Jeremiah Chiu – Ou(te)r Space

Ou(te)r Space: Course as Collective Manifesto contains the work of 21 high school students that participated in the (virtual) Graphic Design section at Otis College of Art & Design’s Summer of Art in July of 2020. The month-long course, led by Jeremiah Chiu, was proposed to the students as a 4-part experimental and collaborative workshop—activating the remote classroom as a space for self-reflection, critical inquiry, and expression through experimentation.

The course was structured into four, week-long topics: A Portrait Through Objects (image-making), Establishing a Voice (typography), A New Vision (research and writing), and Self-Publishing (authorship). In the final week, students collaborated with Chiu to compile a final volume documenting the results of their month-long study—seen here in this book.

As the world we live in continues to change, so should the approach to educating, collaborating, and communicating with students and practitioners. The book serves as a starting point—an inspiration—for educators and students alike to engage, question, and evolve Graphic Design Pedagogy and Curriculum towards a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future.

From an educator’s perspective, it may seem obvious to teach as we have been taught. But too often, education is taught in binaries—right and wrong—and through biases—subjective “goodness” as a measure of quality. Beyond right and wrong, this book proposes that we re-establish the hierarchical balance between teacher and student, and that philosophical inquiry—ethical, political, and representational questioning—become integral to the practice of a contemporary designer. Instead of determining what is right or wrong, we may, alternatively, discover what is possible.