William Brayton, professor of art, received his B.A. in studio art from the University of New Hampshire and an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate University.
In addition to founding the sculpture program at Hampshire in 1988, he has taught visual art at the University of New Hampshire, and the Chautauqua School of Art, and been a visiting artist at Dartmouth College, Skidmore College, Penn State University, Amherst College, Rhode Island College, Claremont Graduate University, Colby Sawyer College, Marlboro College, and Marywood University.
He has been awarded curriculum development grants from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The Mellon Foundation.
Professor Brayton's art is frequently on exhibit nationally. He has produced site-specific installations and public art at such venues as the Barrows Rotunda Gallery at Dartmouth College, The Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the Art Lot, also in Brooklyn. Curators and critics including Linda Shearer, Charlotta Kotik, Lisa Phillips, Donald Kuspit, and Carter Ratcliff have selected his work for exhibitions at such spaces as The Chesterwood Museum, The Berkshire Museum, and The Hudson River Museum.
Reviews and photos of his sculpture and drawings have appeared in The Boston Globe, The Seattle Times, and Art New England. He has been awarded grants in support of his work from the Pollock Krasner Foundation and the Howard Foundation.
Professor Brayton's current sculpture, drawings, and installations examine Biomorphic Abstraction and Post Minimalism in relation to contemporary issues in visual art.
Current related research interests include Polynesian nautical stick charts, wind patterns, complexity theory, and invasive plants.
His website can be found at williambrayton.com
Recent and Upcoming Courses
- Sculpture Foundation
Contemporary ideas in sculpture will be introduced in relation to art production in a range of media including clay, wood, steel, concrete, and found materials. This course provides training for all equipment in the Art Barn Sculpture Studio. Student generated imagery will foster discussions around representation, abstraction, the body, technology, public art, and installation art. Readings, slide lectures, group critiques and a field trip to an area museum will inform the development of independent work in three dimensions. The course culminates with a lengthy student defined independent project.
- Special Projects in Drawing: Division II
This course will integrate intermediate level drawing assignments with two student defined half semester long independent projects. Articles, slide lectures and field trips to area art museums and drawing sites will inform work in the studio. Drawing as a visual practice will be defined broadly to allow for the exploration of forms and imagery across multiple genres, media and dimensions. Group critiques will aid in the development of a cohesive and ambitious body of independent work. Prerequisite: at least one drawing course at the college level. Additional coursework in art history and other visual art media is highly desirable.
- Drawing into Abstraction
In this advanced course students will develop a portfolio of drawings in response to issues in abstract art. Through the completion of multiple drawings a week, students will produce a large, personal and informed investigation of abstract imagery. Readings, slide lectures, group critiques and a field trip to an area museum will provide a context for independent work. One session each week will be devoted to the production and discussion of the independent project. The second session will provide technical and conceptual tools for exploring media, information, systems, color, and other means of generating abstract imagery. Given the fluid line between abstraction and representation, a wide range of subject matter will be explored. Prerequisite: At least one college level drawing course.
- Drawing Foundation
This course provides initial preparation for work in drawing and other areas of the visual arts. Students will develop their ability to perceive and construct visual images and forms across diverse subject matter. Projects address both the two-dimensional picture plane and three-dimensional space from a broad array of observed and imagined sources. Multiple media will be used to explore the body, found and imagined objects, collage, and structures in the natural and built environment. Visual presentations and group critiques will provide students with historical and conceptual contexts for the development their own work. This course satisfies Division I distribution requirements and prepares students to complete independent work.
- Sculpture and Place: Site Specificity, Installation, Public Art
In this course students will construct a site specific object, a small installation, and a temporary outdoor public art project. Each project will proceed from a proposal outlining parameters such as subject matter, sources, site research, materials, scale, budget, and resources. Artists and collectives who work within these genres will be introduced through slide talks, readings, and a field trip to an area art museum. Group critiques will expose students to the responses of their peers and faculty, helping them clarify and expand the implications of their work. Prerequisite: Hampshire College Sculpture course (Sculpture Foundation or Object and Environment)
