Bachelors (BA) in Studio Arts and Arts Administration
Overview
The studio arts and arts administration major fosters the development of collaborative, resourceful and creative makers who work in a research-based practice informed by contemporary and historical art and culture. Students work in a variety of two-, three-, and four-dimensional media, including, but not limited to sculpture, painting, drawing, photography and lens-based media, print media and utilitarian ceramics.
Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, problem solving, and risk-taking throughout the program, encouraging students to develop the confidence to experiment and self-reliance to become courageous life-long learners. Instruction in the technical competencies and skills of the studio practice partnered with conceptual strengthening projects and polished off with professional and business practice capstone work to send out emergent practitioners out equipped for a life of successful creating and earning. In addition, the Arts Administration coursework within the major provides students with a placed practicum experience, and the skills and exposure to arts organization professional practice.
Faculty
The versatile faculty is made up of artists and designers who actively produce and exhibit their creative work − artists who are leaders in their various fields of discipline. They love to teach because they love what they teach. Our faculty is equipped to motivate, inspire and nurture; they become true mentors to their students. The faculty of the Department of Art and Design believe it is necessary for students to become leaders rather than followers, to become the next generation of gifted creative artists and designers and to become art professionals in the ever-growing number of contemporary art and art-related careers.
More information about the studio arts major can be found on the art major admissions page.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates with a BA in studio arts and arts administration will:
- Demonstrate the ability to write and speak about art, design, and art history with clarity and logic, and be able to form and support critical judgements about art, design and art history
- Demonstrate the technical mastery of the relevant materials and tools, and the terminology, theories, and practices relevant to the student's field of study
- Demonstrate the ability generate, support, and utilize individual thoughts and ideas
- Demonstrate the ability to do research in art, design, and art history, and the competence and knowledge to analyze and think critically
- Demonstrate expanding knowledge of historical achievements and contemporary thinking, trends, processes, and issues in art and design, and apply that knowledge to their personal work
- Demonstrate broader and deeper understanding of contemporary arts practice, grasp of how to develop and maintain studio or design practice, and ideas communicating successful cultivation of both audience, concept and goals in visual art and design
Major Requirements
Complete the following:
A seminar course designed to acclimate students new to the GFU Art & Design department with its culture, expectations, processes, and community. Through online materials and four weeks of in-person events at the start of the semester, new students get to know the department and their fellow cohort members while planning for success in their program. Student enrollment is mandatory for the first semester of study. Additional course fee is required.
A hands-on technical course offering an introduction to materials, processes, and theory foundational to creative visual practice. Technical material use, research, ideation, design principles, and elements are explored through two-dimensional exercises and projects. Additional course fee is required.
A project-driven course offering an introduction to materials, techniques, and theory related to three-dimensional design and interdisciplinary collaboration. Construction methodologies, research, design principles, and creative ideation are explored through exercises, projects, and proposals. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering an introduction to industry-standard design software and applications, including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, SketchUp, and other applications tailored to the instructor's expertise. Students can access the Creative Suite on campus computers in Lemmons. Students not accessing on-campus computers should anticipate purchasing the Creative Suite for a personal device. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering students an expansive understanding of drawing as both an artistic act and a part of the daily creative process. Through skill-building exercises, sketchbook work, concept-driven projects, and critique sessions, students explore the history, techniques, and impact of mark-making. Students develop foundational skills of observational drawing, as well as being introduced to drawing practice's other facets. Additional course fee is required.
A seminar course focusing on the study of Christianity's integration within historic and contemporary art and design practices - from the conceptual, theological, and theoretical to the practical. Additionally, students evaluate and articulate how their own practice and their faith/values inform one another. Additional course fee is required.
A seminar course preparing students for an internship or professional experience that will follow this course as a dynamic program graduation requirement. Additionally, students gain exposure to common business practices such as the development of contracts, estimates, invoices, accounting, promotion, and project management. Prerequisite: Junior status or instructor approval.
A seminar course focusing on art and design's expressions outside of the 'canon' and how non-Western cultures, such as African, Asian, and Latin American, have influenced history. Topics are rotated. Prerequisite: ARTS 206 Art and Design History I, ARTS 207 Art and Design History II, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
Complete one of the following:
A survey course focusing on art and design's historic, social, and aesthetic developments. Through formal analysis, research, and creative exercises, students engage with primary sources and theory to uncover the rich fabric that makes up our visual histories and cultures. This course develops students' understanding of all Art and Design history with special attention to the first half of the department's foundations timeline. Additional course fee is required.
A survey course focusing on art and design's historic, social, and aesthetic developments. Through formal analysis, research, and creative exercises, students engage with primary sources and theory to uncover the rich fabric that makes up our visual histories and cultures. This course develops students' understanding of all Art and Design history with special attention to the second half of the department's foundations timeline. Additional course fee is required.
Professional Networking - Complete 5 credit hours:
A weekly seminar course focusing on both professional practice and the application of theory, concepts, and methodology of contemporary art and design practices by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Additional course fee is required.
A weekly seminar course focusing on both professional practice and the application of theory, concepts, and methodology of contemporary art and design practices by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Additional course fee is required.
A weekly seminar course focusing on both professional practice and the application of theory, concepts, and methodology of contemporary art and design practices by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Additional course fee is required.
A weekly seminar course focusing on both professional practice and the application of theory, concepts, and methodology of art historical study by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Additional course fee is required.
A weekly seminar course focusing on both professional practice and the application of theory, concepts, and methodology of art historical study by engaging students in discourse surrounding lectures of visiting professional artists. Additional course fee is required.
Complete the following:
A course continuing students' understanding of drawing's multiple media and the students' daily creative process. Through sketchbook work, research, thematic-driven projects, and critique sessions, students explore the history, techniques, and impact of mark-making in contemporary and varied practices. Students develop technical drawing skills and dive into drawing practice's other facets (esp. conceptual, non-representational, and figurative work). Prerequisite: ARTS 111 Drawing I. Additional course fee is required.
A course focusing on applied and theoretical spaces outside of historical research and interpretation. Students develop their research, presentation, and even technical skills as they apply their creative skills and knowledge to pressing contemporary discussions and practices ranging from Arts Administration to Contemporary Art Forms. Topics are rotated. Additional course fee is required.
A capstone course focusing on the organization and preparation of a portfolio showcasing a student's creative work in preparation for employment in the field of design. Students explore visual organization and display, document assembly methods, and various reproduction image management techniques. Computer design and printing processes are used to create consistent paper and digital portfolios. The course may be taken two times. For BFA students taking Portfolio Development the second time, they are expected to create an informed, focused, and in-depth body of work, which is developed through research and critical feedback with instructors and visiting practitioners. In recognition of the transition from student to professional, this process represents students' work in their studio spaces, largely in a self-directed manner, in consultation with the faculty. This work should reflect mature and independent decisions made regarding content and means of expression. Prerequisites: Declared Art and Design major/minor with Junior or Senior status, or by instructor permission. Additional course fee is required.
Complete the following:
A course structured around applied design projects that allow students to work collaboratively with regional clients. Within this course, students work in teams as they move projects from concept and quote to preparation for production. Designers develop work across a variety of media and learn to manage client relationships while producing work that meets the needs of real audiences. Prerequisite: Junior Status. Additional course fee is required.
Complete 5 of the following (3 Intro, 1 Intermediate, 1 Advanced):
A course offering an introduction and development of students' skills and techniques for effective painting with acrylics and oils. Students study color mixing, create effective compositions, develop depth, space, and form with paint, and gain confidence in painting ability by understanding techniques and progressing the ability to apply them. Additional course fee is required. Prerequisite: ARTS 111 Drawing I, or instructor's permission.
A course offering studio development of students' skills and techniques for effective painting with acrylics or oils. Students study more complex color mixing and gain further confidence in ones painting ability by understanding additional techniques and gaining the ability to apply them. Prerequisite: ARTS 210 Beginning Painting, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering studio development of students' skills and techniques for effective painting with acrylics or oils. Students focus on individual artistic development as they combine techniques and subject matter into a personal style of visual communication. Prerequisite: ARTS 310 Intermediate Painting, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering an introduction and investigation of additive, subtractive, assembled, and cast sculptural techniques. Students use diverse media (such as metals, glass, plaster, clay, and wood) to explore conceptual and theoritic questions at the heart of sculptural practice. Prerequisite: ARTS 102 3D (Mixing Medias), or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering studio development of sculptural practice in a variety of media. Students explore more complex techniques and gain further confidence in diverse media (such as metals, glass, plaster, clay, and wood) to explore conceptual and theoritic questions at the heart of sculptural practice. Prerequisite: ARTS 220 Beginning Sculpture, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering studio development of students' skills and techniques in sculptural practice in a particular three-dimensional media. Students explore advanced techniques and gain further confidence while clarifying their conceptual and theoretical questions at the heart of the work. Prerequisite: ARTS 320 Intermediate Sculpture, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
Introduction to the materials, methods, and techniques used in photography. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering further studio development of skills and the introduction of more advanced photographic techniques. A focus on medium and large-format camera use is explored, with cameras available for checkout. Prerequisite: ARTS 230 Beginning Photography, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
Focuses on the individual artistic development of students as they combine techniques and subject matter into a personal style of visual communication. Additional course fee is required. Prerequisite: ARTS 330 Intermediate Photography.
A course offering an introduction to techniques and methods of historical and contemporary printmaking. Rotating topics include silkscreen printing, relief, etching, and lithography. Students explore the production and conceptual questions around the print as an art object. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering study into further techniques and methods of historical and contemporary printmaking. Rotating topics include silkscreen printing, relief, etching, and lithography. Intermediate students mix previous print knowledge with current offerings to diversify mark-making abilities. Intermediate students begin conceptualizing intended messages with the specific print media. Prerequisite: ARTS 240 Beginning Printmaking, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering studio development of students' individual printmaking process and production skills. Students focus on a dedicated process and develop work that combines techniques and subjects into a personal style of visual communication. Prerequisite: ARTS 340 Intermediate Printmaking, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering an introduction to the materials, methods, and basic techniques and skills of ceramic practice, including hand-building, wheel-throwing, and surface design. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering further studio development of the students' ceramics knowledge and skill in hand building, wheel-throwing, and firing techniques. Prerequisite: ARTS 250 Beginning Ceramics, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A course offering studio development of students' individual artistic development as they combine ceramic techniques and subject matter into a personal style of visual communication that clarifies their conceptual and theoretical questions. Prerequisite: ARTS 350 Intermediate Ceramics, or instructor's permission. Additional course fee is required.
A lower-division rotating lecture/studio course that focuses on an area of interest and specialty for the instructor. Media and techniques such as watercolor, kiln-worked glass, jewelry, alternative processes in photography, or paper and bookmaking may be explored. Students may repeat this course under a different topic. Students may need to purchase additional supplies. Additional course fee is required.
Dynamic Requirements for Graduation
Complete the following:
- Pre-Gate Review
- Gate Review
- Senior Portfolio or Project Review
- Internship
- Extra-Curricular Portfolio Display or Exhibition