Future Studio(VA4207.01)
Robert Ransick; Charles Crowell
Credits: 4
W 8:00am – 11:40pm
Future Studio is a creative incubator designed for the development and articulation of new enterprises that value workers, local communities, sustainability, and the environment equally with profit. The course is designed to lay the foundation for building new enterprise of all types through the unique integration of creativity, arts & culture, and sophisticated business competencies.
Modeled after the Bennington Plan, which is inherently entrepreneurial, Future Studio engages business as an artistic space that marries inquiry-based idea development, artistic social practice, iterative design, and new business models to generate constructive social outcomes.
We will examine the history of artists and innovative entrepreneurs who have developed organizations and enterprises that break from extractive business models and, instead, integrate creativity and sustainable economic development. The course applies a segmented learning model which utilizes a recursive process of collaboration and active learning, while building capacities in areas such as finance, legal structure, and enterprise modeling.
Future Studio emphasizes creativity, innovation, place-centered economies, worker-centered ownership, environmental sustainability, social justice and financial viability. The goal is to develop ideas that may lead to the creation of new ventures which can be launched as viable enterprises with powerful economic potential and socially responsible missions.
Students who are interested in rethinking what it means to be in business today, possess an interest in the promise of creative enterprise and have skills and knowledge from diverse discipline areas are strongly encouraged to enroll. You do not need to be a visual arts student to meaningfully participate in this course.
Workload:
Workload for Future Studio may vary widely from week to week – rather than simply progress through a series of lessons, students will be working to research and develop ideas for a new enterprise. Few endeavors of this sort observe a regular rhythm, as will be reflected in the workload.
Research/Wiki
All students are required to maintain a personal wiki site for this class. This space should act as an electronic journal and contain your research, summaries of all the class readings (must be posted by Monday at 2:00PM) and documentation of work. Individual and group pages are to be updated regularly (weekly). Each student is responsible for viewing and commenting on all student pages.
Textbook / resources:
There is no textbook required for this class.
Monitor business and design trends via news sources (there are many more, but this is a good start):
–Fast Company
–Business Insider
–Harvard Business Review
Additional readings and other materials will be provided in class over the course of the term.
Requirements:
-Above all, members of Future Studio will be committed to maintaining a respectful, constructive, and collaborative environment for all.
-Members will attend ALL scheduled meetings (class and otherwise), or must communicate their absence in advance. No absence is excused, and more than two absences may result in dismissal from the studio. If you must miss a class, email the instructors before the start of class.
-All members will contribute to the fullest extent of their talents, and challenge themselves beyond their boundaries. Complacency or free riding have no place here.
-Members will be honest and communicative in their work and association.
-Members will work to resolve conflicts fairly and maturely, and work to de-escalate tension during difficult times.
-Cliché, but: we will work extremely hard, and also have a lot of fun.
Evaluation:
-Participation / attitude
-Communication
-Collaboration
-Creative / conceptual / technical work and individual progress over the entire course.
-Overall contribution to the enterprise
There may also be periodic check-ins over the course of the term to discuss performance and progress.
Getting Help: We are available during office hours, by appointment, or via email. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, issues, or ideas you may have. It is easier to solve small problems earlier, rather than grapple with large problems later.
Anna Kroll, the Digital Arts technician, is also available to assist students. They can be reached by email. Pod/facility information can be found here: http://pod.bennington.edu/