Delbar Shahbaz talking to students
Featured Course

Collage/Mixed Media

Collage can merge time with memories so you can make your own world.

Instructor and ArtCenter Alumna Delbar Shahbaz (MFA 2017 Art) molded her popular ArtCenter Extension (ACX) Collage/Mixed Media studio course so students create from home using the “art-making station” she helps them build.

Q: How would you describe this class to a prospective student?

A: Through collaging, we see familiar forms and textures anew. We experiment with different mediums, techniques and materials to juxtapose textures and forms and make iterative expressions. It’s a very playful class, but it is also challenging and involved. It's useful for design majors, as well as fine arts.

ArtCenter Extension

Non-degree art and design classes for kids, teens and adults.

This translation to online in a way mirrors the affordances of collage itself: using what is there, seeing what is new.

Delbar Shahbaz (MFA 2017 Art)Instructor

Q: What are some of the cool projects you have planned?

A: As we're all at home, we have access to the kitchen, so I decided to teach my students how to create their own monoprinting slabs by boiling gelatin and other mediums. Monoprinting on a gelatin plate is simple, clean and fun. The gratification is immediate, and the prints are so accurate. You're able to incorporate various media to it, including crayons, gouache, watercolor and pencil.

Q: What innovative techniques have you used to translate the course to an online environment?

A: This translation to online in a way mirrors the affordances of collage itself: using what is there, seeing what is new. By switching to #remotelearning, I transformed the course into a very productive, accessible online studio setup that still maintains a sense of community. Part of the course now supports students to create an art-making station for themselves in their own space — no matter what they're working with or where they are working from.

Q: What do you hope emerges from your investigations in the classroom?

A: This #pandemic is a reminder that we’re a part of nature, and that uncertainty is the only constant. We consider ourselves as part of the present and future of this planet. How is our body affecting or being affected by nature? We read about this concept and we look at artists who work around related subjects of care, the human body, and our collective behavior.

letterpress poster display

Take the next step toward developing new skills in art and design.