Student Project: Callie Robbins

In this Louisiana Tech School of Design assignment, Joey Slaughter Associate Professor of Art, instructs students to reimagine what a shelf can be. The final shelf had to be made from metal. In the first step students learn to use curves in rhino and then how to make a scale mock-up of their designs from laser cut cardboard. 

Read the full case study here.
With the cardboard test students had to think about how they would form the CNC cut metal components with a brake to bend the metal or rollers to make curves. The students were asked to incorporate something on or with the shelf for example, found objects, collections, or to look to nature for examples. 
In this example named “Stalks”, artist Callie Robbins envisions a shelf reminiscent of the shapes and textures of wild mushrooms. The shelf appears to actually “grow” out of its aluminum metal base whose layout was cut on the CNC router and then folded and rolled to its completed shape. Here is a description of the work in Callie’s own words.

“For this project it was important to have varying diameters of the dowel rods, as well as a variation of lengths and textures. Each rod was either hand-carved or sanded to best render its individual texture. I also found it necessary to experiment with other tools. For instance, I used a drill to create openings in some of the rods. In keeping with the mushroom theme, I decided desaturated pastels would best suit the shapes I had created. Lastly, I chose to paint the tops of each stalk a cadmium red to reflect the “opening” of each one for the viewer.” Callie Robbins

– Hat’s off to Callie Robbins for this Inspiring Work of Art –

More About Louisiana Tech School of Design

Louisiana Tech University was founded in 1894 and is located in Ruston, Louisiana with a population of 12,000 students. The school is a

four-year selective admissions research university awarding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It’s mission as a selective-admissions comprehensive public university, Louisiana Tech is committed to quality in teaching, research, creative activity, public service, and workforce/economic development. Louisiana Tech maintains as its highest priority the education and development of its students in a challenging, yet safe and supportive, diverse community of learners.
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