The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Helvetica is a program designed to teach students knowledge and skills of letterpress and linoleum block printing disciplines as a means to express a coherent concept in their artwork and to explore the visual culture of the famous graphic design cities of Basel and Mainz. Students will meet a few times during the Spring semester to prepare in the basics of traveling in these areas, studio tools and shop safety, and visual literacy and design history.

The program will start in Mainz, Germany with a visit to the Gutenburg Museum to explore the early beginnings of printing. From there, the group will travel to Basel, Switzerland where the world’s most used typeface, Helvetica, was born in the Haas Foundry. Switzerland is a Mecca for Graphic Design, historically and in contemporary visual culture. Its influence on the world is indelible and forever changed the way Graphic Design is conducted as an art form and profession. Students will explore various design and art studios, facilities and foundries. Weekends and some afternoons will be spent exploring the cities, where there are amazing examples of architecture, engineering, fashion, and art to be seen.

Students will draw inspiration from the city and spend a good portion of their time in Basel working in a professional letterpress studio with a Print Master and a Queens’ faculty member. At the culmination of this experience, students will create an edition of the ten multi-colored letterpress and linoleum block prints that serve as a reflection on their artistic persona before and after their time in Germany and Switzerland.

This course may be most appropriate for students interested in art and Graphic Design. In addition to completing the online application, students will need to provide artwork samples to the CIE (international@queens.edu or McEwen 103) by April 1 to be considered. These samples should include five digital images of what they feel are their strongest pieces, both technically and conceptually. May be in any medium.

The academic course associated with this program is ART 304: The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Helvetica! for 4 credits.

This course meets throughout the Spring semester and travels in May. Exact travel dates are TBD.

This is a SELECTIVE program.

*Itinerary and planned activities subject to change.*