Studio Art
Department of Art and Art History
Erling Sjovold, Chair
Professor Addiss
Associate Professors Denton, Rhodes, Sjovold, Softic
Assistant Professors Calvillo, Drummond, Pevny
Executive Director of the University Museums Waller
Professionals from the fields in art also are employed as adjunct faculty members.
The Department of Art and Art History offers programs in the studio arts, Western and non-Western art history, and museum studies. In the Modlin Center for the Arts, students work in an environment where they can develop their intellectual and creative abilities to the fullest potential. In addition to a rigorous and stimulating curriculum, students also participate in the activities of the University Museums. The museums present exhibitions of both historical and contemporary art with related lectures, workshops, and symposia with visiting artists, critics, and art historians. A study abroad program allows students to study art and art history in approved programs under the direction of the Office of International Education. Because majors are required to develop a senior project, it is recommended that prospective majors consult with the department early to allow adequate time for planning.
The Studio Art Major
Note: A grade of not less than C (2.0) is required in each course comprising the major.
11 units, including
ARTS 105 Foundation Color and Composition
ARTS 106 Foundation Space and Time
ART 221 Survey I: Prehistory through the Middle Ages
ART 222 Survey II: Renaissance to the Present
Four studio art electives
One art history elective
ARTS 360 Advanced Studio Seminar
ARTS 465 Thesis Development
Honors Program in Studio Art
Majors are encouraged to apply for and pursue the honors program in studio art. To earn honors in studio art a student must complete three units of honors credit with distinction through a combination of upper-level courses with thesis development and honors thesis exhibition. The program must be planned in consultation with the student's major advisor and the department. Honors students also must maintain an overall GPA of no less than 3.30 while in the program.
The Studio Art Minor
Note: A grade of not less than C (2.0) is required in each course comprising the minor.
6 units, including
ARTS 105 Foundation Color and Composition
ARTS 106 Foundation Space and Time
One unit, chosen from
- ART 221 Survey I: Prehistory through the Middle Ages
- ART 222 Survey II: Renaissance to the Present
Three studio art electives
Related Field
Interdisciplinary concentration in arts management for studio art, art history, music, theatre, and dance majors or minors
Courses
ARTS
101 Drawing
Explores issues of form and visual composition, traditional and contemporary concepts in drawing, and problems of observational drawing.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
102 Design
Theories, perceptions, and interactions of color researched through painting, collage, and computer design. Projects incorporate basic principles of two-dimensional abstract design, composition, and digital art.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
103 Sculpture
Basic introduction to material and perceptual problems in sculpture. Explores problems of representational, abstract, and nonobjective sculpture. This basic introduction to methods and concepts of sculpture will emphasize elements of three-dimensional design and composition.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
104 Introduction to Art and Technology
Introduction to the field of art and technology. Students will produce original works of art using both traditional and digital artmaking tools while studying the perceptual impact of technology throughout history and within contemporary art and culture. No prior computer experience necessary.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
105 Foundation Color and Composition
Provides students with a basic understanding of drawing skills, 2-dimensional design elements, color theory, and pictorial composition. Explores the relationship of composition and content through drawing and color projects.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
106 Foundation Space and Time
Provides students with a basic understanding of both time-based and space-based media. Training in basic skills of spatial perception and manipulation, as well as in the rudiments of time-based media, including video, sound, and animation. Exploration of sculpture, installation, time-based media and interactive art.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
160 Basic Photography
Introduction to fundamental, technical, and aesthetic issues of black and white photography with emphasis on using medium for personal expression. Includes series of problems designed to increase understanding of basic camera operation, darkroom techniques, and artmaking strategies. History of photography will be included through study of past and contemporary photography. Camera with manually adjustable aperture and shutter speeds required.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101 or 102.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
205 Observational Painting
Introduction to practice of painting with emphasis on observational painting. Emphasizes working understanding of methods and materials of oil painting while investigating basic aspects of visual perception and how to assess subject, form, and content in a work of art.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
206 Explorations in Printmaking and Drawing
Explores formal and conceptual problems through simultaneous or combined drawing and printmaking exercises. Promotes understanding of potential of graphic media, introduces new image-making techniques and concepts, including scale and sequence experiments and multi-technique works. Technical demonstrations and presentations precede individual studio projects.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
207 The Human Figure
Designed for advanced understanding and skill in drawing the nude and clothed human model(s) with concentrated emphasis on visually learning the skeleton and large muscle masses which most influence the surface form of the human figure. Students will draw from nude male and female models as well as clothed models using drawing mediums such as pencil, charcoal, conte', pen and reed pens with India Ink as well as color chalk pastel. Students will work on large scale drawings of nude and clothed figures, including ones with multiple figures and an implied narrative. The work on individual studio projects is the core of this class; other work may include researched writing on contemporary artist, who work with the human figure.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
208 Figure Study: Drawing and Sculpture
Explores the human figure in two- and three-dimensional media. Students investigate gesture, line, value, volume, surface modeling, and anatomy, as well as expressive, conceptual, and historical approaches in the study of the figure.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
209 Introduction to Visual Language
Through sequence of individualized creative projects, explores relationship of meaning to visual form. In addition to studio projects in two- and three-dimensional media, students engage in research and experimentation with interdisciplinary emphasis.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
211 Materials and Techniques
Explores historical and experimental artmaking materials and techniques. Topics to be covered will vary according to instructor. Studies may be two- and/or three-dimensional and relate to drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture processes.
General Education Requirement: FSVP
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
230 Comparative Ceramics
Investigates the development of ceramic techniques and aesthetic traditions by studying the effects that can be discerned in the influence of one tradition over another. Most peoples in the history of humankind have produced some sort of ceramic artifacts, making this a very universal language. As peoples made increasing contact with one another, elements of these traditions were constantly being appropriated and transformed.
General Education Requirement: (FSVP)
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
234 Advanced Design
Using color theory and principles of design, focuses on individual studio projects with emphasis on graphic design and digital artmaking.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 102.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
260 Advanced Photography
Explore different styles of photography through lectures, slides, critiques, and assignments. Introduction to black and white archival fiber-base printing process in addition to experimentation with different films, filters, papers and developers, and presentation techniques.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 160.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
265 Post-Photography
Introduction to the field of digital imaging within the context of contemporary art. Students will produce original works of art while studying the impact of technology upon human perception, visual art, and contemporary culture. Emphasis will be placed upon the ways in which digital technologies have transformed our understanding of traditional photographic media.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
274 Printmaking Studio: Screenprint
An introduction to the medium of serigraphy (screenprint, silkscreen). Topics include working with handmade and photographic stencils, color and registration, editioning, and extended uses of the medium. Students will work with hand-drawn, photographic, and digital images. Work on individual studio projects is at the core of this class. Students also engage in group and individual critiques, library research, slide presentations, museum and gallery visits.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101, 102 or 105
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
275 Drawing Studio
Explores abstract, conceptual, and process-based drawing. Investigates historical and experimental methods of drawing not covered in Studio Art 101, Drawing. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101, 102, 205, 206, 208, or 209 or permission of instructor.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
276 Printmaking Studio: Book
Examines the book as an art object. Introduces basics of bookbinding (Western and non-Western), printing, and basic typesetting skills, while working on individual and collaborative studio projects. Concepts explored include sequencing, text and image relationships, and content and structure relationship. Students research evolution of the artists' book and contemporary practice in this medium.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101, 102, 206, or 208.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
277 Printmaking Studio: Etching
Focuses on techniques, methods, and formal and conceptual potential of intaglio (etching and engraving) and related print media. Includes the techniques of drypoint, mezzotint, line etching, aquatint, and printing in color. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101, 206, or 208.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
278 Printmaking Studio: Lithography
Focuses on the techniques, methods, and formal and conceptual potential of lithography and related print media. Includes both stone and plate lithography and alternative lithographic techniques. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101, 206, or 208.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
279 Selected Topics
Examples include watercolor technique, plein-air landscape painting, installation art, landscape painting, nontraditional artmaking, and others as arranged by department. May be repeated for credit if topics differ.
Prerequisite(s): Art 221 or 222 or permission of instructor.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
280 Digital Art: Sound
An intermediate-level investigation into time-based media, specifically sound-based art. Students produce original works of art that exist outside the visual realm and focus on sound as a perceptual tool for contemporary art production. Additional emphasis will be placed on historical, conceptual, and theoretical issues relating to sound within contemporary art and culture.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
285 Digital Art: Video
An intermediate-level investigation into time-based media, specifically digital video-based art. Students produce original works of art that use time as a perceptual tool while studying broader issues surrounding the video medium within contemporary art and culture.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
288 Time-Based Media
Intermediate level investigation into the area of time-based media, including sound, video, and animation art. Students produce original works that use time as a perceptual tool while studying broader issues surrounding technology-based art and culture. This course will, at all times, emphasize nontraditional and/or experimental approaches toward art production.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
289 Interactive Art
Intermediate-level investigation of interactive art, including performance, site-specific and Web-based art. Students produce original works that foreground interactivity while studying broader issues surrounding technology, art and culture. May emphasize nontraditional and/or experimental approaches toward art production.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
290 Digital Art: Animation
An intermediate-level investigation into time-based media, specifically digital animation. Students will produce original works of art that incorporate drawings, still images, video, and sound into animated sequences. Additional emphasis will be placed on historical, conceptual, and theoretical issues relating to motion graphics within contemporary art and culture.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
293 Sculpture Studio
Individualized in-depth training in specific sculptural approaches, techniques, media, and concepts. Students choose to work from stone carving, wood carving, wood fabrication, metal fabrication, claywork, plaster carving and fabrication, metal and plaster casting, and mixed media objects and installation. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 103, 106, 208, or 231.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
295 Painting Studio
Explores abstract, conceptual, and process-based painting. Students investigate historical and experimental methods of paintings not covered in Observational Painting (ARTS 205). May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 101, 102, 105, 205, 206, 208, or 209.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
296 Digital Studio: Net.Art
An intermediate-level investigation into the area of Web-based art production. Students produce works of art that incorporate and merge various traditional and digital components into cohesive, original artworks for online publication. Additional emphasis will be placed upon conceptual, cultural, and theoretical issues surrounding the Internet within contemporary art and culture.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
299 Digital Art: Installation
An advanced-level investigation into media-based installation. Students propose and produce original works of art in digital photography, sound, video, animation, or any combination thereof. Emphasis will be placed on the ways in which the environment that houses a project becomes an integral component of the work. Additional emphasis will be placed on conceptual, cultural, and theoretical issues surrounding media-based installation within contemporary art.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 104 or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
360 Advanced Studio Seminar
Development of an independent artistic practice as informed by a larger theoretical and cultural discourse. Students may work in any medium (or media) of their choice and will be responsible for independent research beyond required readings, presentations, and seminar discussions.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Arts 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, or 106.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
388 Individual Internship
Supervised work experience at approved artist's studio, museum, or gallery. No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted toward required degree units.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
Unit(s): .25-1
ARTS
395 Independent Study
Individually designed program under faculty supervision.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
Unit(s): .25-1
ARTS
465 Thesis Development
Senior studio art majors create focused body of work and begin to clarify and establish future directions and resources for personal research and artmaking. Students prepare for midterm application for the Honors Thesis Exhibition course for a spring exhibition.
Prerequisite(s): Studio art major, senior level, and Art 221 or 222.
Unit(s): 1
ARTS
466 Honors Thesis Exhibition
Graduating studio art majors are invited, based on a successful midterm review during the Thesis Development course, to enroll in the honors thesis to organize and present an exhibition of their art in the University art museum. Students complete a focused body of work presented in exhibition and participate in all aspects of the organization. The course also will cover the business of being an artist, including writing about and presenting one's art, resume writing, exhibiting, and selling of work.
Prerequisite(s): Studio Art 465 and permission of the department.
Unit(s): 1
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