Texas Tech University

SMAP students displaying their cast silver rings.

School of Art
Outreach
Saturday Morning Art Project

saturday morning art project

Twenty-one gifted and talented students from the surrounding school districts and the Lubbock area, covering a forty-five-mile radius, are recommended by their public-school art teachers for participation. The selected students meet for seven Saturday mornings during the spring semester in the Texas Tech University Art Buildings for three hours of instruction by School of Art faculty.

The Saturday Morning Art Project began in 1981 from a collaborative effort by the Junior League of Lubbock, the Texas Tech Art Department, the Texas Tech Museum, and the Lubbock Independent School District; it continues today as a cooperative venture between the Helen Jones Foundation and the School of Art.
Former participants of this program have ended up pursuing Art degrees at the university level, often at Texas Tech. They develop successful professional art careers and have distinguished themselves as leaders in the art field, as educators, studio artists, designers, and arts entrepreneurs.

One distinguished SMAP alumnus is Alex Ross, a Chicago based artist who contributes to Spiderman and Human Torch for Marvel Comics and Superman for DC Comics. He is a significant influence in the graphic novel and comic book world. A 2016 SMAP alumna, Koby Griggs, graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design. After graduation, Ms. Griggs was employed by Atlanta-based Floyd County Productions as a Background Illustrator for an Animated International Televised Show. Daniel Aycock entered the TTU Art program soon after participating in SMAP. He received a BFA in Photography then proceeded to get an MFA from the School of the Visual Arts in New York, where he stayed. Daniel was one of the earliest artists to venture into Williamsburg in the late 1990s, setting up one of the first art galleries there. He was also the founding publisher of WAGMAG, the Williamburg Area Galleries magazine. While Daniel has re-located his gallery into Manhattan, WAGMAG still operates as a Brooklyn Art Guide.

Program Highlights

Sponsored by the Helen Jones Foundation, Texas Tech University, the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Texas Tech School of Art. All art materials are provided for students by the Helen Jones Foundation for the Saturday Morning Art Project.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS

 
 
 
Director Dane Webster teaching a SMAP animation workshop.Prof. Dirk Fowler leads the poster making SMAP workshop.SMAP students making a Sun Painting on light sensitive fabric.Prof. Ghislaine Fremaux teaching a SMAP portrait workshop.

schedule

All workshops are scheduled from 9 a.m. – noon on Saturdays.

 

SPRING 2023

Saturday January 21, 2023

Organic Cast Sterling Silver Ring – Part 1

Rob Glover
Professor of Jewelry Design & Metalsmithing
3-D Art Annex
3216 Main Street- Room 100
Texas Tech University Campus

Students will cast one organic sterling silver ring and will be introduced to the importance of functionality in wearable jewelry. Students will learn the lost wax casting process: wax carving techniques, investing process, casting, and oxidization practices. Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing.

Saturday January 28, 2023

Organic Cast Sterling Silver Ring – Part 2

Rob Glover
Professor of Jewelry Design & Metalsmithing
3-D Art Annex
3216 Main Street- Room 100
Texas Tech University Campus

Students will learn the centrifugal casting process, remove rings from flasks, and finish and polish their rings. A short section will be presented on mold-making and reproductive processes within the casting technique. Students will learn about how to support themselves as practicing artists – “No starving artists” lecture. Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing.

Saturday February 4, 2023

Mold Making

William Cannings
Professor of Sculpture
School of Art 3-D Art Annex
3216 Main Street- Room TBD
Texas Tech University Campus

Meet in the 3D Art Annex hallway, group will move to Sculpture studio. Professor Cannings will conduct a mold making workshop, utilizing the alginate and plaster process. Objects and body parts will be cast to create plaster sculptures in order to create a thoughtful object that can be humorous or serious. Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of sculpture.

Saturday February 18, 2023

Complicated Color: Using Color Theory in Watercolor Pencil

Shannon Cannings
Professor of Practice
School of Art, Room B-24 in the Art Building
18th and Flint
Texas Tech University Campus

Interpreting color that we see in reality can be difficult and complicated. In this workshop we will look at one kind of color scenario and break it down to understandable information. We will make small drawings with colored pencil working from direct observation of a still life. Students will have a beginning understanding of color and material to use in future artworks. Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of painting and working with a gallery.

Saturday March 25, 2023

Button Collage Workshop

Dirk Fowler
Associate Professor of Graphic Design
School of Art, Room B-24 in the Art Building
18th and Flint
Texas Tech University Campus

Students will experiment with collage using xerography, cut paper, typography, drawing etc. and then press their art into their own buttons. Basic principles of design will be discussed with emphasis on hierarchy, balance, communication, and appropriateness. Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of Graphic Design.

Saturday April 1, 2023

Animal in You - Monotype Workshop

Sangmi Yoo
Professor of Printmaking
School of Art, Room 116 Printmaking Lab in the Art Building
18th and Flint
Texas Tech University Campus

What is your inner animal? We will create animal characters by cutting your own stencils and arrange other compositional elements. From digital to hands-on methods, you'll uncover the mystery of what goes into Monotype. The workshop covers how to create stencils and colorful monotypes. You will enjoy this rewarding process! Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of printmaking.

Saturday April 22, 2023

Animation Workshop

Dane Webster
Professor of Animation/Visualization
Director of the School of Art
Room SB-29 Transmedia Lab in the Art Building
18th and Flint
Texas Tech University Campus

This workshop is an artist-friendly introduction to animation and a career in Digital Narrative arts. (No supplies required, though it would be helpful if students have a laptop they want to bring and use for the workshop. The software is free and runs right in a browser.) Students will also learn about current trends and career opportunities within the field of transmedia.