MICHAEL CROFT - Automata presentation

Michael Croft is Emeritus Professor of Art at the U of A where he taught jewelry and metalsmithing from 1972-1996. He discovered automata in London. He collected the work of contemporary artists and used it to intro­duce the rudiments of kinetic movement in his 3-D Design classes. In 2001, he began to create automata. He has given a number of lectures and work­shops at such venues as Haystack School of Crafts and the Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference. For the last few years his creative ener­gies have been focused almost entirely upon creating and collecting automata.

Automata: Historically, automata were mechanized, animated fig­ures operated by clockwork. Contemporary automata are small, hand-activated figures with simple mechanisms to animate charac­ters or scenes with a whimsical or quirky twist. Students will first ex­amine a variety of elemental mechanisms to understand how their ac­tions translate rotary movement into other actions. Students will look at the work of contemporary automata artists and focus on the design and cre­ation of a mechanical toy. The basic unit will be constructed from wood, but the mechanical parts and figures may be made from any material.

For the latest on Michael's research and collecting efforts please visit his very impressive Website.

This free presentation is sponsored by the Arizona Designer Craftsmen and is open to all members and non-members. No registration is required.