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
- Drawing Foundation
This course provides initial preparation for work in drawing and other areas of the studio arts. Students will develop their ability to perceive and construct visual images across diverse subject matter. Projects will address the two-dimensional picture plane from a broad array of observed and imagined sources. Multiple media will be used to explore the human body, found and imagined objects, collage, abstraction and structures in the natural and built environment. Slide talks and group critiques will provide students with historical and conceptual contexts for the development of their own work. A field trip to a Five College art museum will be incorporated. Drawing Foundation culminates with a lengthy independent project.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tutorial in Drawing: Perception, Invention, Abstraction
This tutorial provides initial preparation for work in the visual arts. Students will develop their ability to perceive and construct visual images across a broad range of subject matter. Projects stem from an array of observed and imagined sources. A wide variety of media will be used to explore the human body, found and imagined objects, abstraction, collage, and structures in nature and the built environment. Short readings and group critiques will provide students with historical and conceptual contexts for the development of a substantial portfolio. A lengthy independent project serves as the culminating experience. This course satisfies Division I distribution requirements and prepares students to complete independent work.
