Professor Richard Saxton is an artist whose work focuses primarily on rural knowledge and landscape. Saxton’s work is conceived through an interdisciplinary cultural framework, and has been described as contemporary vernacular, non-heroic, and an art infused with rural experience without subscribing to any one genre or culture. Saxton is the founder of M12 STUDIO, an interdisciplinary collaborative art studio focused on context and place in the rural American West and beyond. Saxton's projects allow for research, fieldwork, design and construction to merge, creating a layered collection of artworks, images and artifacts. Saxton's artworks take form through sculptural installation, sound and video, books, vinyl, and photographic and research-based archives. He exhibits and lectures internationally.
keywords
sculpture, context-based art, rural space, fieldwork, site-based art, spatial practice, social practice, social-sculpture, architecture, social-architecture, landscape, environment, design, image-based research, built environments, installation, public art, rural communities
ARTS 2384 - Fleeting and Found 1: Ephemeral Sculpture 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020
Focuses on introductory level processes of creating sculpture projects which are ephemeral and temporary. Themes of process, lifespan, migration, tension, entropy, and degradation will be explored. This course will include lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects, and visual presentations.
ARTS 3004 - Land and Environmental Art (Sculpture and Post-Studio Practice)
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021
Covers land and environmental art, providing an historical survey along with hands on projects in the landscape. Focusing on themes of site, environment, landforms, weather and earth materials, students will design and realize art projects on the land. Includes lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects and visual presentations. Recommended prerequisites: ARTS 2504 and ARTS 2524.
ARTS 3384 - Fleeting and Found 2: Ephemeral Sculpture 2
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020
Focuses on creating sculpture projects which are ephemeral and temporary. Themes of process, lifespan, migration, tension, entropy and degradation will be explored. Includes lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects and visual presentations. Recommended prerequisites: ARTS 2504 and ARTS 2524.
ARTS 4004 - Land and Environmental Art (Sculpture and Post-Studio Practice)
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021
Covers land and environmental art, providing an historical survey along with hands on projects in the landscape. Focusing on themes of site, environment, landforms, weather, and earth materials, students will design and realize art projects on the land. Includes lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects and visual presentations. Recommended prerequisites: ARTS 2504 and ARTS 2524.
ARTS 4024 - Public Art
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020
Focuses on the two areas 1) lecture/discussion, both based on political, historical and the aesthetic evolution regarding examples of public art and 2) current practice, in reference to how to use such information to generate new more innovative and original ideas regarding public art and its application. Includes lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects and visual presentations. Recommended prerequisites: ARTS 2504 and ARTS 2524 and ARTS 3504. Same as ARTS 5024.
ARTS 4444 - Art and Rural Environments Field School
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2018 / Summer 2019
Puts students in touch with various rural landscapes in Colorado. Takes place off campus each summer during Maymester. Focuses on site-based approaches to art creation and is designed as an experiential course, meaning that students learn through the experience of place and then by the process of making. After introductions to each site, students will be responsible for a site interpretation piece utilizing various mediums including photography, drawing, land art and collaboration. Recommended prerequisite: ARTS 2504. Same as ARTS 5444.
ARTS 4504 - Advanced Sculpture Studio
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020
Students in this course will be required to complete projects, participate in group critiques of projects, produce a slide presentation on a contemporary artist whose work/practice fits within the theme of the course and prepare a final portfolio. Studio work and demonstrations will be augmented by readings and discussions on contemporary art. May be repeated up to 12 total credit hours.
ARTS 5024 - Public Art
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2020
Focuses on the two areas 1) lecture/discussion, both based on political, historical and the aesthetic evolution regarding examples of public art and 2) current practice, in reference to how to use such information to generate new more innovative and original ideas regarding public art and its application. Includes lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects and visual presentations. Same as ARTS 4024.
ARTS 5444 - Art and Rural Environments Field School
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2018 / Summer 2019
Puts students in touch with various rural landscapes in Colorado. Takes place off campus each summer during Maymester. Focuses on site-based approaches to art creation and is designed as an experiential course, meaning that students learn through the experience of place, and then by the process of making. After introductions to each site, students will be responsible for a site interpretation piece utilizing various mediums including photography, drawing, land art and collaboration. Same as ARTS 4444.
