Untitled: The Interplay Between Text and Images - Winter 2025

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it doesn’t mean words are cheap or expendable. Words are not only a necessary part of being an artist today, but they are a powerful way to add dimension to a visual body of work.

Through lectures, discussions, and exercises, this class will examine the symbiotic (and often challenging) relationship between text and imagery. We will look at how other artists have historically included text in their work, both as a graphic element and a semantic tool—or simply a way to amuse themselves. The objective of this course is to learn practical and creative ways to hone the dialogue between text and photographs in your personal work, including titling, captioning, and yes, even the (dreaded) artist statement.

Please note: Though there will be some writing for this class, this is not specifically a writing class. It is recommended for artists who want to include imagery in their writing projects, or words in their image-based projects. Your epic tome is most welcome, but feedback will be given within a visual/photographic context.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR STUDENTS

• Weekly attendance is vital to student success in PCNW courses. We require that students attend the first meeting in order to retain their spot in the class. A waiver may be granted if permission is given by, and subsequent arrangements made with, both the PCNW Registrar and Faculty. Please see our Education Policies for details about attendance policies and academic expectations.
• PCNW adheres to a strict payment, cancellation and refund policy. Please review our Payment & Refund Policies prior to registration.
• Intermediate and advanced courses have prerequisites which students must satisfy prior to enrollment. Prerequisites may be waived based on experience or prior courses taken through other institutions. To verify that you meet the prerequisite(s) for a course, contact Jennifer Brendicke, Registrar at jbrendicke@pcnw.org.
• Students are required to provide their own camera, unless otherwise noted in the course description. If you have questions about camera equipment or resources, contact us at pcnw@pcnw.org.
• Additional materials and supplies, not covered by a materials fee for a course, are the responsibility of the student. Detailed information about course expectations, required texts and materials will be provided at the start of the quarter.
• Students should prepare to spend several hours per week completing assignments outside of class, which may require use of the PCNW facilities; view our Rental Rates for details about additional fees. Rental fees for use of PCNW Facilities are a separate cost from tuition.

Images © Barbara Kruger (be); John Baldessari (wrong & and); Ed Ruscha (figure it on out)