Coppell High School: Studio Workshops

Feb. 3, 2018

On Feb. 3rd, the Onstead Institute organized three workshops, led by Martin Back, Arthur Peña, and Gabrielle Duggan, for 22 students at Coppell High School, Coppell, Texas. Each student was able to experience a college-level class in a personalized setting and create a piece of work for their advanced placement, AP, portfolio.

Digital Studio Practices Workshop

In this workshop, students learned how to use digital still cameras, digital scanners and Adobe Photoshop to create satirically, thought-provoking, original works of art that are hybrids between analog and digital processes. Students also learned the fundamentals of digital photography, how to use digital scanners as creative tools, and the necessary training in Adobe Photoshop to experiment with making a digital collage, photomontage, and composite images. By the conclusion of the workshop, each student made several original works that combined elements of drawing, photography, image appropriation, and re-mixing. 

Workshop Leader

Martin Back

Martin Back is an interdisciplinary artist working in video, the sonic arts, digital fabrication, installation art, and performance. His works have been shown, performed, and auditioned in galleries, museums, alternative venues, and on radio internationally. He has nearly 20 years of experience working with digital media ranging from still image production to creative software programming. Martin currently serves on the faculty of the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas, where he is Senior Lecturer of New Media Art.

Drawing Workshop

Students explored the use of collage techniques to create drawings. Through the manipulation of color and line, students worked on large pieces of colored paper, assembling shapes and other collage elements. They also had the opportunity to apply other media—such as paint, pencil, and ink—to render images, form abstractions, provide a diversity of texture, add detail, etc. This workshop was ideal for those across the creative spectrum who have been wanting to experiment with larger drawing formats and enrich their practice.

Workshop Leader

Arthur Peña

Arthur Peña is a painter, arts educator, and writer. He is the co-founder of Deadbolt Studios, founder/director of experimental art space WARE:WOLF:HAUS, roving music venue/music label VICEPALACE, and national curatorial project One Night Only. Peña received his Post- Baccalaureate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design in 2012. He was the 2016-17 Visiting Lecturer in Painting at Southern Methodist University and is currently the 2017-2018 Visiting Assistant Professor in Painting at the University of North Texas. Peña currently lives and works Dallas. arthurdpena.com

Installation Art Workshop

This workshop allowed students to investigate how space itself can be understood as an artistic medium. Incorporating a variety of three-dimensional materials and approaches, students created their own space-specific art. They learned fundamental methods and ideas involved in installation work while drawing on the environment of Coppell HS, activating artistic potential embedded in areas onsite. Students expanded their conception of how art objects—and art experiences—are created.

Workshop Leader

Gabrielle Duggan

Gabrielle Duggan (b. Buffalo, NY) combines techniques of traditional fiber work with disparate materials and contexts to explore physical and social tension. Building from an education in Fine Arts and Fashion (SUNY Buffalo, FIT) and Fibers and Surface Design (NCSU, Master of Art and Design), Duggan’s work has been supported by the NC Arts Council (RAPG), Art on the Atlanta Beltline (GA), Artspace PopUp (NC), and exhibitions at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Flanders, and Lump (NC), and Garis & Hahn (New York, NY by AH Arts). Duggan has been an Artist in Residence at the Musk Ox Farm (AK), IndieGrits (SC), Governors Island Art Fair (NY), and Artspace (NC); a Knight Foundation Emerging Artist at Ponyride (MI); a Fellow at Salem Art Works (NY); and recently an R.R. Dunn Artist in Residence at Adrian Smith’s laboratory in the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor and Fibers Program Coordinator at the University of North Texas. Prior to UNT, Duggan taught at Georgia State University and North Carolina State University. gabrielleduggan.com