9490 - Mycological Arts
Course Description
Fungi—especially mycelium and the mushrooms that emerge from vast subterranean networks—have so much to teach us. To learn about fungi is to learn about place, about relation, about ecologies, about decomposition and world-making.
In this class, we will engage with fungi all around us. You’ll connect with your local ecosystem through walks and observation, and then come together in conversation and art-making with peers, artists and mycologists from around the world in live online sessions.
We’ll read texts by the likes of Yasmine Ostendorf-Rodríguez, Merlin Sheldrake, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Maria Pinto and John Cage; learn from folks like Giuliana Furci and Inti Garcia Flores; look at work by artists such as Nour Mobarak and Jae Rhim Lee; and connect with the RISD Nature Lab and the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN).
Inspired by your learning, you will make creative work in the media of your choice.
Learner Outcomes
Following completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Understand theoretical, cultural and activist discourses around fungi
- Demonstrate a basic overview of mushroom identification, applying that learning by observing fungi and mushrooms in your local ecosystem
- Practice conceptualizing and discussing your creative research process and art-making
- Develop a portfolio of creative work inspired by/in conversation with fungi in your media of choice
Notes
For RISD Students:
RISD Continuing Education (CE) credit is treated as transfer credit by RISD’s undergraduate degree programs. If approved, satisfactory completion of this course with a ‘C’ or better can count as 3 transfer credits toward Liberal Arts elective requirements (LAEL). Complete the Prior Approval for Liberal Arts Credit form in etrieve before completing the online course registration.
Students from institutions other than RISD:
Students seeking academic credits are urged to contact their home institution to arrange prior approval before registering. Policies on transfer credit vary by institution and by program, and it is at the discretion of your home institution to determine what credits it will accept and how they might meet individual academic requirements. For additional information about RISD Summer Intensives and Transfer Credit Policies, visit our webpage.