Serena Himmelfarb

Serena Aurora Day Himmelfarb, five college visiting assistant professor of art, holds an M.F.A from the California Institute of the Arts, Post-Bacc Certificate from the School of the Art Institute, Chicago, and a B.A from Hampshire College.

Originally from Chicago, Serena is currently based out of Los Angeles. Their studio practice blends traditional methods of direct observation and more idiosyncratic processes based in post-studio methodologies. They are rooted in queer, feminist, and reproductive justice frameworks, whether geo-political, interpersonal, or internal.

Serena has recently shown at JOAN gallery, The Annenberg Beach House and Western Exhibitions. They have been included in Printed Matter's L.A Book Fair, and Other Places Art Fair. In 2018, they received a Research & Practice fellowship to study pedagogy in the arts.

Recent and Upcoming Courses

Introduction to Painting: Beyond the Landscape
This painting course will introduce students to the fundamentals of working with paint. In addition to a material exploration of painting, we will also investigate the conceptual possibilities available to contemporary painting. We will anchor our discussion around one central question, "What is a landscape?" We will begin to answer this question through practice by creating paint from pigments found in nature. We will then explore notions of representation and abstraction through various painting performances in the studio and outside. Students will ultimately create their own work through guided prompts that expand the idea of landscape and painting. (keywords: painting, landscape, environment)
Introduction to Studio Art Practices - The Generative Drift
Introduction to Studio Art Practices - The Generative Drift: In this drawing-centered course, we will be surveying and responding to a range of mediums, (im)material sources, and transcultural artists. Students will gain experience with new and alternative studio processes to create guided and self-directed projects. While we will approach the course from a drawing perspective, students may use mixed media, sound, performance, found materials, alongside traditional drawing mediums. Discussion of readings and lectures will be paired with experiential labs and critiques. This course is suitable for students at all levels of experience, from beginner to advanced. (keywords: painting, studio art, drawing, intro, foundation)
Mark/Make/Work: Blurring Art and Politics
Mark / Make / Work asks what art can do. It is a communal exercise and urgent exploration of social engagement through art practices. This class examines cultural interventions and distruptions by contemporary and historical art movements. It looks at transgressions of literal and metaphorical barriers - political, societal, geological, ecological, internal. Work made in this class is expected to live in the world. Class will take the form of discussions and presentations, with two stagings of interventions - collaborative or individual. (keywords: studio art, installation, politics)
Media and Technology: The Sound of Life: Observation, Art and Ecology
A soundscape is an environment of sounds with emphasis on the way it is perceived, understood, and inhabited by individuals, groups, societies, or non-humans. This course invites participants from diverse disciplines to investigate their sonic environments as artist-as-scientist or scientist-as-artist, sensing, surveying and responding to a range of mediums. This course will explore bridges between sound, art, and ecology. Drawing from the fields of sound art, eco-musicology, acoustic and soundscape ecology, physics, and environmental art, students are encouraged to consistently experiment through small, prompt driven projects, and collectively directed rambles. How is the landscape organized and transformed by sound? How is noise pollution impacting ecosystems, organisms, and human health and communities? In what ways do observation, deep listening and critical listening enhance our understanding of the world? Students will be given a wide range of possibilities for course projects such as conservation, ecology and environmental studies, cultural perspectives, art-making, music-making and sound composition. This course requires walking in variable terrain and weather. (keywords: sound, art, ecology, science)
Intermediate Painting
Based on the idea that the creative process is a cycle of rambling and synthesis, this course will value self-reflection as much as material output, encouraging an understanding of thinking and doing as equal partners in making art. Presentations on independent work and inspirations will invite a collaborative atmosphere. A non-medium specific course, less emphasis will be placed on specific techniques, and more on developing one's voice. Guided but student-led work will be presented in student-driven critiques, giving everyone the opportunity to receive feedback while practicing critical thinking and speaking about art.
Intermediate Studio Art Projects: Installation and Experimental Form
This studio arts course will explore a broad range of studio strategies, processes, and materials. Guided, student-led projects will be presented in student-driven critiques. Students will undertake research strategies particular to their interests and processes, and will be expected to reflect on this research in written responses. Slide lectures will introduce the class to contemporary and historical artists and art movements across cultural perspectives. From the dollhouse to the forest, soft sculpture to performative objects, this course embraces an expanded definition of the arts.