One illustration Ware is working on depicts the main character by a bamboo fence.
 
Ware's main character, who is yet un-named, spies Mifune Castle in the distance.
Hickman scanned this sketch into Adobe Photoshop and is experimenting with different colors and textures.
Hickman's manipulated image springs to life.

Students Get Jiggy With It
Mac Class: More than Just Computers

By MELANIE CESSPOOCH

SANTA FE—The Introduction to Macintosh class is making waves at IAIA as the students explore video, graphics, and web design. Pamela Hastings, adjunct instructor, has taken an innovative approach in teaching the basic use of Macintosh computers by giving the students a chance to create their own projects.

Walden Ware, Kiowa, a new student from southwest Oklahoma, thinks the self-directed projects are cool.

“You don’t have anybody telling you what you can and can’t do. You just do what you’re interested in.”

Comic Book Project

Ware is creating a comic book using Adobe Photoshop. It will be like an e-book with pages that you click to turn the page. He hopes to use Flash MX to animate the book.

“My comic book is about an Indian girl who grew up in Japan. Her dad is Indian and her mom is Japanese, so she has learned to live off the land and to fight,” Ware said. The father was killed because of prejudice and now the girl, who is yet un-named, goes on a journey to find the killers. Ware plans on 50 pages to complete his project.

Ware is one of four students enrolled in the new visual communications program. “I never had an art class before I came here. But when I worked as a security guard, I used to draw on the MS Paint program and I got good at it.”

"I think the computer is an amazing art and storytelling tool. It is incredibly exciting to see new ideas come about on these machines," Hastings said as she reflected on the students' projects.

Painting by Computer and Video Editing

Carmane Hickman is Dine’ from Tsaile, Ariz. She is beginning her first semester in the BFA studio arts program. Her project involves manipulating her art using Photoshop.

“Computers are better. You can still paint, but it’s more advanced and contemporary,” Hickman said. This is her first time working on the Mac, and she likes it. “I’m learning more about the Mac and forgetting about the PC.”

Hickman will have a complete portfolio of eight to ten images by the end of the semester. She is thinking of changing her major from visual communications but is unsure because she already has her AFA in studio arts. She enjoys working on her own project, and learning the Mac and Photoshop.

“The Mac is easy,” said Ben Buffalo, Cheyenne/Seneca from Buffalo, NY. “You don’t have to do as much maintenance with the computer as you do with the PC.”


"I think the computer is an amazing art and storytelling tool. It is incredibly exciting to see new ideas come about on these machines."

—Pamela Hastings
This is Ben’s first semester in college and his first time working on the Mac. He is currently enrolled in the 2D program and had not yet heard of IAIA’s visual communication program until asked if he has considered it as a major.

“I only heard of certain classes such as motion design,” Buffalo said. He is the only student in the class who is a little frustrated with the self-directed project. “I just came out of high school, and I’m used to being told what to do.”
Buffalo has decided to explore the basics of video editing. He will create a four- to-five-minute music video.

Developing A Critical Eye

Hastings' teaching philosophy is to provoke the students to see in a new way, through their own eyes, not the norm.

"Especially in a media-saturated society such as ours, each new student needs to emphasize a critical eye and learn how their vision is unique, whether they are using a mouse, a pen or a paintbrush."

During the first half of the semester, Hastings covered technical basics of OS9 and OSX. In the second part of the semester, the students will dedicate more time to their projects.

Pamela Hastings is a multi-faceted visual artist and designer. She has her bachelor of fine arts in theatre from the University of Southern California and her masters of fine arts in photography from Bard College in New York. She worked with high profile clients in New York such as Vogue, Nikon, and Vanity Fair. She has also exhibited her photographs in the U.S. and Europe.

This is her first semester at IAIA, having come on board as a curriculum consultant. Hastings believes strongly in "teaching as empowerment.” She said, “The self-directed student will know how to approach their projects when it is time for the teacher to go. The students need to learn how to make choices and see the computer as a tool for their visions."

Ben Buffalo experiments with a quicktime movie on a digital camera.
The Introduction to Macintosh class hams it up! L-R: Carmane Hickman, Melanie Cesspooch, Pamela Hastings, Ben Buffalo, Walden Ware. Photo by the self-timer.
 
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