Department of Art

The Department of Art offers several degrees with distinct goals and objectives. The Bachelor of Arts in Art is a liberal arts degree providing an opportunity to study a broad range of topics in Visual Art as part of a liberal arts education and to pursue a minor in a different field. Students wishing to pursue a professional degree will pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The art department offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art with concentrations in art education, ceramics, drawing, jewelry design and metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, or spatial media or the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Design. Those students wishing to study the history, theory, and criticism of art will pursue the Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Theory and Criticism. All students entering the department will be admitted under either the B.A. in Art or the B.A. in Art History, Theory and Criticism. After completion of the foundation courses and one other course in ART, CDES or ARTH, those wishing to pursue the B.F.A. in Art or the B.F.A. in Communication Design will be required to pass a formal portfolio review for admittance into those programs. The department also offers the minor in Studio Art, minor in Art History, Theory and Criticism, and the interdisciplinary Digital Media minor. Coursework leading to licensure in art education is available for those with an approved Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The art department’s programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Goals

Undergraduate studies in art prepare students to function in a variety of artistic roles. In order to achieve these goals, instruction should prepare students to:

Analyze the nonverbal language of art and design.
Construct responses to visual phenomena and organize perceptions and conceptualizations both rationally and intuitively.
Analyze and solve visual problems competently using a number of art and design techniques.
Classify major achievements and developments in the history of art, including the works and intentions of leading artists in the past and present, and assess the way art reflects cultural values.
Examine and evaluate contemporary thinking about art and design.
Assess quality in design projects and works of art.

Academic Programs

Note: Art students will be expected to purchase tools and supplies appropriate to the media in which they are working. In addition, all art courses have a program fee for consumable materials and/or modeling fees.

Note: Art majors may not apply ART 1211 - Ceramics for Non-Art Majors , ART 1251 - Jewelry and Metals for Non-Art Majors , ART 1261 - Painting for Non-Art Majors , or ART 1271 - Basic Photography Methods to their degree requirements.