Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Cataloging the everyday landscape: document, print, publish!
Instructor(s): Samantha Haedrich, Studio Art
Moving to a new place invites us to see our surroundings with fresh eyes. What distinguishes one small town from another? How do we orient ourselves to new places and geographies? How does visual culture, signage, maps and media contribute to our sense of place and collective identity? And how can documenting our surroundings reveal larger ideas about community, history and infrastructure? Using Saratoga Springs as our focal point, students will explore strategies for recording and visualizing the natural and built environment through observation, fieldwork and research. This interdisciplinary course examines representations of place across contemporary art and design, archival practices, mapping and landscape studies. Students will develop foundational skills in design tools and software while creating projects through self-publishing formats such as zines and printed ephemera. Alongside hands-on making, we will study the history of artist books and independent publishing鈥攆rom the 1960s to today鈥檚 vibrant book fair culture鈥攃onsidering how print media can serve as a powerful platform for experimentation and exchange. No prior experience with software is necessary.
Course Offered: 2026