Introduction to Casting and Moldmaking

Description:

Making copies of objects by creating molds and casting into them is ancient practice in both art and industry.  Students will learn the basics of casting from life and from object models, using safe materials to replicate everyday objects in plaster, wax, plastic, or rubber -- including your various body parts.  Class time will be a combination of educational demonstration, working on individual projects, and hands-on (or in!) creation.

Class Goals:

The goal of this class is to have students create a few freshly-cast objects (at least one of their own body parts) and in so doing learn the necessary skills to continue the practice of one- and two-part moldmaking on their own.

Prerequisites:

None.

Materials:

All tools and materials will be provided by the instructor. Materials cost $30 per student, and are payable to the instructor on the first day of class.

Instructor Biography:

A native of Massachusetts, Bevan Weissman exists in duality as an artist and engineer: trained in both disciplines, his work straddles the line between the two. His areas of expertise include large scale installation, public art, and mixed-media sculpture; all of these have relied heavily on the inclusion of repeated and one-off castings in materials as diverse as cement, plastic, bronze, plaster, rubber, and wax -- whatever the piece needs in order to come alive.