Sculpture @ UMONTANA
Sculpture Area inside the Department of Art,
The University of Montana-Missoula
Summary
The sculpture program at the University of Montana has a dual-purpose mission. The first is to provide students with specialized knowledge of how things are made and the unlimited ways space can be altered. The second part of our mission is to foster an environment of communication through the physical and psychological characteristics of artistic endeavors. The sculpture program is attentive to both the desires of our students, and to the shifting scope of contemporary sculpture. As our needs/mission changes our facility is likewise fluid. Our program houses and supports, through facility, the following processes/mediums under the “sculpture” umbrella: Casting, Carving, Fabrication, Installation, Performance, Image Projection in Space, Audio Design in Space, Public Sculpture, Site Work, Time-based Work, and Ecologically Responsive or Science-Based Work.
Our curriculum supports:
Casting of alloys (iron, bronze, aluminum, copper, pewter),
Casting of composites (plastic, resin, rubber, stone, paper, metal, earth),
Carving (stone, wood, foam, clay, plaster),
Modeling (wax, water-based clay, oil-based clays, plaster, concrete, adobe)
Mold-making (ceramic shell, resin-bonded sand part molds, resin-bonded sand burn-outs, plaster, brush-on rubber, cast rubber, fiber-glass/resin, alginate)
Fabrication (wood, metal, plastic, joined dissimilar materials, found objects, textiles, stone, concrete form work, additional assemblage-based processes)
Installation (new Mac Mini and digital projector as a portable unit, New Mac computer lab with appropriate time-based editing software, camera and video camera check-out, teaching gallery/installation space, site specific research, rotating course in Sculpture II: Special Topics)
Performance (rotating course in Sculpture II: Special Topics, related course in Drawing II, theater space if necessary, installation space available, Possible cross-over with Drama Department)
Public Sculpture (rotating course in Sculpture II: Special Topics, outdoor exhibitions both in course and community based, community Art calls for commissions, placement on campus possible)
Courses offered in Sculpture Program:
ART 135 Three-Dimensional Design
ART 235 Sculpture I
ART 335 Sculpture II: Special Topics in: Installation, Fabrication, Public Projects, Environmental/Ecological Responses, Figure, Site Work, Casting, Wood and Stone, and Composites
ART 435 Independent Study in Sculpture
ART 436 Advanced Sculpture
ART 495 (Winter Session) Special Topics Variable
ART 535 Graduate Studio Sculpture
ART 596 Independent Study in Sculpture
Facilities (see attachments, and pour photo gallery)
Space includes 4,500 square feet of studio, an equal amount of outdoor area and a small gallery. Also included in our functioning space is a work area at the University’s experimental Lubrecht Forrest site. Total Facilities include:
Metal Fabrication Area: MIG, TIG, ARC, Plasma Cutter, Oxy-Act rigs, Vertical Metal Band saw, Chop Saws, Sanders, Industrial Sand Blaster, hand tools, pneumatic tools, Ventilated welding tables, grated cutting tables, auto darkening hoods, leathers provided
Wood Shop Area: SawStop Table saw, Planer, Joiner, Spindle, Band saw, Belt sanders, Sliding compound miter saw, Panel saw, Saw horse sets, hand tools, power tools, Ventilation
Wax/Shell Room: Industrial wax double boiler with faucet, metal surfaces, grated surface, plaster bin, plaster table, wax sheet molds, wax sprue molds, cabinet storage, ceramic shell slurry tank (15 gallons), drying rack with fans, divided ventilated dusting cabinets, all appropriate hand tools, Ventilation throughout
Teaching space: 25’ x 45’ classroom with 4 industrial tables, vices and clamps mounted on tables, one metal surface, 25 stools, Slide screen, portable chalk board, Microwave, Blender, stereo, 3 tier 8’ long shelves @ 2’ deep for student work in progress, eye wash station, industrial sinks, open floor space, outdoor courtyard storage space, covered outdoor work area, open outdoor work tables, portable bench vices
Mold-making Area: 300lb. capacity Cement Mixer, 200 lb. capacity Cement Mixer, sand storage, Resin drum station, 10’ x 8’ x 2’ storage shelves, Chemical storage cabinet, all appropriate personal safety gear, 10’ x 10’ rolling 2-ton gantry, pallet jack, straps, engine hoist, banding machine, mold clamps, core wash sprayer, overhead bay door to level concrete outside
Casting Shed: #70 crucible in-ground furnace, grated pouring floor/pits with sand, stainless flasks for shells, adjustable shank set with spring clamps, commercial tongs, 1,000+ sq. ft. covered shed with one open side, dry storage, gas forge, anvil, Beverly shears, post vice hard mounted, tong set, hammer set, grated table, bridge crane that extends outside shed, outlets for welders, individual air compressor for painting
Courtyard Area: Adjustable capacity Iron Cupola, 300# max, 2-ton Jib Crane (30’ diameter, 15’ high, electric hoist), 1’deep sand floor atop hard dirt, asphalt driveway fronts shed connects to cement drive and overhead door runs under jib crane, iron storage, coke storage, outdoor 16’ x 8’ ¾” ply slide wall, steel storage rack, outdoor work stations for carving, courtyard and shed roughly 3,000 sq. ft., medium capacity lift-off burn-out kiln with stainless shell rack
Sculpture Area Head: Brad Allen, Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor Brad Allen’s Education:
M.F.A. Southern Illinois University, Illinois, 2005
B.A. Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma, 2001
Specializes in Installation, Metal Casting, Fabrication, Documented Performances, and Video
Contact Information:
email:
bradley.allen@umontana.eduPhone: 406.243.5704 Office: Art Annex 126
Master of Fine Arts Admissions: POSTMARKED by:
FALL ADMISSION: January 5th SPRING ADMISSION: October 5th
(Entrance Guidelines - All Official Requirements are hosted on the Graduate School Site)
Scholarships Several scholarships are available for graduate students within the Department of Art. On average, the department has awarded a total of $20,000-$26,000 to graduate students per year. First-year students who are accepted into the graduate program are automatically eligible and considered for these scholarships. Once enrolled, it is the graduate student’s responsibility to apply for additional scholarships within the department or on campus.
Assistantships Annual teaching assistant awards are currently available to students in the Art Department graduate degree programs. These awards provide an annual stipend, (approximately $9,000 per year), and full tuition waiver for either in-state or out-of-state students. Teaching assistants are required to devote 10 hours per week of work assigned by the department, in addition to teaching one class each semester in a foundations-level course, and/or entry-level studio courses.
