ABOUT

Mission

The mission of the Materials Collection is to provide a collection of novel, sustainable, and traditional materials to inspire, inform, and spark inquiry within artists and designers.

Definition

A collection of physical items from a range of disciplines grouped together for the purpose of handling and manipulation of objects in support of artistic and research practices

Description

The Materials Collection serves as an interdisciplinary, educational resource for patrons exploring new and innovative physical materials in their work. Ranging from newly engineered objects to everyday items reconsidered, the Materials Collection enriches the artistic process through:

• Increased material literacy, resulting from active physical manipulation of objects
• Exploration of little-known and hard-to-find items, opening up new possibilities for artists and their work
• Access to sustainable materials, prompting patrons to consider the production of raw materials, labor and manufacturing practices, as well as global markets

Organization

The Materials Collection is organized into six material groups:

• Naturals
• Polymers
• Metals
• Minerals
• Ceramics
• Textiles

The materials are additionally organized by composition, form, properties, process, and application. Materials that may lend themselves to particular BFA majors are suggested as well.

The taxonomy was drawn from the Materials Collection Primer from the Francis Loeb Library, Harvard Graduate School of Design; the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) MasterFormat system (Table 41 - Materials), and the Art & Architect Thesaurus Online. The Material Properties tables are adapted from the tables found on Material District.