The Way of Removal: The Art of Subtractive Sculpture

Subtractive sculpture is a ruthless, beautiful act. Every mark is final. Every cut is a decision you cannot undo. The Way of Removal offers a rigorous, reflective space to engage carving not as destruction, but as a form of construction—of meaning, of presence, of relationship to the material world. Carving is an act of violence, and we will not look away from that fact. Together we’ll ask: What does it mean to mark, mutilate, or shape geology? From the sacred desecration of Paha Sapa by Mount Rushmore to the intimacy of hand-hewn stone across Indigenous traditions, the politics of carving are inseparable from its aesthetics. We’ll examine this uneasy lineage while also exploring how sculptors—past and present—have treated removal as communion, even sacrifice. Late one night in Carrara, a young sculptor said, “Just as slaughter nourishes the body, our violence with marble nourishes the spirit.” This course will trace that energy—its brutality, its beauty, and the spiritual question that lingers at its core: What do you do before taking up the knife? We’ll explore: The metaphysical weight of absence: Making meaning by what’s taken away Stages of removal: Roughing, modeling, and finishing as forms of attention Cultural entanglements: Carving as both sacred practice and colonial desecration From chisel to CNC: How tools—from the ancient to the algorithmic—shape authorship Material as memory: Marble, stone, and earth as time-bearing witnesses