Herb Babcock, Craft Chair, Glass Chair B.F.A., Cleveland Institute of Art; M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art

Susan Aaron-Taylor, Fiber Design Chair B.S., Wayne State University; M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art

Thomas Madden, Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design Chair B.F.A., Kansas State University; M.F.A., Bowling Green State University

The discipline of crafts has acquired new meaning and importance in a society increasingly dependent on impersonal technology. By stimulating our senses through texture, form and color, finely crafted objects remind us of our humanity.

As a Crafts student at CCS, you will gain fluency in a broad range of crafts materials and media while building a strong foundation of skills in your chosen area of concentration.

You will become adept at considering questions about the nature of technology in the context of your work, and gain the perspective and discipline in critical thinking that will enable you to continually grow as an artist. Studies in our Craft History class give historical context to the evolution of the contemporary crafts person. You will begin Crafts studies by taking 15 hours of classes in various crafts disciplines before choosing a specific concentration. Students who exhibit sufficient self-discipline in multi-media are allowed to enter the Interdisciplinary Crafts program.

You'll be introduced to many career paths, graduate study programs, as well as ways to market your craft - whether it be in a gallery or a manufacturing firm.

METALSMITHING AND JEWELRY DESIGN
Experiment as you explore the many avenues of creative expression offered by jewelry, utilitarian objects, sculpture and furniture. You’ll gain proficiency in such diverse areas as lost wax casting, blacksmithing, holloware, anodized aluminum making and architectural and historical ironwork.

FIBER DESIGN
You'll elect courses from the five main areas of the concentration (weaving, surface design, off-loom, pattern design and interdisciplinary), and learn a multitude of techniques, including pattern weaving, silkscreening, shibori, batik and fiber dyeing. Classes such as Textile History and Concepts and Symbols will further enhance your ability to convey your concepts and ideas. A wide range of internships are available, and students have gone on to careers in home furnishings, interior design, clothing design and the automobile industry, as well as art therapy and art instruction.

GLASS
CCS boasts the only hot glass studio at a Michigan college. In the CCS glass curriculum, you’ll create both hot and cold glass sculptural and vessel forms. You’ll explore everything from production glass techniques to concepts for fine art glass sculpture.

CERAMICS
CCS ceramic facilities offer an opportunity to experiment in various firing and glazing techniques. You’ll develop broad foundation skills in wheel-throwing, hand building, slip casting, and a mixed media approach to ceramic processes. B.F.A., Cleveland Institute of Art; M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art Susan Aaron-Taylor, Fiber Design Chair B.S., Wayne State University; M.F.A., Cranbrook Academy of Art Thomas Madden, Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design Chair B.F.A., Kansas State University; M.F.A., Bowling Green State University