What do you think of when you hear the word, ‘magic’?  Are you dismissive? Intrigued? Excited?  Does a particular image or memory come to mind?  The power of magic lies partly in its ability to mean something different to everyone.  From smoke and mirrors to spirits and mysticism, this course will be engaging all kinds of magical arts in relation to diverse creative practices, historical developments, and current cultural expressions.  To provide a foundation and context for our studio-based endeavors, we will be actively experimenting with, and blurring the lines between, various interpretations and techniques of magic vis-à-vis tricks and spells, science and sorcery, metaphysics and aesthetics, social engagement and ritual, and plenty of other enchanting topics.  Additionally, our grimoire will be comprised of primary sources, critical theory, and popular texts that quite literally spell out a vast realm of secular and spiritual systems of magic.  We will take a highly interdisciplinary approach to this topic, and artists working in all disciplines are welcome.