Department of Art

Eric Chimenti, M.F.A., Chair

Professors: Polcari, Salmond, Turner;

Assistant Professors: Berens, Chimenti, Corey, Hebron, Jaenichen, Kiddie, Leopardi.

Bachelor of Arts in Art

Bachelor of Arts in Art History

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art

The mission of the department of art is to educate students about the images and objects that influence their perceptions of contemporary life and to prepare them to participate in shaping the world. The curriculum of the art department prepares students for graduate studies in art history and studio art and to work professionally as graphic designers.

Departmental Opportunities

• Student-organized department exhibitions each semester
• Junior studio and graphic design exhibitions
• Senior studio exhibitions
• Internships in museums, galleries, design studios
• Gallery exhibition program
• Artists' lecture series
• Graphic design club and newsletter
• Art history club
  

Departmental Honors

The art department faculty awards departmental honors to students who have produced outstanding work in their area. Requirements for consideration are nomination by their exhibition, portfolio, or thesis committee and a GPA of 3.330 in the major.

Grading Policy

All courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a "C" or higher.

Bachelor of Arts in Art

The BA in art is designed for students seeking a broad exposure to the arts as an integral part of their liberal arts degree. The program encourages them to experiment and develop their own voice, while allowing a wide range of possibilities for double majors and for minors in other disciplines. A minimum of 21 credits must be at the upper–division level. Upper–division studio courses may be repeated for credit.

requirements (12 credits)

one of the following (3 credits)

two of the following (6 credits)

seven of the following (21 credits)

Bachelor of Arts in Art History

The BA in art history allows students to explore the arts within a broad historical and cultural context. It is an excellent preparation for graduate school and for art–related careers. A minimum of 21 credits must be in upper–division courses.

requirements (24 credits)

*AP placement of 4 or 5 may waive one of the western surveys

six of the following (18 credits)

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design

The BFA in graphic design is for students wishing to pursue graphic design in the larger context of the visual arts and art history. A rigorous sequence of design classes is combined with classes that explore the history and theory of the discipline. The BFA prepares students for employment in both the digital and print media areas of the graphic design profession.

requirements (54 credits)

one of the following (3 credits)

two of the following (6 credits)

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art

The BFA in studio art, with its emphasis on contemporary theory and practice, prepares students for graduate study and for careers as practicing artists.

requirements (24 credits)

four of the following (12 credits)

one of the following (3 credits)

Minor in Art

To earn a minor in art a student must take a minimum of 24 credits, 9 of which must be at the upper-division level. Course distribution must be coordinated with an art department faculty member and approved by the department chair.

Teaching Credential

Students interested in becoming secondary school teachers in art should contact the School of Education.

Course Descriptions – Art

ART 110 Foundation Course in Design

This is an introductory studio art class providing beginning students with instruction in the basic elements of two–dimensional design and their application. Study includes line, value, balance, shape, color, repetition and rhythm, and overall design. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 111 Foundation Course in Drawing

Emphasizes composition, spatial concerns, color and rendering techniques while encouraging subjective responses to subject matter. Media include pastels, colored pencil, oil sticks, and non-traditional materials. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 112 Foundation Course in Painting

This is an introductory studio art class providing beginning students with instruction in the media techniques, aesthetics, theory, and historical influences of contemporary painting. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 113 Foundation Course in Sculpture

Explores fundamental concepts and techniques of sculpture through work with found objects, wood, metal, and plaster. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 115 Foundation Course in Ceramics

Introduction to the technology, history and theory of the ceramic arts. Students will learn basic hand building, wheel throwing, glazing, firing and the vocabulary applicable to the construction of ceramic pottery and sculpture. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 120 Foundation Course in Photography

In this course students acquire the skills necessary to produce black and white photographs along with exploring the history and theory of photography. Emphasis is placed on basic camera and darkroom techniques combined with a discussion of the photographic image as it relates to contemporary and historical artistic practice. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 132 Visualization - Perspective and Rendering

Students will learn to visualize through such techniques as thumbnails, comping, and spatial rendering. Study units include grids, 1 and 2 point perspective, shading, color, shadows, reflections, rapid indication, the visualization process, graphic expression, graphic creation. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 195 Visual Literacy

Required of all freshman art majors, this course provides students with the vocabulary for discussing the formal elements of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, graphic design, and mass media. The modern Western tradition is emphasized, but ways of understanding and evaluating art from other cultures and epochs are also explored. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 199 Independant Study

(Offered every semester.) 1–6 credits.

ART 210 Three Dimensional Design

Prerequisite, ART 110. An introduction to the organization of form in three-dimensional space. Students explore the formal elements of three–dimensional form, the tools and techniques required for making forms in space, and the history of the discipline. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 211 Introduction to Life Drawing

Students develop basic drawing skills and visual awareness through drawing from models. Line quality, textural character, proportion, and chiaroscuro are emphasized using such media as charcoal, pencil, powdered graphite, ink, and conte crayon. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 229 Experimental Course

(Offered as needed.) 1-3 credits.

ART 230 Introduction to Graphic Design

Prerequisite, ART 110, or consent of instructor. Corequisite, ART 231, or consent of instructor. This course is an introduction to graphic design as a production tool. Course includes instruction in the discipline of graphic design and in Macintosh Adobe computer skills as well as use of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXpress, and Adobe InDesign. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 231 Typography

Prerequisites, ART 110, 111, or consent of instructor. Corequisite, ART 230. This course provides a foundation of typographic design where the student learns to use type, terminology, guidelines, and history influences. Computer graphic solutions and non-traditional solutions will be explored through design projects. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 233 Color

Prerequisite, ART 230. This course explores the application and theory of color in multimedia areas including the visual arts, web, motion graphics, digital photography, and especially graphic design. The perceptual, symbolic, and psychological nature of color in historical and contemporary usage will be explored within the boundaries of technological progression. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 235 Introduction to Information Design

This course provides an introduction to the terminology, theory, research and professional practice of information design. In-class exercises, seminar and projects will emphasize various aspects of information design supported by lectures, crits and demonstrations. Exposure to interdisciplines, including ethnography, cognitive psychology, semantics and information transforming, will be introduced. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 260 Ancient to Medieval Art

An introduction to the development of the visual arts from the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) period to the Middle Ages. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 261 Renaissance to Modern Art

An introduction to the development of the visual arts in Europe, Britain, and America from the Renaissance to the 20th century. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 264 Art of India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia

An introduction to the sacred arts of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Painting, sculpture, architecture and the decorative arts are studied as works of art and reflections of culture. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 265 Exchange and Evolution in the Arts of China and Japan

Examination of the traditional arts of China and Japan as expressions of their respective cultures. Major themes will include the role of the artist in society, art in the service of religion and the arts as a vehicle for understanding the natural world. Emphasis will be placed on the evolution of forms and ideas as they migrate between the two cultures. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 290 Independent Internship

Working under the supervision of a faculty member, students earn credit and learn professional skills by working for a museum, gallery, conservation workshop, practicing artist, photography studio, etc. A minimum of 40 hours of work for each credit is required. P/NP. (Offered every semester.) 1–3 credits.

ART 295 Art and Society

Prerequisite, ART 195. Required of all sophomore art majors, this course explores how artists function and are perceived in a variety of cultures and historical periods, including the contemporary world. Such topics as patronage and the state; religion, ritual, and healing; self–expression and individualism; elite and popular culture will be discussed. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 299 Individual Study

(Offered every semester.) 1–6 credits.

ART 311 Life Drawing

Prerequisite, ART 211. Working from nude models, students refine visual skills, techniques, and interpretative powers. Media include charcoal, pastels, ink, oil stick, wax, conte crayon and pencil. May be repeated for credit. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 312 Advanced Painting

Prerequisite, ART 112, or consent of instructor. Develops an understanding of formal, technical, and conceptual issues. Students are encouraged to pursue personal directions. Individual and group critiques. May be repeated for credit. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 313 Advanced Sculpture

Prerequisite, ART 113. Students refine skills and learn new techniques as they design and construct sculptures in a variety of materials. May be repeated for credit. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 315 Advanced Ceramics

Prerequisite, ART 115. Continued emphasis on wheel throwing, hand building, glaze experimentation, and kiln firing. May be repeated for credit. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 320 Color Photography

Prerequisite, ART 120, or consent of instructor. Laboratory and lecture course in theory, techniques, and esthetics of color fine art photography. Advanced work in photographic technique with emphasis given to color printing. Students must have constant access to a working 35mm camera. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 321 Topics in Photography

Prerequisite, ART 120, or consent of instructor. Lecture and laboratory course in theory, techniques, and esthetics of photography. Advanced work in photography with emphasis given to a single contemporary topic or approach. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 322 Advanced Photography

Prerequisite, ART 120, or consent of instructor. Laboratory and lecture course in theory, techniques, and aesthetics of fine art photography. Advanced work in photographic technique with emphasis on expanding beyond basic black and white photographic printing. Students must have access to a working 35mm camera. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 323 Digital Photography

Prerequisite, ART 120. An advanced studio course with an emphasis on the theory and production of art utilizing digital photographic processing and printing. Students should have some experience with the Macintosh computer and have access to a digital or 35mm camera. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 324 Video Art

Prerequisite, ART 120, or consent of instructor. An advanced studio course with an emphasis on contemporary media theory and the production of art utilizing video. The course will include basic and advanced production techniques. A series of screenings, readings and discussions will examine video art in relation to contemporary art and culture. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 329 Experimental Course

(Offered as needed.) 1–3 credits.

ART 331 Advertising Design

Prerequisites, ART 230, 231, or consent of instructor. This course presents both the marketing strategies and the conceptual design development of advertising design comps. Students analyze products and services, and their target audiences, as they develop conceptual design solutions. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 332 Graphic Design

Prerequisites, ART 230, 231, or consent of instructor. In this course students develop research skills, problem–solving, conceptualization of ideas and presentation techniques. Solutions to a variety of visual communication problems are studied using the fundamentals of design, symbols, illustration and photography. Students use graphic design software and learn systems for print and production. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 335 Web Design

Prerequisites, ART 230, 231. Students develop graphic, interactive, and web design projects using HTML, and Dreamweaver software. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 336 Illustration

Prerequisites, ART 111, 211, or consent of instructor. Introduces illustration techniques through conceptually-based projects, demonstrations, discussions, guest artists, and field trips. Students explore ideas and develop a personal language through understanding historical and contemporary illustration. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 338 Advanced Typography

Prerequisites, ART 230, 231, 331, 332. This course explores advanced concepts in typographic design and lettering. Typographic exploration, type aesthetics and functional typography will be emphasized. Hand and computer graphic skills are reviewed and enhanced. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 350 Teaching the Visual Arts

Explores the elements of creativity in the visual arts and how they can be taught effectively at all age levels (K—12, high school, and special education). Students learn to develop an entire school art program and produce a portfolio of projects and lesson plans. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 352 Love and Death in Ancient Egypt

This course explores Egyptian paintings and relieves from Temples and Tombs to reveal the strong sensual qualities encoded in symbolism and iconography of funerary art. A careful analysis of artifacts will help us understand how encoded images were seen as a form of power and a means to obtain immortality. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 355 The Most Serene Republic: Art and Architecture in Venice 1400-1550

This course will focus on Renaissance Venice, paying particular attention to the geographic, social and political uniqueness of the fabled city built on water. All media will be taken under consideration - painting, sculpture and architecture - covering artists from Bellini to Titian, from Jacopo Sansovino to Andrea Palladio. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 360 Renaissance Art

An introduction to the art, architecture, and ideals of the Renaissance. Italian art ca. 1400 to 1600 is emphasized, but the spread of Renaissance forms and values to northern Europe is also explored. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 361 Baroque Art

An introduction to the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the Baroque and Rococo periods in Europe ca. 1600–1750. Artists such as Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Bernini, Vermeer, Velasquez, and Fragonard are studied against a background of political, religious, and social events and ideas. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 362 Nineteenth Century Art

An exploration of European art from the French Revolution to Art Nouveau. The visual arts are examined in the context of contemporary developments in society, politics, philosophy, and psychology. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 363 Modern Art

An introduction to the development of modernism in the visual arts ca. 1871–1945, emphasizing contemporary interests in spirituality, discoveries in science, mathematics, psychology, and new philosophical perspectives on the nature of reality. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 365 American Art

Surveys American art from colonial times through 1945, emphasizing painting and sculpture. Consideration is given to the social, political, and cultural influences on major artists and movements. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 367 History of Photography

A survey of photography from 1839 to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship of photography to other arts and current critical issues in the field. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 370 Contemporary Art: 1945 to 1970

Surveys the major artistic developments in Europe, America, and Asia between the close of World War II and the emergence of postmodernism, including abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism, conceptualism, and site-specific art. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 371 Contemporary Art: 1970 to the Present

Explores the evolution of art since 1970 in Europe, America, and Asia. Traditional media, performance, video, and installation are discussed in the light of post-modernist theory, Feminist and Marxist criticism, and the impact of mass media and new technologies. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 372 Change and Exchange in the Contemporary Arts of Asia

An examination of contemporary art and artists from India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines. Artworks will be considered both as expressions of their respective cultures and as formal statements. Issues of Orientalism, colonialism, nationalism in the art of the "East" and the effects of globalization on contemporary art will guide this study of post WWII art, with cultural differentiation as a major goal. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 373 History of Graphic Design

Prerequisite, ART 230, or consent of instructor. Introduces the major epochs in the history of graphic design. Explores how visual communication was designed to fit the needs of pre–modern societies and how it responded to shifting contexts and new technological inventions at three critical moments: the invention of the printing press, the industrial revolution, and the digital revolution. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 396 Junior Seminar: Graphic Design

Prerequisite, ART 295, ART 332, or consent of instructor. Required of all junior graphic design majors, this seminar deals with aesthetic, ethical, and theoretical issues affecting the practice of contemporary graphic design. Focus is on graphic design in the 20th century and beyond. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 397 Junior Seminar: Studio Art

Prerequisite, ART 295, or consent of instructor. Required of all junior studio art majors, this seminar explores how modern art has been written about by artists and their contemporaries. Students discuss a variety of texts by critics, artists, and art historians from the 1860s to 1980. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 398 Junior Seminar: Art History

Prerequisite, ART 295, or consent of instructor. Required of all junior art history majors, this seminar surveys the many methodologies used by art historians to understand works of art. Seminal texts representing the methods of Formalism, Iconography, Connoisseurship, Marxism, Feminism, Structuralism, and Post–Structuralism are discussed and applied. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 399 Individual Study and Research

(Offered every semester.) 1–6 credits.

ART 410 Special Studies in Art

Prerequisites, advanced–level courses in the area of concern. For advanced students, this class is designed to encourage greater depth and independence in a chosen field. The topic of study must be agreed on with the supervising faculty member. May be repeated for credit. (Offered every semester.) 1–3 credits.

ART 429 Experimental Course

(Offered as needed.) 1–3 credits.

ART 430 Advanced Graphic Design

Prerequisites, ART 230, 231, 332. This course covers design, materials and equipment for print and digital production with an emphasis on the computer. Students learn advanced graphic design systems for print through workshop projects for non-profit clients and advanced design systems. (Offered fall semester.) 3 credits.

ART 435 Advanced Web Design

Prerequisite, ART 335. An exploration of Macromedia Flash as a Web design solution, focusing on the use of vector–based multimedia interactivity. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 464 Gender, Art, and Western Culture

An exploration of western visual art and culture from the Renaissance to the present, focusing on the representation of sexuality and gender and the role of art in reflecting or constructing human identities. Five case studies examine the interaction of gender and visual art, drawing on the central theories of feminism, gender studies, and queer studies as applied to art history. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 467 Modern Russian Art

An introduction to developments in Russian art between 1700 and the present, this course investigates recurring themes in Russian culture, such as the icon and folk art, Russia's relationship with Europe and Asia, and the artist's social role. (Offered spring semester, alternate years.) 3 credits.

ART 490 Independent Internship

(Same as Art 290.)

ART 492 Seminar Internship: Graphic Design

Prerequisite, graduating senior in the BFA graphic design program. This seminar course offers on – and off – campus internship positions in graphic design agencies and advertising agencies. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 494 BA Senior Seminar

Prerequisites, senior standing, art major. Students plan and install their senior group exhibition. In addition, students write an artist's statement and research paper that contextualizes the issues within the larger realms of fine art and/or graphic design. Readings, discussion, fieldtrips, speakers. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 495 Portfolio Workshop

Prerequisites, ART 210, 295, 332, 373, or consent of instructor. Only for juniors and seniors in the B.F.A. graphic design program. The student will work in a supervised lab environment to develop new design pieces and/or rework previous design pieces. This artwork will be used in their junior/senior portfolios and their junior B.F.A. gallery shows. (Offered interterm.) 1 credit.

ART 496 Graphic Design Portfolio

Prerequisites, ART 396, senior standing, graphic design major. Students develop an individually focused portfolio that includes pro–bono commissions and competition design projects. Final critique is by an invited panel of graphic design professionals. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 497 Senior Seminar in Studio Art

Prerequisites, ART 397, senior standing or consent of instructor. Students produce a coherent body of work and a statement of artistic intent in the context of weekly readings and discussion on contemporary art world issues. As their capstone experience they install their work in the Guggenheim Gallery. (Offered spring semester.) 3 credits.

ART 498 Senior Thesis in Art History

Prerequisites, ART 398, senior standing, art history major. Students in their senior year write a self-directed research paper on a subject of their choice under supervision of a faculty committee. (Offered every semester.) 3 credits.

ART 499 Individual Study

Individual research and projects. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. (Offered every semester.) ½ –6 credits.