Laser Cutting for Colleges & Universities

DIY set up for online teaching. Laptop raised up on a tomato box with podcast mic inside. Webcam set up for drawing demo with art materials and cup of coffee.

This morning I arrived at the studio early for the first day of Drawing 1. After decades in academia, I left five years ago to open FreeFall Laser. But I enjoy teaching too much to leave it completely. So I’ve continued to teach one class a semester at the Community College of Vermont (CCV).

Last year, like many of you, I shifted from hands-on to online and it was quite a creative and logistical challenge.

But the adjustment has also brought new opportunities and ways to connect with students and artists through guest lectures and workshops at various colleges around the country.

It’s been my pleasure to participate in these remote courses, and I look forward to doing more in 2021.

Are you looking for fresh content for your remote or hybrid classes?

I can bring laser cutting to your courses, even if you don’t have a laser cutter yet.

I collaborate with instructors in a variety of ways, including participating in their visiting artist lectures or workshops, providing access to laser cutting services, and consulting.

In this post I share the ways I collaborated with instructors at the University of Alabama and Millersville University last semester.

Jigsaw woodblock of a house locked into the bed of a letterpress. Inked up in shades of gray. Artist: Gina Fowler

Laser Cutting Services

Kyle Holland, who teaches book arts at the University of Alabama, wanted to give his MFA students experience with laser cutting for letterpress.

Students created laser cutting files and sent them to me for engraving.

Here is Gina Fowler’s jigsaw block, laser cut with engraved text (right).

Kyle provided instructions for making the files in Adobe Illustrator. But if you’re not ready to teach Illustrator yourself, I can work directly with your students through Zoom. And my excellent handouts make the process easy and fun.

Laser engraved woodblock locked into letterpress bed. Patrick Clancy printing. Finished print with text “White Lotus, A Monk, about to cut it, between two minds.” — Buson

Patrick Clancy

Waterless lithography plate in the bed of a laser cutter. Image of a calligraphic landscape laser engraved onto the plate.

Visiting Artist Workshops

Brant Schuller, at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, invited me to teach a workshop on laser engraving waterless litho plates.

Brant, who is well-versed in waterless litho, taught the hands-on part: how to prepare and print the plates.

I covered the laser engraving. This included an introduction to developing images improvisationally at the laser cutter.

AndreaBurns

Laser engraved lithographs. Tryptic by Andrea Burns of a young women with text.

Andrea Burns

Is there a printmaking process or book form you’re teaching that you’d like to incorporate with laser cutting?

Let’s collaborate! I teach a stand-alone workshop you can add as a unit, or we can co-teach: I provide the laser-cutting portion while you teach the print or book arts content.

Interested in bringing me to your class? Virtually of course. Email me to set up a time to chat: sarah@freefall-laser.com

Sarah Pikelaser cutting, laser cut, laser engraving, printmaking, colleges, universities, remote learning, hybrid learning, zoom, workshops, artist book, artist books, University of Alabama, Millersville University, waterless lithography, letterpress, lithography