Continuing Education: Part One
I have been thinking about a lot of different subjects related to the theme of "continuing education" lately, so i decided to start a series of posts--maybe two, maybe three--of which this is definitely the first! The first subject is one of primary interest perhaps to locals, though i bet you what i set out here applies to taking courses of similar bent at universities in your own communities, if you are a non-Carolinian reader.
Local Interest: "How can i take your classes?"
Frequently people ask whether they can take my courses even though they are not enrolled in the graduate program. The answer to that is, yes, provided that you are willing to go through a few prerequisite steps to obtain approval (since, no one enrolls in my class without my advance permission).
Step One: Make sure the class i'm teaching is the one you want to take.
I teach these courses on a two-year cycle; not every course is offered every year even. This fall is Millinery, spring will be Dyeing/Distressing. Next fall will be Decorative Arts, followed by Masks/Armor. These are tentative schedules and may change according to what the program decides to offer, but in general, these are the ongoing offerings. You can always check the UNC course catalog to make sure when the seminar you want is being offered.
I am willing to lead a self-paced independent study for a student in very particular cases (i get paid a laughably small stipend to lead an independent study, so if you ask me to do this, you should know that you are essentially asking me to teach you for free, so i better like you a lot), but bear in mind that the courses are based on a discussion-community model--they are best experienced in tandem with a class of at least 3 other students.
I have considered breaking the courses down into short single-topic workshops i could offer through a community center or take "on the road" to other colleges and organizations, but thusfar the only "short class" i've done like this is my parasol unit. If your school or organization wants to sponsor a particular workshop, i'd be glad to work something out. In general though, the most straightforward thing is to just take my classes at my facility with the grad students.
Step Two: Contact me in advance of the first day of class.
I advise emailing, calling, or dropping by the department. Let me know why you are interested in the class (which can be something as simple as "it sounds cool") and show me some examples of your work. This doesn't have to be a formal portfolio, it might be some links to .jpgs on your flickr account, or if you come by the office, bring something you stitched or constructed or painted or whatever. Basically, i need to know that you have the artisanship skills to keep up with Millinery or Decorative Arts, and that you have the "messy-arts" skills to keep up with Dyeing/Distressing or Masks/Armor. Want some tangible examples? In the past, non-graduate students have gotten into the classes by showing me things like an apron they made from a Simplicity pattern, a series of sculptures from an art course, and photographs of their children's Halloween costumes.
If i don't think you are ready for the class, i will offer some suggestions on what you can do to build and hone the skills you will need. Often, this means that i recommend taking Drama 192 - Introduction to Costume Production as a prerequisite, in which the students get exposure to all aspects of costume production and learn basic sewing, design, and costume history topics. Some other options include introductory art/craft/sewing classes at local education centers like the Carrboro ArtsCenter or Mulberry Silks. I don't accept students whose current skill level is such that they won't be able to keep up with the graduate students in quality and turnaround of their projects, because first and foremost the class serves the graduate program. I also make certain that the students i accept understand the amount of work required in the courses.
I get a lot of inquiries from folks who think that, for example, learning to make hats would be a lot of FUN OMG YAYE! Which, don't get me wrong, it IS a lot of fun; i love what i do for a living and love teaching it. However, it is also a lot of LABOR. I make sure that prospective students understand that taking my courses are akin to taking a studio art course--that not only will you be working in class several hours a week, but that you will be putting in several hours of work time outside of class in order to get the projects done to the standard i expect, and that you might be putting those hours in at the costume facility because they require specialized equipment. Sometimes even the grads get overwhelmed by the amount of work these classes require.
And, the most important reason to contact me in advance: to make sure there's room in the class. Registration priority goes to MFA candidates in the Costume Production program, clearly. There are always four and sometimes five of these students. There are six slots in the class. That means there is always at least one space allotted for either a qualified undergraduate or a continuing education student. I operate on a first-come basis, so getting your foot in the door is ideal.
Step Three: Enroll at UNC.
If a prospective student is an undergraduate, great--they've already got Step Two taken care of! All you have to do in that case is come by and meet with me and the administrative coordinator for the department and we'll sign you up on the spot (provided there's room in the class).
If you're not a UNC student though, no worries; you don't have to apply to the university as an undergrad. You can enroll as a Continuing Education student through the Friday Center's program. This will get you into the system so you can register. Then, come by the department and we'll set you up.
I do keep a waitlist when i have more interest than i have slots, too.
That's it, how to get into my classes in three maybe-sorta-easy steps! We're already underway with millinery this fall semester (two classes into it, and it's not something one could easily "catch up" on) with a class population of four graduate students and one continuing education student. I'll probably be posting photos of their first projects soon! So, too late to get in on that one, but Spring's Dyeing/Distressing still has two slots, and it cycles on from there!
In totally unrelated news, i do want to note that we've got a new work-study employee in the department, a familiar face in the form of Ryan Jones, the student photographer whose series of parasol images was included in my parasol textbook which came out early this year. Ryan is in his senior year of studying photojournalism and just returned from an amazing-sounding grant-funded trip across New Zealand, which he has and continues to blog over at ryotails! Ryan is going to be joining us as a staff photographer contributing to the expansion of the CoStar Vintage Clothing Archive! Also check out Ryan's deviantART page (including photographs from my book!) for more of his photography unrelated to the NZ project. We're all excited to have Ryan back in the department lending his lensmanship to documenting our collections!
Local Interest: "How can i take your classes?"
Frequently people ask whether they can take my courses even though they are not enrolled in the graduate program. The answer to that is, yes, provided that you are willing to go through a few prerequisite steps to obtain approval (since, no one enrolls in my class without my advance permission).
Step One: Make sure the class i'm teaching is the one you want to take.
I teach these courses on a two-year cycle; not every course is offered every year even. This fall is Millinery, spring will be Dyeing/Distressing. Next fall will be Decorative Arts, followed by Masks/Armor. These are tentative schedules and may change according to what the program decides to offer, but in general, these are the ongoing offerings. You can always check the UNC course catalog to make sure when the seminar you want is being offered.
I am willing to lead a self-paced independent study for a student in very particular cases (i get paid a laughably small stipend to lead an independent study, so if you ask me to do this, you should know that you are essentially asking me to teach you for free, so i better like you a lot), but bear in mind that the courses are based on a discussion-community model--they are best experienced in tandem with a class of at least 3 other students.
I have considered breaking the courses down into short single-topic workshops i could offer through a community center or take "on the road" to other colleges and organizations, but thusfar the only "short class" i've done like this is my parasol unit. If your school or organization wants to sponsor a particular workshop, i'd be glad to work something out. In general though, the most straightforward thing is to just take my classes at my facility with the grad students.
Step Two: Contact me in advance of the first day of class.
I advise emailing, calling, or dropping by the department. Let me know why you are interested in the class (which can be something as simple as "it sounds cool") and show me some examples of your work. This doesn't have to be a formal portfolio, it might be some links to .jpgs on your flickr account, or if you come by the office, bring something you stitched or constructed or painted or whatever. Basically, i need to know that you have the artisanship skills to keep up with Millinery or Decorative Arts, and that you have the "messy-arts" skills to keep up with Dyeing/Distressing or Masks/Armor. Want some tangible examples? In the past, non-graduate students have gotten into the classes by showing me things like an apron they made from a Simplicity pattern, a series of sculptures from an art course, and photographs of their children's Halloween costumes.
If i don't think you are ready for the class, i will offer some suggestions on what you can do to build and hone the skills you will need. Often, this means that i recommend taking Drama 192 - Introduction to Costume Production as a prerequisite, in which the students get exposure to all aspects of costume production and learn basic sewing, design, and costume history topics. Some other options include introductory art/craft/sewing classes at local education centers like the Carrboro ArtsCenter or Mulberry Silks. I don't accept students whose current skill level is such that they won't be able to keep up with the graduate students in quality and turnaround of their projects, because first and foremost the class serves the graduate program. I also make certain that the students i accept understand the amount of work required in the courses.
I get a lot of inquiries from folks who think that, for example, learning to make hats would be a lot of FUN OMG YAYE! Which, don't get me wrong, it IS a lot of fun; i love what i do for a living and love teaching it. However, it is also a lot of LABOR. I make sure that prospective students understand that taking my courses are akin to taking a studio art course--that not only will you be working in class several hours a week, but that you will be putting in several hours of work time outside of class in order to get the projects done to the standard i expect, and that you might be putting those hours in at the costume facility because they require specialized equipment. Sometimes even the grads get overwhelmed by the amount of work these classes require.
And, the most important reason to contact me in advance: to make sure there's room in the class. Registration priority goes to MFA candidates in the Costume Production program, clearly. There are always four and sometimes five of these students. There are six slots in the class. That means there is always at least one space allotted for either a qualified undergraduate or a continuing education student. I operate on a first-come basis, so getting your foot in the door is ideal.
Step Three: Enroll at UNC.
If a prospective student is an undergraduate, great--they've already got Step Two taken care of! All you have to do in that case is come by and meet with me and the administrative coordinator for the department and we'll sign you up on the spot (provided there's room in the class).
If you're not a UNC student though, no worries; you don't have to apply to the university as an undergrad. You can enroll as a Continuing Education student through the Friday Center's program. This will get you into the system so you can register. Then, come by the department and we'll set you up.
I do keep a waitlist when i have more interest than i have slots, too.
That's it, how to get into my classes in three maybe-sorta-easy steps! We're already underway with millinery this fall semester (two classes into it, and it's not something one could easily "catch up" on) with a class population of four graduate students and one continuing education student. I'll probably be posting photos of their first projects soon! So, too late to get in on that one, but Spring's Dyeing/Distressing still has two slots, and it cycles on from there!
In totally unrelated news, i do want to note that we've got a new work-study employee in the department, a familiar face in the form of Ryan Jones, the student photographer whose series of parasol images was included in my parasol textbook which came out early this year. Ryan is in his senior year of studying photojournalism and just returned from an amazing-sounding grant-funded trip across New Zealand, which he has and continues to blog over at ryotails! Ryan is going to be joining us as a staff photographer contributing to the expansion of the CoStar Vintage Clothing Archive! Also check out Ryan's deviantART page (including photographs from my book!) for more of his photography unrelated to the NZ project. We're all excited to have Ryan back in the department lending his lensmanship to documenting our collections!