Monsters transgress boundaries and deliver signs and wonders; they excite obsessions, horrors, perverse pleasures. From the devilish hybrids of Hieronymous Bosch and Dr. Frankenstein’s mocked-up titan to the “flaming creatures” of Jack Smith and the cyborgs of Donna Haraway, monsters represent dangerous fusion and formless excess. They carry otherworldly knowledge and embody unnameable desires. Who or what are your monsters? What revelations—spiritual, libidinal, psychological, economic, environmental, social—do they bring? In this class, we will explore historical and contemporary works and texts to construct a hands-on encyclopedia of monstrosity. This in turn will guide inquiry into participants’ current studio practices. Looking, reading, and discussion will be foregrounded, and development of new work will be key.
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History and Theory courses are designed to hone students' critical skills through intensive reading and writing assignments. Recent course topics have included gender, ethics, disease, aesthetics, and discourse on global art movements of the past 50 years.

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