Material Studies from The Bauhaus, Black Mountain College, and Beyond

Matière exercises focus on the tactile exploration of materials and can reveal how our eyes think a material would feel. A broken egg shell, for example, seems visually different seen on top of ruffled white silk versus on top of burlap. The principles of this approach can be applied to collage, sculpture, painting, poetry, and more. Using mostly reclaimed materials and simple hand tools, in this workshop, participants will create Matières that explore texture, design, and more. Can a soft material appear to be hard? A rough material smooth? We will engage with everyday materials to imbue them with new meaning while utilizing multiple sensory experiences.

Based on the curricula developed by Josef and Anni Albers in their time at the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College and taught by artist and Albers Foundation Education Director Fritz Horstman, this two-session workshop is ideal for artists and teachers of every level. The result is a form of collage or assemblage –– a piece entirely your own, focused on a material of your choosing. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of materiality and texture, learning new ways to elevate everyday materials.

The second session of this two-part workshop builds upon the first; though it is not necessary to join both, we encourage you to do so.

About the Speaker:
Fritz Horstman is a curator, educator, and artist based in Bethany, Connecticut, where he is Education Director at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. He has curated exhibitions in Italy, Ireland, Croatia, Norway, and the United States, including Anni Albers: In Thread and On Paper. He has lectured and given workshops at Yale University, Harvard University, l’École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Lebanese American University in Beirut, the Royal Academy of Art in London, and many other institutions. Recent exhibitions of his sculptures, installations, prints, and drawings have been shown across Europe and the United States, including at the New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut; Municipal Bonds, San Francisco; and Planthouse Gallery, New York. He received a BA from Kenyon College and an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art.