Apr 01, 2016 The Interdisciplinary World of Book Arts – Words of Appreciation from an Engineering Student

Michael Young is an engineering major at the U who decided to try something different from his usual math and physics coursework. So he signed up for the Artists’ Books Class (Art 4090), which fulfills the general education requirements for fine arts.

Community members can take the class by registering here: www.bookartsprogram.org.

Michael’s words to Marnie Powers Torrey, Instructor and Head of the Book Arts Program:

“It’s now been a year since I enrolled in your course, and I’m so glad I did! Your class was certainly the most fun I’ve had during my time at the university, and it opened up a lot of doors for me in terms of being able to see creative ideas to fruition. I had no idea what ‘Book Arts’ was going in, and I left in May somewhat obsessed with the art form. Since then I’ve had a lot of creative projects come up in my engineering studies, and the sort of abstract thinking that I used to conceive of the books I made for the class has actually been incredibly useful.

Also, I learned so much about problem solving and the design process making those books— an excellent complement to my courses in the College of Engineering. A large part of me regrets not pursuing the arts more in my time here at the U, and I think the quality of your teaching and the course is to thank for that.”

Best,
Michael Young
Engineering Major