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, Pennsylvania 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
- Drawing Foundation
Through drawing, students will develop their ability to perceive and construct visual images and forms across a wide range of media and subject matter. Projects will address the two-dimensional picture plane from an array of observed and imagined sources. A large variety of media will be used to explore the body, found and imagined objects, collage, abstraction, and structures in the natural and built environment. Slide presentations and group critiques will provide students with historical and conceptual contexts for the development of their own work. A field trip to an area art museum will introduce students to some of the resources for artists available within the Five Colleges. This course satisfies the ADM distribution requirement and engages students with independent project-based work. Drawing supplies and materials will cost approximately $90.00. Please note: This course will meet from 1-3:20 within the 1:00-4:00 course time block.
- Sculpture in Clay
In this course, students will be introduced to the expressive opportunities of ceramic sculpture as it relates to both sculptural vessels and non-vessel oriented sculptural forms. Assignments will incorporate pinch, coil, extrusion and slab building methods. We will fire to cone 04 using white earthenware clay. Metallic oxides, mason stains, commercial glazes, and unglazed surfaces will be explored in relation to the forms that are produced, as well as the aesthetic and conceptual intentions of each student. Sgraffito, inlayed clay, brushwork and other surface techniques may be employed in relation to each form. An emphasis on nonfunctional objects will link this work to the history of ceramics as a sculptural medium. Ceramic sculptors past and present will be introduced through slide lectures and a student research project and presentation. Please note: This course will meet from 9:30-11:50 within the 9-12 course block.
- Collage/Assemblage
Using collage, students will produce two-dimensional projects with found imagery, drawn imagery, and collage making materials, i.e. painted paper, cardboard, plastic and other media, to produce an ambitious body of work. The history of collage, including its role in Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Pop Art, Digital Art and Contemporary Art will be covered through slides and readings. Both representational and abstract imagery will be produced. In assemblage students will investigate the interstitial space between two and three dimensions using accessible fabrication media such as paper, cardboard, paper-mache, sheet metal, wood, plaster and found objects. The use of assemblage in both historical and contemporary contexts will also be presented through slides and readings. This course will culminate with an independent project in either collage or assemblage. Prerequisite: Completion of "Sculpture foundation" or "Object and Environment" at Hampshire College.
- Special Projects
- Sculpture Foundation
Contemporary ideas in sculpture will be introduced in relation to art production in a range of media including clay, wood, steel, 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, and group critiques 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 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: One drawing course at the college level.
