course which is the final studio class in the Experimental Animation BFA program.
This course will be the first semester of the student’s year-long Thesis Project effort. Storyreels and preproduction work prepared in EX390 will be utilized as students create the animation, effects and other visual strategies necessary to bring their plan to life. By the end of this course students will complete 50% of their overall film project or students will produce a show bible of the episodic animated concept. All films in the Experimental Thesis Film track will be taken to a finished color state with final sound. In this senior-level course the instructor will act as a facilitator, guiding students through the production of their films or show bibles. A mastery of techniques learned earlier in the Experimental BFA program will be necessary before taking EX480, therefore a successful completion of the Advancement Review process (EX001) in all relevant categories is necessary.
This course will prepare students in the Experimental animation track for their final sequence of Experimental Thesis Film 1 & Experimental Thesis Film 2 where they will make their senior thesis project. Using linear and non-linear narrative approaches, students will design and storyboard their original concept for the film component of their thesis project. Students will also create a final story-reel of the film component of their thesis project, with final sound. Projects will proceed through a clear sequence of pre-production stages and be designed specifically for limited animation, stop-motion animation and experimental approaches to filmmaking.
This course requires that students have proficiency in prior 2D or 3D tools. Students will use their animation skills to create work they will import into their compositing workspace. Students will work to enhance their animation production using a wide array of video filters, effects and strategies. Digital keying, chroma-keying, 3D space, virtual lighting and camera moves will be explored. Students will bring together animated elements from a variety of digital and analog sources using compositing strategies.
This course focuses on stop motion techniques outside the normal realm of character rigs and clay armature-based techniques. Experimental approaches including motion design, and other stop-motion based visual effects will be explored. Students will produce stop motion animation elements for chroma-key compositing into analog and 3D digital environments.
This advanced class will require students to conceive, develop, present and pitch a concept for an original episodic animated series. Students will produce a comprehensive portfolio of show sample assets including character models, set mock-ups, synopsis of episodes and backstory for all major and supporting characters. EX 350 is a required prerequisite for this course.
This advanced course builds on previous knowledge and skills as students conceive, plan, design and produce their own series of web-shorts suitable for weekly uploads on streaming media platforms such as YouTube. Students will also be introduced to uses of 2D and 2D animation assets in mobile games, 360-degree filmmaking, virtual reality and augmented reality platforms.
This advanced course draws on the practical knowledge developed in EX282 and EX284 focusing on art direction as applied to episodic, limited animation production pipelines. Stylization, set/prop design, character asset strategies and color/lighting design will be explored. Both TV and streaming media needs will be highlighted as students create show-design portfolio projects.
This intermediate level course builds off Fundamentals of Maya and CG Modeling, focusing on CG-based 3D character animation. Based in character performance and storytelling, students utilize keyframe animation while exploring the basics of 3D motion, body mechanics, motion-graph editing, and cycles via projects for tv, multimedia and game animation. Students produce individual and collaborative projects while investigating methods to create compelling character staging utilizing the 12 principles of animation, thumbnails, and personal video reference.
This course utilizes tablet-monitor technology to create a full-animation 2D pipeline that bypasses traditional paper in favor of digital drawing. Traditional full-animation 2D methods are adapted for the digital 2D animation environment, including hybrid digital enhancements of 2D full animation techniques. Digital keyframes, visual effects and lighting applied early in the pipeline redefine the scope of the animator’s role in production. This course is a track-elective and can be taken in place of AN380.
This course covers concepts in character design suitable for digital limited-animation and stop-motion production environments. Students will create character designs for the unique workflows in both mediums. In the digital limited-animation pipeline will design for strategic use of libraries, nesting and 2D rigging. In the stop-motion pipeline students will create designs that plan for the limitations of traditional stop-motion rigging and rigging removal.
This intermediate level course builds on the FD 155 Fundamentals of Story as students learn to brainstorm, storyboard and pitch original ideas suitable for television or new media production. This course focuses on the specialized needs of story design for limited animation formats including storyboard formatting, planning for digital puppetry and digital asset archiving. It introduces students to concepts in episodic storytelling.
Experimental Animation's "Fabrication" class offers students a comprehensive learning experience that encompasses essential skills in Real-World mold making, casting, character and prop sculpting, and miniature set construction. These skills are frequently encountered in fields such as Stop Motion, Visual Effects Animation, and Environment Design. Throughout the course, students will develop proficiency in both traditional and digital mediums. The curriculum combines traditional craftsmanship with hands-on experience in woodworking and foam cutting tools, as well as painting and airbrushing techniques to realistically simulate a variety of real-world textures and materials. Additionally, students will be required to explore modern technology through an introduction to 3D-CAD, 3D-Sculpting, and 3D-Printing. The culmination of students' learning journey involves designing and creating a captivating set and a compelling character for their final project. This project serves as a platform for students to showcase their creative and technical abilities, demonstrating the skills they have acquired throughout the course.
This is a figure drawing course for animators that focuses on gesture and capturing essentials of movement, dynamic expression, and the individual model's attitude. A variety of drawing media are introduced.
This course emphasizes 3-dimensional form analysis: proportion, scale, foreshortening, and weight. Using an economy of line and value, students will strive to capture emotion and expression of animal forms by depicting gesture, manner, attitude, and rhythm. Comparative studies of animal and human anatomy will empower students with strong, imaginative drawing skills. A variety of domestic and zoo animals will be studied and drawn in the studio and on location.
This is a figure drawing course for animators that focuses on gesture and how to capture the essentials of movement, dynamic expression, and the individual model's attitude. A variety of drawing media will be introduced.
With instructor recommendation, students will have the option to create an animation reel from given assignments. Students will create a reel expressing their ideas in the form of 30-second animated pieces with animals or anthropomorphic characters. To further develop their pieces, students will use basic design and staging/layout principles, basic acting or pantomime performance, and character development. Students will be evaluated on their abilities to understand and demonstrate the essential 12 principles of animation and to execute their knowledge using learned animation techniques and basic story principles. Students will also be evaluated on their ability to evoke an intended response from the audience. Students are required to have their own set of industry tools (for example, an animation light table, animation disk, punched animation paper, and pencils). Pre-req - Fundamentals of Animation
This is an introductory-level course designed for students to develop or enhance their 3D modeling skills. Instruction will focus on the artistry needed to create compelling, "feature-length-quality" characters, while showing how to design and implement geometry best suited for rigging and animation. Students may focus on character or background geometry for their projects. Students will be introduced to new software tools and techniques based upon professional practices utilized by top studios in the industry.
This course includes consideration of such questions as: What is Art? What is Beauty? What is the role and responsibility of artists in society? Are there genuine standards by which we can judge art? Students have the opportunity to participate in dialogues concerning these questions.
From the birth of photography to stop motion to film, this course explores the history of cinematic technology and its intersection with the art movements and cultural shifts of the late-19th to early-20th centuries. Pioneers of Light and Form: Art Nouveau and the Birth of Film introduces the dynamic movements of Expressionism and Art Nouveau alongside the pioneering era of film to discover how advances in technology and the shock of world events shaped emerging artistic and aesthetic values. Through the examination of photography, film, artwork, fashion, architecture, and home goods, students will gain an understanding of the roles art and cinema played within the burgeoning modern lifestyle of the late 1800s through the Roaring Twenties.
Nostalgia is notoriously amorphous. Is it conservative or liberal. Is it political. Or does it align more with culture and aesthetics. Is it a psychological phenomenon that is confined to the plane of the individual. Or is it collective. Is it an industry unto itself, responsible for a relentless stream of remakes and reboots that appear on Netflix and in theaters or is it that which animates very real and vivid memories that can never truly be recovered. In truth, it is all these things and more. Nostalgia blurs the boundaries between politics and aesthetics, between the realm of individual reflection and collective calls for restoration. Discovered by a Swiss doctor in the seventeenth century, nostalgia was at first a literal disease (akin to homesickness) that afflicted soldiers and servants made to serve far from home. The concept migrated, first geographically and then metaphorically, but it has always maintained a deeply sensual component. This course is designed in such a way that we will trace the “career” of nostalgia through three key realms—Politics, Culture, and Nature—in order to demystify and typologize nostalgia so that we may differentiate between the reflectivity of “modernist nostalgia” and the commodified pastiche of retro that the culture industry offers as a pallid substitute for the past. In the end, it is important that we become familiar with how nostalgia works on us and how we, as artists, thinkers, and creatives use nostalgia as a conceptual framework for seeing, analyzing, and representing the past as more than just kitsch, or a cramped politics of looking back toward a “simpler” past, or the myth of an Edenic and untouched natural environment. In this course we will read across disciplines, authors such as Svetlana Boym, Frederic Jameson, Walter Benjamin, Susan Stewart, and William Cronon. These readings, by and large, will provide the bulk of our intellectual understanding while we will take time in class to discuss the contemporary contours of nostalgia. Students will produce written responses to the readings and also formulate a final essay that will, instead of just summarizing the reading and discussions, ponder the future of nostalgia. Prerequisite: One course from Ancient Civilizations category and one course from either Medieval Worlds or Renaissance/Early Modern category.
Set primarily in Paris, this course traces the development and public reception of modern art in Europe from the mid-19th century through the early years of the 20th century. The main focus of this course is the Post-Impressionists, artists working in diverse styles during the years 1880-1900. In order to better understand the radical approaches to art undertaken by these artists, the course will include a brief investigation of the cultural, political, and artistic trends which led up to the period known as Post-Impressionism. Thus, students will gain familiarity with the major art movements of the 18th and 19th centuries: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, and Impressionism. This course will be framed by the theories of “bohemian” poet Charles Baudelaire, whose close friendship with many artists helped shaped the trajectory of modern art. Encircled by other likeminded writers, these artists spurred the creative process and championed one another. Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Munch, Mucha, and Klimt are among the artists examined in this class. Through close analysis of the artists’ own words, students will explore the psyche of the modern artist as they sought to create an expressive art imbued with feeling, originality, and innovation. This course requires a museum visit, independent research, analysis of primary sources (artist letters and essays), and the creation of an artwork related to course content.
This course will introduce students to current theoretical and real-world applications of exhibition design operating today in museums, galleries, and contemporary art spaces, both real and virtual. Through weekly in-person exploration of cultural sites in and around Orange County and Los Angeles, students will observe and critique aesthetic and practical decisions made by professional curators and exhibition designers, with particular emphases on structural layout, cultural themes, the curation and arrangement of objects, and how artworks interact with one another in outdoor and indoor spaces. In doing so, students will sharpen their perceptive skills, strengthen their discourse specific to the fields of art production, curation, collecting, and museum studies, and pursue theoretical examples of design brought to life within the rich artistic landscape of Southern California. Students produce written journal entries, participate in discussions, produce directed reading responses to museum catalogues, articles, and other didactic material, as well as participate in oral presentations and collaborative hands-on projects. Prerequisite: One course from Ancient Civilizations category and one course from either Medieval Worlds or Renaissance/Early Modern category.
Since 1954 when the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the people of the United States have been engaged in a series of “culture wars” concerned primarily with identity—particularly race and gender—and a grappling with its morally ambiguous past. This deep and alienating sense of polarization and clashing of identities—some voluntary and others forced upon us—has only intensified over the years, coming to an explosive climax in the chaotic and tragic years of 2020-21. Everything from the anti-mask movement and “cancel culture” to the fate of Confederate Statues and defunding the police falls under the rubric of a longstanding, and increasingly tribal culture war in the United States. In this course we will look at the broad historical context of the 1960s from which these battles emerged and trace them through the present. In doing so, we will pay close attention to the ways in which the expansion of rights, freedoms, and liberties for historically marginalized groups has elicited conservative reactions seeking to roll back those gains through an often sectarian vision of American culture and history. This course will focus on flashpoints or sites of contestation—Roe v. Wade, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the rise of “Alt-Right” groups such as the Proud Boys, recent controversies about “Big Tech” censorship, the fate of civil rights, Black Lives Matter protests, and the violent denouement of the Trump Administration. Students will produce written responses to the readings and also formulate a final project determining the role of art and the artist in meeting this particular historical moment. Prerequisite: One course from Ancient Civilizations category and one course from either Medieval Worlds or Renaissance/Early Modern category.
Los Angeles, not known for being a bastion of either culture or liberalism during the early twentieth century, was—for a time—both a cradle of high-modernism and a refuge from the charnel house of European fascism. Icons such as poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, Marxist philosopher Theodor Adorno, noir filmmakers Fritz Lang and Billy Wilder, composers Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinski, novelists Thomas Mann and Aldous Huxley, and architects Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler, many of whom had fled the Nazis, made their homes in Los Angeles. In this course, we will examine the lives and major works of the many refugees and exiles who transformed LA’s intellectual and aesthetic culture in the 1940s, as well as look closely at three critical aspects of their enduring legacy. First, the transnational exchange of aesthetic and intellectual history between Europe and the United States; Second, the effects of fascism on aesthetics and its implications; and Third, the degree to which the creative output of European émigrés provided survival strategies in the wake of such genocidal and illiberal ideologies. What, in other words, can we glean from Brecht’s poetry, from Adorno’s “reflections from damaged life,” from Fritz Lang’s deeply expressionistic noir films, from Huxley’s Brave New World? Through the consumption of text and images representing this history students will create a project utilizing this aesthetic and intellectual history of art (and artists) as a means of strategizing survival in today’s climate. Prerequisite: One course from Ancient Civilizations category and one course from either Medieval Worlds or Renaissance/Early Modern category.
This course examines a diverse array of art created by different ethnic groups in West Africa from pre-colonial through the 19th century and beyond. Through the lens of both spiritual and cultural traditions, we will consider a wide range of styles and materials, and ask how meaning is derived from objects and practices, keeping in mind particular challenges that emerge when studying art that is both permanent and impermanent. The significance of oral traditions will be studied, as well as the roles of ancestor spirits, mythical creatures, divination and initiation rites, and how music, dance, and masking function in establishing power, status, political, and social conventions. Objects created exclusively for performative and ritual uses, art in service to royalty, sculpture, utilitarian objects, architecture, performance, and the body as subject and site of adornment will form the core of our studies. Materials studied will include metal, wood, textiles, mud, ivory, beads, bone, dung, and blood/bodily fluids. While important, this class does not intend to cover present-day political crises, border disputes, or changing social constructs in West Africa. This course is conducted with instructor led lecture, film, guided reading and discussions, student presentations based on independent research, and other exploratory exercises. A visit to the UCLA Fowler Museum is required for this class. Students will experience textile creation and the development of personal symbolism in a hands-on project. Prerequisite: One course from Ancient Civilizations category and one course from either Medieval Worlds or Renaissance/Early Modern category.
Los Tres Grandes explores the Mexican Muralist movement of the 1920s from its beginnings under the post-Mexican Revolution government to its present-day influence on Chicanx and Street artists. Utilizing a curricular framework centered on Los Tres Grandes (the big three), Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, our studies will then expand to include further influential figures such as Frida Kahlo and Rufino Tamayo among others. Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the material through visual (art) projects, a formal writing assignment, and participation in class discussions. Prerequisite: One course from Ancient Civilizations category and one course from either Medieval Worlds or Renaissance/Early Modern category.
Largely obscured from the history of “feminist” art, Latin American artists such as Ana Mendieta, Yolanda Andrade, Sylvia Palacios Whitman, Marisol, and Marie Orensanz, among many others, were crucial to the development of contemporary art in the twentieth century. Active in Latin America and the United States during a key period in this dual-continental history, many of these artists may not have considered themselves feminists per se, but their work can be interpreted in relation to feminist art theory. This course examines selected issues,movements, and artists of global importance from the 1960s to the mid-1980s. We will explore ways in which themes such as repression parallel those of liberation and how women, whose experiences were shaped by violence, censorship, and exile, developed an aesthetic that addressed body politics, marginalization, and repressive regimes. What can we learn from women whose legacies continue to be relevant today? Through text, video, and images exploring these histories, students will produce written responses and formulate a final research project based on one of the organizing themes of this class.
The course examines the development of animation from its inception through present-day manifestations in television, films, and the Internet. Major animators and key works are analyzed and discussed. Required for Animation majors.
This course addresses developments in art from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Although the course focuses on the western scene, issues of contemporary global art are also discussed. Museum and gallery visits are required.
For centuries, earthly creatures, charmed animals and otherworldly beings conjured by artisans, magicians, folklorists, natural philosophers, and physicians, have inspired both wonder and delight as well as revulsion, alarm, and terror in the hearts and minds of otherwise thinking persons. Considering beasts and beings of all sorts, both earthly and divine, this course seeks to investigate the origin stories of such creatures and inquire as to what motivations compel an individual or society to conjure such creatures. From the Classical World to Medieval Scandinavia, from the Americas to Slavic Europe, this course explores how art and monstrosity intersected in the cultural imagination to both delightful and devastating effect. In consultation with a range of visual and literary primary materials, including the Great Chain of Being, the Malleus Maleficarum (the Witches Hammer), and Della Porta’s How We May Produce New and Strange Monsters, students will conduct close readings, originate research, formulate essays and create original artwork of their own in an effort to gain insight into earlier states of mind as well as open avenues into wholly new creations. All readings for the course will be in English, although international and graduate students may be asked to give additional reports on texts written in other languages.
This course introduces students to art historical issues and important monuments from the Renaissance through the mid-nineteenth century in the Western tradition. It establishes a social, political, and historical context for the production of art in society, and provides art students with a sense of the historical development of styles as a continuous tradition relating to their own work.
This course introduces students to art historical issues and important monuments from pre-history until the Renaissance period in the Western tradition. It establishes a social, political, and historical context for the production of art in society, and provides art students with a sense of the historical development of styles as a continuous tradition relating to their own work.
As author Giuseppe Mazzotta reminds us, “Imagination is the weapon of the poet.” It’s an old idea, and, wielded properly, the imagination can nudge us from where we are in the present, ferry us back to the past, and transport us into the future. But imagination has its faults according to Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), exiled poet of the late Middle Ages. Imagination or visionariness (the ability or likeliness to see visions) as Dante found out, confounds us when we attempt to describe visions with words. Vision exceeds language and the power of description. In the Divine Comedy, Dante laments how speech is unable to contain the plenitude of what he envisions; that not everything can be elucidated with language. In this sense, the Comedy is a way of thinking about the relationship between vision and language, and equally important, the cultural traction inherent in images. People had deep imaginations in Medieval culture, and artists and illustrators were there to bring those visions to life. Upon examination of the nightmares populating the poem’s Inferno—the fallen Lucifer, serpent-covered Furies, loathsome Harpies, deceitful Geryon, as well as classical figures from the Purgatorio and the crystalline beings populating the Paradiso, all made famous by Botticelli, Bosch, Blake, Doré, and Sandow Birk, among others—we’ll consider the ethics of Medieval Italian culture symbolized by such vivid imagery, but we’ll also prepare ourselves for what the poem is really about: a love so perfect it moves the sun and stars. We’ll also ask what we think Dante was doing in the writing of it. Did he write a romance? An epic tale? Autobiography? A novel? Novel, as in new, marvelous, strange, unexpected? The answer is Yes. The Divine Comedy is all these things, including a remarkably styled circle of knowledge, or an “encyclopedia” in the old sense—knowledge gathering that begins with a point of departure, then takes us along the road of learning to finally return to its original starting point—a point now seen from a different perspective, with a new understanding. In short, Dante uses all the tools of the Liberal Arts to come to know the world around him and to construct a poem of hope, peace, exile, and a story of desire as a witnessing to his imagination, his visions, and to his understanding of love. Prerequisites: None. 3 units.
“Force yourself to imitate Michelangelo in everything.” These were the words expressed by Michelangelo’s biographer to a remarkably self-aware generation of artists in 16th-century Florence, Rome, and Venice. However, whether rival artists wanted to, or even imagined they could succeed in imitating Michelangelo’s work is another question—one among many we’ll explore in The Age of Michelangelo, 1450-1650. In consultation with a range of visual, historical, and literary materials, we’ll delve into the spirit of the age, looking at drawing, painting, sculpture, furniture and garden design, food, weaponry, architecture, and urban planning, as well as people. We’ll tap into the players and personalities of the times—Leonardo, Giorgione, Raphael, Sofonisba Anguissola, Titian—as well as Isabella d’Este, the Della Rovere, and the Medici families who sought to shape their immediate world through power, imagination, and the artistry of their times. Students will conduct close readings, originate research, formulate essays, and in an effort to gain insight into the Renaissance state of mind reconstruct a piece of history with a hands-on laboratory project and a small, original artwork of their own. Prerequisite: AH210, or one course from Ancient Civilizations category. This course can be taken concurrently with Medieval Worlds in Motion category.
People often wonder exactly when, throughout history, women first started to become active in society? Of course, the answer is: Always. Even though women’s efforts have been overshadowed by that of their male contemporaries in the chronicling of official histories, women have always participated in every facet of life, from rich to poor, north to south, east to west, and from the ancient period to the present. In this course, we will examine the lives and creative pursuits of the many women who contributed to the arts, sciences, and humanities throughout history, particularly focusing on artists & craftspersons, writers & poets, healers, pharmacists, natural philosophers, and rulers, with a few warriors included for good measure. Students will conduct close readings, originate research, formulate short essays, and in an effort to gain insight into the state of mind of historical women, reconstruct a piece of history with a hands-on laboratory project and a small, original artwork placing themselves in the environment of a chosen historical female. Prerequisite: AH210, or one course from the Ancient Civilizations category. This course can be taken concurrently with one class from the Medieval Worlds in Motion category. 3 units.
Nature in Art explores the rich and varied traditions of artistic expression unique to the regions of Japan, Korea, and Tibet, from prehistoric indigenous practices through the mid-19th century. Looking closely at Japan, the Korean renaissance, and the coded art of Tibetan Buddhist culture, we will uncover the distinct artistic heritage found in each, noting particularly the sharing and transmission of art practices and ideas as they cross geographical and cultural boundaries. Working chronologically, this course will identify intersections of spirituality and nature, then examine artistic expressions of such concepts through lacquer, ceramic, ink, paper, stone, bamboo and ivory, among other media. Both two- and three-dimensional art forms are considered, from calligraphy, wood-block prints and landscape painting to festivals, garden design, poetry, and tea ceremonies. The objects and sites studied in this course will reflect how concepts of beauty and aesthetics are achieved through the practice of “harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.” The course is conducted as a hybrid seminar-lecture style course, with instructor led lectures and video, student presentations, research, writing, culinary experiences, as well as hands-on exploration of the traditional processes of historic art production in these regions. This class requires a visit to the USC Pacific Asia Museum to see art in person from each of the regions studied in this class. No prerequisites.
The Middle Ages were a time of knights and ladies... or maybe brutal Viking warlords... or a clash of civilizations between Christians and Muslims... and maybe there were dragons? A lot of what we “know” about the medieval world comes from fantasy, pop culture, and from old nationalist scholarship that mostly invented origin myths. So, how can we know what the Middle Ages were really like? In this class, we’ll go back and try to get a more accurate picture by looking at things medieval people made: manuscripts, sculptures, buildings, weapons, clothing, etc., all in tandem with reading primary sources by the people who were there. Starting with the collapse of the western Roman Empire, we will uncover a different picture of how two related cultures arose out of the wreckage of the ancient world: Christendom and Dar al-Islam. Along the way we’ll learn that the “barbarians” weren’t that barbaric, that some Vikings converted to Islam, that trade and cooperation across the Mediterranean were far more common than Crusades, and that the medieval world was more diverse, cosmopolitan, and queer than you may have been led to believe. No prerequisites.
Rome, the Eternal City, is a city unlike any other. It is entrenched in history and undeniably beautiful, where Roman ruins serve as a backdrop for classically restrained Renaissance structures and dramatic Baroque spectacle. This course takes students through the incredible transformation the city has undergone from ancient times through the rise of Christianity, culminating with the tumultuous era and style of the 17th-century Baroque. Through these great epochs of Roman history, the city attracted some of the most revered artists including Raphael, Michelangelo, Gentileschi, Caravaggio, and Bernini. Students will leave this class with an in-depth understanding of the innovation of Roman architecture and engineering, what led to the decline of ancient Rome, and how the city transformed from a glorious capital of pagan culture to the prominent seat of the Catholic faith, home to over 900 churches. Requirements for this class include a museum visit, independent research, and the creation of an artwork related to the course content and historic techniques analyzed in this course.
If consciousness is shaped by our history, then where are we, collectively, if we’ve lost faith that a shared historical commonality among cultures ever existed? To the people who thrived in the strange and beautiful empires of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, religious and cultural differences found in one’s neighbors weren’t unusual, confusing or frightening—they were part of everyday life. In short: normal coexistence. In the class Egypt, Greece, Rome—we’ll explore the commonalities and shared experiences found among these three remarkable civilizations, as well as follow the cultural fault lines exploited by those in power which eventually forced these empires to dissolve. Together, we’ll explore three millennia of artefacts, objects, architecture, writings, as well as cultural and religious practice to see how these civilizations evolved, ran alongside one another, then overlapped and overcame one another to lay the foundations of modern western society. Through lecture, images, discussions, essays, and close readings, students will learn to identify, decode, understand and describe artworks and objects from the past, translating them from visual to verbal and textual language. In addition, in an effort to gain insight into the ancient state of mind, students will reconstruct a piece of history with a hands-on laboratory project and a small, original artwork of their own. No prerequisites.
This course is an exploration of art and visual culture from the Asian continent. Focusing on art works as historical, cultural, and social documents, we will examine how art was commissioned, collected, and used by royalty, the elite, popular audiences, and religious communities in both rural and urban settings. Different themes discussed include art as an instrument of power and propaganda, as a tool for social and religious ritual, an expression of status and prestige, a medium for social protest, as well as a product for the marketplace. Beginning with Bronze Age objects for ritual purposes, subsequent artforms include scroll paintings in the Song Dynasty, women’s painting and printed books, Japanese secular emaki scrolls and ukioy-e art, the luxury of Mughal art in India, and true-view landscape painting in Korea. Students are required to do class readings and engage actively in class discussion, complete two papers, create a final project, and make a final presentation. No prerequisites.
An introductory course exploring the art and architecture of Mesoamerica from the rise of the Olmec in 1500 BCE to the Spanish conquest of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1521, Mesoamerican Empires will focus on how changes in visual culture have reflected larger religious and political transformations in Mesoamerica. Issues of cultural memory and myth will be examined to understand indigenous conceptions of art, history, cosmology, and social hierarchy. Forging links with the present day, students will learn to identify and contextualize Mesoamerican iconography in contemporary media including the creative expression of lowrider culture, tattoos, fine art, and fashion. Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the material through visual (art) projects, a formal writing assignment, and their participation in class discussions. No prerequisites.
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Ellen Coons has worked in animation, specifically stop motion, since her graduation in 2012 from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Her focus of study was indeed that ridiculous but entrancing art of bringing inanimate objects to life. Her professional career includes work on 3 feature length films, 7 network series, 1 live stage musical and a slew of commercials and odd bits in between; all of them are stop-motion productions. She has worked in multiple roles on these projects including animator, art director, set builder, set dresser and visual effects compositor, mostly based in Los Angeles. Her experience also includes 3 semesters as an on-site Adjunct Faculty in the animation department of her alma mater.
Kristin Donner is a Los Angeles-based artist, educator, and 17 year veteran of the animation industry. Her portfolio includes creative work for Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Warner Bros. Animation, and Cartoon Network. Her screen credits include color design on the 2D animated series Harley Quinn (Warner Bros.) and The Fungies! (Cartoon Network), as well as background paint for The Fairly OddParents and T.U.F.F. Puppy (Nickelodeon).
As an active member of The Animation Guild, Kristin has served as a committee chair, convention delegate, and panelist. She has been featured in industry publications such as Keyframe (2021), Toon Boom (2021), Cartoon Network Studios First Look (2020), and The Pegboard (2019). Kristin has moderated professional panel discussions at San Diego Comic-Con International and The Animation Guild, and has shared her passions for creativity and inclusivity at schools, conferences, and exhibits around the globe.
Kristin holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco (2003), a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Entertainment Art/Animation from California State University, Fullerton (2000), and is currently a Co-Executive Producer in Development at Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
Taber Dunipace is a southern California production artist and educator specializing in 3D art and animation. He has taught a wide range of subjects for more than 10 years, including 3D modeling, 3D character animation, rigging, 2D digital animation, digital painting, and game design. He also frequently does freelance work for both commercial animation and mobile games.
Glen David Miller, BFA, MFA, began his career in the early 90's. He has worked over the years creating and supervising award-winning CGI for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Imagining (seaQuest, Star Trek Voyager), Digital Domain (James Cameron's Titanic), Marvel/Seban (Silver Surfer and Captain America), DNA/Nickelodeon (Jimmy Neutron), was a founder of Station X Studios (Dogma, Hunley), and continues to create for the industry as a director, cinematographer, and visual effects supervisor.
Vee Peony is a 2D animator and character designer from the South Bay Area. She recently graduated from LCAD with a BFA in Experimental Animation, and is currently developing her own animated series while working as a freelance artist.
Robert (Bobby) Sassone is a traditional animator and story artist from Cypress, CA. During his college years he workedas a concept artist for See Here Studios, a Bay Area production company owned by Pixar Alum Valerie Mih. Hegraduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2016 with a BA in Creative Media, and was awarded theUniversity’s inaugural “Future Animator” Award for his work in short fi lms. Currently he works as a freelance artist in thecomic industry while furthering his artistic studies with the 212 Creative Network, a mentorship program based out ofFort Wayne, Indiana.
LCAD has a rolling admissions policy and will accept applications until we’ve filled all spots for an incoming class. Applications will still be considered after the following priority dates:
Fall: December 1st
Spring: December 1st"