Art
Websites: Art
The Art program guides students through transformative creative development, fostering self-discovery and artistic identity during a pivotal stage of life. We provide a supportive environment where students explore how their creative practice connects personal growth to broader cultural meaning-making.
We develop skilled, critically engaged artists through comprehensive study in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and video. Our progressive curriculum integrates technical mastery with deep knowledge of materials, visual culture, and contemporary theory, empowering students to create cohesive bodies of work that unite form with content and engage meaningfully with the world around them.
We cultivate thoughtful artist-citizens who communicate effectively, think critically, and contribute to society through creative stewardship. Our graduates emerge prepared to sustain meaningful artistic practices, participate in cultural dialogue, and enrich communities through visual art.
The studio art program offers classes in six disciplines: digital arts, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and video.
Requirements for the Major in Art
The major requires successful completion of the following:
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Requirements | ||
| Select two courses in art at the 100-level | 8 | |
| Select two courses in art at the 300-level | 8 | |
| Select three additional courses in art (ART) | 12 | |
| Select one course in art history (ARTH) | 4 | |
| ART 420 | Seminar in Creativity | 4 |
| ART 430 | Senior Seminar | 4 |
| Total Semester Hours | 40 | |
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Requirements | ||
| A comprehensive examination 1 | ||
- 1
The comprehensive examination for studio art majors includes the following: preparation and presentation of a portfolio produced over the course of at least one year, participation in a senior exhibition along with the submission of an artist’s statement, writing a thesis paper, undergoing a private defense of the portfolio and thesis, and giving a public presentation with response to questions from the audience. The comprehensive examination result is based on passing all of these components.
Honors
Students with a department GPA of at least 3.20 by the end of their junior year are eligible to apply for department honors. To apply for honors, a student must submit a proposal for a thesis project by the designated date during the first semester of their senior year. Those students whose proposals have been approved will, in addition to fulfilling the comprehensive exam requirements, assemble a solo exhibition along with the submission of an artist’s statement, write an extended thesis paper, undergo a private defense of the exhibition and thesis, and give a public presentation with response to questions from the audience. Final determination of honors is based on the quality of all of these components.
Student Learning Outcomes
A student majoring in Art will
- Distinguish and appraise their work in a social, art historical or critical context with references to specific artists, movements or theories.
- Create a portfolio of artistic work that is intellectually and visually cohesive.
- Express philosophical thinking about the body of work that marries form and content.
- Show their work in a public exhibition that meets professional standards.
- Give and receive critical feedback on artistic works using discipline-specific terminology.
Students with advanced placement (AP) art credit and students with other advanced art education or experience are strongly encouraged to consult with art faculty for placement in art courses, with possible enrollment directly into upper-level courses without need to complete otherwise required prerequisites. Placement directly into courses beyond the 100-level is at the discretion of the instructor teaching the course into which a student wishes to gain entry.
Requirements for the Minor in Art
The minor requires successful completion of the following:
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Requirements 1 | ||
| Select one course in art (ART) at the 100-level | 4 | |
| Select one course in art (ART) at the 300-level | 4 | |
| Select three additional courses in art (ART) | 12 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 20 | |
- 1
The department may approve up to four semester hours of transfer work from other institutions.
Art Courses
ART 103 Introduction to Photography (4)
An introduction to processes dependent on the lens as an imaging device, including wet-lab photography, digital photography. The course incorporates the fundamental theoretical, technical and aesthetic principles of working with photography as an expressive medium.Assignments include darkroom laboratory work, studio projects, discussions, written analyses, and class presentations. Open only to first-year students and sophomores.
ART 104 Introduction to Sculpture and 3D Design (4)
An introduction to sculptural media involving spatial dimensions, including sculpture, installation, computer-aided design, and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) fabrication. The course incorporates the fundamental theoretical, technical and aesthetic principles of composition in form and space. Assignments involve design of the production of objects; computer modeling; traditional and non-traditional sculpture techniques. Open only to first-year students and sophomores.
ART 105 Introduction to Drawing (4)
An introduction to media that explores drawing and mark making as the basis for visualization and ideation. The course incorporates the fundamental theoretical, technical and aesthetic principles of composition in two-dimensions. Students use wet and dry media to solve problems and investigate concepts of representation, abstraction and expression using traditional and non-traditional techniques. Open only to first-year students and sophomores.
ART 200 Special Topics: Intermediate (4)
Though its content will vary from semester to semester, this class always focuses on an intermediate-level topic in Digital Arts, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Sculpture or Video, not fully covered in existing courses. Examples might include courses on artistic movements, disciplines or traditions, a genre, or a theme. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic differs.
ART 242 The Lens and the Landscape: Documentary Studies and the Environment (4)
This course studies the human, ecological, and environmental histories of the region through the lens and practice of documentary production. In collaboration with historians, archaeologists, and biologists, students develop individual and group projects to create short documentaries about a diverse range of topics focused on the past and present environmental conditions of the Domain and its surroundings.
ART 243 Cutting Time: Topics in Contemporary Video Production and the Moving Image (4)
This introductory course involves study of the theories and processes of video and audio production as well as other techniques for making moving images. It examines a variety of aesthetic, formal, thematic, and technical approaches to composition and artistic expression through moving images and sound. The evaluation and analysis of assignments involves group discussions and individual critiques. Examples from a spectrum of artists and filmmakers provide a context for understanding the potential of moving images in a variety of forms.
ART 248 Video off the Wall: Topics in Video Installation Art (4)
Combining video technology and installation art, this course considers video as a medium to engage the specific spatial, material, social, and other environmental factors of the place where it is presented. Projects are composed and presented as projections upon various objects or sites and as synchronized, multiple-channel installations in several distinct locations and configurations. Concepts of interactivity and various approaches to both linear and nonlinear composition are explored.
ART 255 Collage and Assemblage: Combinations of Contemporary Culture (4)
Using found and self-generated imagery, this course explores collage and assemblage as means for developing artistic concepts. Through the understanding and juxtaposition of materials such as magazine clippings, wallpaper, texts, objects, photographs, and drawings, students establish a heightened sensitivity to the meaning of specific materials, explore various methods of combining them, and critically address how collage and assemblage have been used and created in both past and present. Through studio assignments, writing exercises, readings, discussions, and critiques, students explore forms of both historical and contemporary collage processes.
ART 259 Drawing from Life (4)
This course explores use of observational drawing techniques as a means for translating three-dimensional realities into two-dimensional drawn images. By observing inhabited spaces, landscapes, specimens and living subjects, students gain heightened sensitivity to the world around them through attentiveness to the visual. In the process, they also become acquainted with various drawing materials. Through studio assignments, exercises, discussions, field trips and critiques, students learn to draw from both life and the imagination, all the while honing their observational skills and their facility with drawing media. Prerequisite: ART 105 or ART AP03.
ART 261 The Lens, Time and Space: Topics in Photography (4)
This course introduces students to thematic approaches in photography using film-based methods, digital printing, and multi-media. Class projects and discussions center around the cultural and socio-political impact of the medium, as well the deeply personal and expressive aspects of photographic art. Prerequisite: ART 103 or ART 263.
ART 263 Intermediate Documentary Projects in Photography (4)
The course introduces students to documentary methods and issues pertaining to photography and related media used in the making of photo-documentaries. Class projects and discussions examine the cultural and socio-political impact of this genre, as well as the genre's core triangulation points of subjectivity, objectivity, and truth.
ART 281 Material, Space, and Form: Topics in Contemporary Sculpture (4)
This course explores both new and traditional media for the study and production of sculptural form. A series of assignments involve additive and reductive processes, mold making and casting, static and temporal composition, and a range of materials. Examples ranging from ancient to current sculptural practices are discussed and reviewed to provide historical and theoretical context for the assignments. The evaluation and analysis of assignments involves group discussions and individual critiques. Prerequisite: ART 104.
ART 282 Sustainable Structures (4)
Through the study and application of sustainable materials as media for sculpture, design, and architecture, this course examines relationships among landscape, physical culture, and the built environment. With the benefit of various locally grown and recycled materials used to build a series of projects, the course employs new technologies and discusses issues related to the practical integration of ecologically sound aesthetics into contemporary culture.
ART 285 Modeling and Casting in Contemporary Sculpture (4)
This course provides an introduction to a variety of modeling, mold-making, and casting techniques for use in sculpture. Traditional and other techniques, including metal casting, computer-aided design, and modeling with clay are investigated through a series of assignments aimed at both technical instruction as well as creative exploration of notions of representation and artistic production. Prerequisite: ART 101 or ART 104.
ART 291 Topics in Contemporary Painting (4)
Using both traditional and non-traditional painting media, this course investigates painting and its role in the contemporary world. Students explore the relation between perception and conception, reinforcing basic skills and increasing their sophistication in the organization of space, surface, material, composition, and design. Thorough exploration of contemporary artists working across media with a variety of themes is an essential part of the learning experience. Projects and student-led discussions revolve around themes such as Space, the Figure, Narrative, Identity, or Abstraction. Emphasis is placed on challenging the notions of traditional painting as it relates contextually to an ever-changing world.
ART 299 Painting from Life (4)
This introductory course explores use of color theory and observational painting techniques as a means for translating three-dimensional realities into two-dimensional painted images. By observing still lives, structures, landscapes, and live models, students gain heightened sensitivity to the world around them through attentiveness to the visual. In the process, they also become acquainted with various painting materials and surfaces. Through studio assignments, exercises, readings, discussions, and critiques, students learn to paint from both life and the imagination, all the while honing their observational skills and their facility with painting media.
ART 300 Special Topics: Advanced (4)
Though its content will vary from semester to semester, this class always focuses on an advanced-level topic in Digital Arts, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Sculpture or Video, not fully covered in existing courses. Examples might include courses on artistic movements, disciplines or traditions, a genre, or a theme. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic differs.
ART 343 Advanced Seminar in the Production of Video and the Moving Image (4)
This seminar course involves the production of video, sound, and the moving image. Students pursue a combination of advanced assignments and self-directed projects aimed towards furthering the study of these art forms through a focused set of methods and technologies. This course can be repeated twice for credit. Prerequisite: ART 231 or ART 243 or ART 331.
ART 352 Advanced Studio Seminar in Drawing and Painting (4)
In this seminar, students engage in a combination of advanced assignments and self-directed projects aimed towards furthering the study of drawing, painting and mixed media in both traditional and non-traditional materials. Content will vary from semester to semester. This course may be repeated twice for credit. Prerequisite: ART 251 or ART 255 or ART 257 or ART 259 or ART 291 or ART 299 or ART 351 or ART 391.
ART 361 Advanced Photography (4)
The course builds on prior experience and concentrates on small and large format photography, color and alternative photographic processes. Class projects and discussions are shaped around self-defined projects. This course can be repeated twice for credit. Prerequisite: ART 261 or ART 263.
ART 363 Advanced Documentary Projects in Photography (4)
The course builds on ART 263 and consolidates methods and issues pertaining to the making of photographic documentaries. Class projects and discussions examine the cultural and socio-political impact of this genre, as well as the genre's core triangulation points of subjectivity, objectivity, and truth. Prerequisite: ART 263.
ART 381 Advanced Studio Seminar in Sculpture (4)
In this sculpture seminar, students engage in a combination of advanced assignments and self-directed projects aimed towards furthering the study of the art involved in three-dimensional media and methods.This course can be repeated twice for credit. Prerequisite: ART 281 or ART 282 or ART 285 or ART 287.
ART 420 Seminar in Creativity (4)
This investigation of the creative process requires advanced studio skills and is based on discussion of works-in-progress. Selected readings, participation in critiques, and a semester-long studio project help establish a disciplined and systematic approach to creative practice. Open only to seniors pursuing majors in art.
ART 430 Senior Seminar (4)
Participants will have already developed advanced skills in at least one of the five media offered (drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, video production). This seminar further enhances studio skills by referencing individual, self-defined project work to readings that explore the theory and practice of the visual arts, the societal role of the artist, contemporary issues and interdisciplinary approaches. Open only to students pursuing majors in art.
ART 444 Independent Study (2 or 4)
For select students. Permission of the instructor required. Prerequisite: Instructor prerequisite override required.