Art (ART)

An exploration of significant questions and integrative concepts in Art, their grounding in the process of scientific discovery and application, and their broader relevance to society. Designed for first-year students. Although topics vary, the courses also seek to improve students’ communication skills beyond the written word.

Course on special topics exploring a specific medium or approach.

An exploration of a specific topic in Art. A grade of C- or better fulfills the COLL 150 requirement. Although topics vary, the courses emphasize academic writing skills, reading and analysis of texts, and discussion.

Introduction to visual expressive concerns through lectures and projects in drawing, color and design as they function two-dimensionally.

Creative problem solving in a variety of media dealing with the elements of three-dimensional form (line, surface, volume, mass, color, light, and space) and exploring concepts of image, message, process, style, and expression. May be taken before ART 211.

This studio art course will explore the meaning, nature, and perception of time as understood through studio practice in the visual arts. Class work will consist of a blend of reading and study of literary, philosophical, and scientific works with an emphasis on the changing concepts of time during the early decades of the twentieth century along with the creation of individual artistic work. Projects will focus on issues of historical and collective memory, sustainability, and sculptural form.

This course is a multi-disciplinary investigation of the application of force, motion, sensing and control as it applies to the creation of sculpture and other expanded media. The class will explore basic concepts in physics (static forces, tension & compression, torsion, etc.), kinematics, prosthetics, and analog and digital controls. The work will be grounded in readings that span from ancient and medieval European and Islamic sources to 20th century conceptions of automata and prosthetics. This course is intended for students of all abilities and backgrounds and does not require any pre-requisites.

A topics course that aims to fill a need for collaborative and interdisciplinary research beyond a traditional classroom setting. Students will engage in sustained, faculty-directed research on topics in studio art that are either too specialized or technical, or that require collaboration across disciplines and knowledge domains.

Exploration of various drawing concepts using the human figure.

Continuation of ART 309.

This course emphasizes drawing skill development beyond the foundational level. Through various 2D media, students will explore formal drawing concerns, including line, value, proportion, perspective, composition, material use, and content.

The discovery of architecture through design with emphasis on basic vocabulary; drafting, perspective, shades and shadows, scale and proportion.

The investigation of the role of the architect with specific design problems and the development of presentation techniques.

Introduction to painting with emphasis on objective pictorial structure. Exploration and development of formal, organizational concerns as they relate to painting. Subjects may include objects, landscape and the figure.

Introduction to painting with emphasis on how visual elements, dynamics, and handling of the material create envisioned and ex pressive themes. Work from memory, objects, landscape, and the figure stressing and evolving significant forms and symbols.

This course is geared toward students who want to improve their compositional sense and overall use of color. Special attention will be paid to gestalt principles, the elements and principles of design, and the color theories of Itten and Albers.

Exploration of various sculpting concepts using the human figure.

A continuation of  ART 319.

Through a variety of subject matter and techniques including etching, drypoint, aquatint, monotype and monoprint, students will explore both traditional and contemporary approaches to Intaglio and Monotype printmaking.

Through a variety of subject matter and techniques including woodcut, linoleum, and collagraph, students will explore both traditional and contemporary approaches to Relief Printmaking.

An approach to three-dimensions that utilizes those materials that lend themselves to creating forms with actual mass and volume. Some life observation and mold making will be included. Traditional and contemporary sculptural solutions will be applied.

This course focuses on how objects exist within space both real and virtual. The course looks at the experiential differences in those objects that are made materially and by hand with those that are rendered in the computer. This course will introduce students to ways in which data, systems, and structures both inform and motivate the making of three-dimensional objects and spaces, as well as serving as tools of analysis.

Introduction to forming clay using handbuilding processes. Assigned problems will introduce various functional forms, focusing on aesthetics and craftsmanship. Emphasis on invention and creativity, as well as technical processes. Demonstrations, discussions, and image presentations will supplement the course.

Introduction to forming clay using the potter’s wheel. Assigned problems will introduce various functional forms, focusing on aesthetics and craftsmanship. Emphasis on invention and creativity, as well as technical processes. Demonstrations, discussions, and image presentations will supplement the course.

This course is designed as an introduction to photography, focused primarily on developing creative expression, an understanding and appreciation for light, and mastering techniques in exposure and camera control, film processing, and darkroom printing. Introduction to Photography will consider aspects of photography that led to its invention and work with these principals using large format view cameras to cultivate deliberate compositions, exposures, focusing techniques, gestures, and expressions in order to create nuanced photographs that encourage the imagination.

This course is designed to give students an understanding of several forms of book binding and stitching. This course will focus on the construction of unique and limited edition books that exist as works of art instead of simply containers for images or words. Students will be simultaneously learning different construction methods while also producing a body of photographic work to be bound into a final book. This course will require critiques throughout the semester to assist in the editing and sequencing phases of photographic book art production. By the end of the course, students will have constructed several types of handmade books. Attention to craft is essential throughout the course, while attention toward concept builds progressively during the semester.

This course is an exploration of digital imaging techniques including image adjustment and printing methods with an emphasis in color photography. Additionally, students will examine the impact of digitization on the study and practice of photography through lectures, critical readings and class discussions. We will focus on the use of Adobe Photoshop. Students should have basic computer skills; however, previous experience in digital imaging is not required. Course time will be divided between lectures, demonstrations, and supervised in-class work time. This is a content driven course, students are encouraged to use the techniques introduced in class to facilitate their ideas and enhance their aesthetic.

This Studio Art course will lead students through the design process of a wood-burning ceremonial vessel to be incorporated within the new campus memorial, Hearth. Memorial to the Enslaved. By exploring numerous historical examples and the work of a diverse array of artists, we will explore the peculiar power of memory held within objects and sites of mourning and remembrance. This course fulfills the COLL 350 requirement for students matriculating in Fall 2021. Along with examining social norms, institutional practice, and patterns of belonging, students will also gain the ability to analyze the workings of power, privilege, and inequity. The focus of our studies will be primarily on race, though issues of disability, and other social categories will be covered. Through multiple projects, readings and conversations, research presentations, and other studio activities, students in this course will gain the necessary skills and experience in respectful dialogue and critical reflection to facilitate community-wide conversations and a design competition, culminating in a public festival and showcase.

How does one stand in opposition, voice dissent, challenge those in power? How does one remain resilient in the face of change and exclusion? How does one repair the effects of years of grief? In this studio art course, we will tackle these questions of resistance, resilience, and repair through a mix of analysis, discussion, detailed design presentations, and hands-on, fully realized art projects. An array of contemporary and historical objects of power, memory, mourning, and persuasion will be engaged with and creatively responded to. Steel, clay, wood, cast metal, and expanded media will be our vocabulary. We will assess social norms, institutional practices, and patterns of belonging, while practicing what artist Theaster Gates calls "generative care" — tending to the past by carrying its lessons into the future. As this course fulfills the COLL 350 requirement focused on difference, equity, and justice, we will gain the ability to analyze the workings of power, privilege, and inequity while reflecting on differences of perspective through reasoned and respectful dialogue. The focus of our studies will be primarily on race and identity, but we will also have extended discussions and projects highlighting issues of disability and other social categories.

Course on special topics exploring a specific medium or approach. Courses under this number satisfy the requirements for the ALV domain.

Advanced work with 2D visual concepts through the practice of drawing. A high degree of individual invention and expression are emphasized.

This will be an advanced life drawing course involving in depth study of form, anatomy and contemporary concerns regarding figure drawing. A high degree of individual invention and expression are emphasized.

A continuation of ART 316 with more complex problems in the materials, methods and concerns of painting. Students will focus on an independent project beyond assigned class work. Possible field trip.

Students will work on printmaking projects of a self-chosen technique and theme which will advance their conceptual and technical understanding of the print medium. In addition, each student will receive individual instruction in lithography.

Advanced methods of forming clay using handbuilding processes, with a technical and conceptual approach to issues concerning functional ceramics. Greater emphasis on design and expression, as well as technical aspects of the ceramic process, including glaze formulation and kiln firing. 

Advanced methods of forming clay using the potter’s wheel, with a technical and conceptual approach to issues concerning functional ceramics. Greater emphasis on design and expression, as well as the technical aspects of the the ceramic process, including glaze formulation and kiln firing.

This studio will explore architectural issues using both two-dimensional and three-dimensional media with an emphasis on computer aided drafting (CAD). Students will engage in a series of investigations that examine the historic, symbolic, technical and environmental issues that inform contemporary architecture.

This course will investigate sculptural issues through a conceptual framework. Materials and processes will be examined as they relate to a selected topic for example: Space; Body; Authorship, Originality, and Authenticity; Collaboration; Site; Drawing for Sculptors. Courses under this number satisfy the requirements for the ALV domain.

This course is designed to help you develop your photographic art practice. This course provides you with the time, facilities, equipment, and instruction to build a body of photographic work of your choosing, based largely in analog, film, and darkroom processes. While the digital photography lab will be open to you outside of class, during our class meeting times, you will be working predominately in the wet lab. You should gear your project ideas, materials, and processes accordingly. You can work with anything from 35mm, medium format, to large format photography. Material and process are important choices to be considered, and are made with the end artworks’ purpose in mind. ART 430 will introduce principals of the photography portfolio, exhibition, publishing, best practices for launching and sustaining a creative career and/or graduate school preparations. Additionally, you will work towards a better understanding of your work within the context of contemporary art. Class time will be divided between portfolio planning, artist presentations and discussions in contemporary photographic practices, and class critique. This course may include field trips to see regional exhibitions of contemporary photography. The culmination of this course is a well-developed, cohesive portfolio of your work. This is an advanced photography seminar with an emphasis on the development of your ideas and the honing of your technique. ART 430 can be taken more than once to further develop a student’s photography portfolio. Students enrolled in Photography Portfolio: Darkroom during subsequent semesters may be given alternative course requirements to further their personal research to include additional readings, photography book editing, sequencing, and publishing, or various other projects that are tailored to the specific student’s needs. Above all else, this course is designed to allow students to experiment with ideas, to push ideas through to completion or exhaustion, to receive critical feedback from their peers and instructor, and to begin building a sustainable creative practice.

Topics in art will explore a specific medium or approach.

Prerequisite(s): ART 211, ART 212, and appropriate 300 level courses and consent of instructor.

This course (Capstone I) will focus on instilling good studio research methods. Through studio art projects, critiques readings, critical discussions, artists' talks, and studio visits, students will examine their own working processes and the methodologies of others to develop an overall awareness of how their own studio research habits enable or hinder process and output. In addition, students will also research thematic, stylistic, and conceptual commonalities through a sustained sketchbook project that spans the first two semesters of the three-semester Capstone sequence.

This course (Capstone II) will focus on producing original student artworks. Through studio art projects, critiques, public sketchbook exhibition, lectures, demos, artists' talks, and sketchbooks assignments, students will synthesize previous course work to narrow their focus towards a cohesive body of work in preparation for the senior exhibition. Students will research thematic, stylistic, and conceptual commonalities through a sustained sketchbook project that spans the first two semesters of the three-semester Capstone sequence. In addition, this course will also continue to address professional practices and discuss post undergraduate options such as graduate school and the various professions in the visual arts.

This course (Capstone III) will focus on the senior art exhibition and artists statements. The exhibition, held in the Andrews Gallery and Foyer, is a culmination of the student's artistic education within the department. It will be open to the public for two weeks. It is expected that the exhibited work will be cohesive in quality (although not necessarily in media or subject matter) and exhibit the beginnings of the student's own original artistic sensibility. An artist statement will accompany the student's work. This is a text that explains the artist's intentions for their body of work and should be accessible to a diverse audience.

Information available from the department website and the Charles Center.

Information available from the department website and the Charles Center.