The Department of Art and Art History provides an innovative, energetic, and interdisciplinary learning environment that focuses on academic excellence in the areas of art history and studio art. We provide specialized education for majors and minors in our department, as well as offer general enrichment to students working within the broader context of a universitywide liberal arts curriculum. Our introductory-level courses aim at developing in students a lifelong appreciation for the visual arts from a global perspective. Our upper-level curriculum continues this goal while also preparing students to become professional artists, to continue their education at the graduate level, or to pursue positions within the art world such as teaching, art therapy, gallery work, museum administration, publishing, communication arts, design, and many others.
Programs
The Department of Art and Art History offers undergraduate programs in studio art (BA and BFA) and in art history (BA). The Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) offers an expansive educational experience and is designed to allow the greatest flexibility in customizing the degree program to meet individual goals and interests. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) is the professional degree for studio arts and is designed for individuals who are certain that they want to enter an art field or to continue their education at the graduate level. It provides extensive training in a variety of studio areas and allows for specialization within the field.
The department also offers graduate programs in both areas. For information on these programs, please see the graduate catalog.
The Bachelor of Arts in art history is designed to provide undergraduate students with a broad and comprehensive knowledge of the history of world art. In art history, students will learn the history of major works and movements in the Western world, gain an exposure to global trends in art, develop abilities of distinguishing different styles in art and acquire a basic understanding of art theory and aesthetics. Students will learn to think critically about art and its history, including the ability to discern the implication of concepts like “masterpiece,” to understand how “high art” and “popular culture” interact, to discover why strategies of exhibition and display influence our perception of art, and to determine how issues of identity inform the history of art and art production.
Studio art majors develop their intellect, perception and creativity while engaged in the visual arts within the context of a universitywide undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. Studio art programs provide education and training for those wishing to become professional visual artists or to work in arts-related fields. While the objectives of study are not primarily vocational, students will acquire knowledge and skills that may lead to employment in arts-related fields such as teaching, design, communication arts, art therapy, gallery work, or museum administration. After completing a series of foundation courses, students are able to focus their coursework in one of seven media areas: ceramics, digital media (graphic design/digital arts/animation), drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture.
Faculty
Chair
- Guynes, Jason
Professors
- Curzon, Lucy (Graduate Program Director -- Art History)
- Guynes, Jason
- Schulte, Peter
- Wedderspoon, Craig
Associate professors
- Dooley, William
- Feltman, Jennifer
- Jones, Tanja (Undergraduate Program Director)
- Marshall, Sarah
- Speed, Bryce
- Stephens, Rachel
Assistant professors
- Cumberland, Jonathan
- Grant, Allison (Graduate Program Director -- Studio Art)
- Grimes, Jamey
- Kim, Mina
- MacDonald, Wade
- Morgan, Celestia
- Sung, Doris
- Yes, Melissa
Instructors
- Davis, James
- DelMedico, Nadia
- Fuller, Joel
- Gentry, Kelly
- Hoitsma-Young, Daisie
- Howton, Meg
- Junkin, Ashleigh
- Klosterman, John
- McKibben, Micah
- Moore, Megan
- Palmer, Cassandra
- Teague, Becky
- Thompson, Rene
- Wegrzynowski, Charlotte
- Wegrzynowski, Tom
Courses
Not applicable to the studio or art history majors or minors. Introduction to the appreciation of art through an examination of the nature, themes, and purposes of art, the exploration of visual arts media and methods; and a survey of art history and artistic masterpieces.
Basic studio course concerned with comprehension of visual concepts and development of skills through exposure to drawing media.