ABOUT ART STUDIO

DEPARTMENT/PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Department of Art and Art History is the administrative umbrella for two distinct major programs: Art History (ARHA) and Art Studio (ARST). Students can major in either program, with a maximum of 16 departmental credits counting toward the 32 required for graduation. This includes up to 3 courses at the 100-level and 13 at the 200-level or higher, including 2 ARST Senior Thesis Tutorial credits for students pursuing honors, or for writing a senior thesis in Art History.

Students double majoring in Art Studio and Art History may take up to 20 departmental credits, provided 2 are ARST Senior Thesis Tutorial credits for students pursuing honors. Additional opportunities, such as tutorials, internships, and teaching apprenticeships, are also available. Transfer credits from other institutions require prior approval and faculty review upon completion.

ART STUDIO MAJOR DESCRIPTION

The Art Studio major enables students to become fluent in visual languages—their analytical and critical vocabularies and the rigors of their techniques and methods—to explore intellectual issues and human experience. Students learn techniques associated with various media while developing a personal creative vision, beginning with basic studies in drawing and introductory art history. More focused studies train students in the practices of Architecture, Drawing, Ecological Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Product Design, Sculpture and Time-Based Media. The program seeks to reflect the diversity of current technical and intellectual approaches to art and design and welcomes interdisciplinary experimentation.

The Art Studio major is comprised of two distinct pathways, the honors thesis and the capstone portfolio, each with its own emphasis, course requirements, and capstone experience. Students in the honors pathway spend their senior year working closely with a dedicated faculty advisor over two semesters towards the comprehensive thesis requirement—the development of a focused body of work and a solo exhibition in the spring of their senior year. The portfolio pathway emphasizes advanced coursework, requiring students to complete three 300-level courses. Instead of a thesis, students compile a portfolio in the spring of their senior year, documenting their creative achievements in upper-level courses. While this portfolio does not qualify for honors, it is a graduation requirement. Both pathways require students to complete at least three Art History courses, each covering a different geographical area, for a total of 11 departmental courses. Additionally, all students must fulfill their General Education requirements.

ADMISSION TO THE MAJOR

In the second semester of the sophomore year, students may declare the Art Studio major in their WesPortal. At the time of declaration, students are expected to have completed:

  • Drawing I (ARST131)
  • Another ARST course.
  • One Art History course
  • At the time of declaration, prospective majors must have a B+ average in the department and a B average overall. All Art Studio and Art History courses must be taken for a grade to count toward the major.

*Students may be currently enrolled in one of the courses at the time of major declaration.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

In their junior year, Art Studio majors will choose between two major pathways. The following outline presents these options: 

Honors thesis pathway: course requirements and honors thesis

  • Drawing 1 (ARST 131)
  • Minimum 4 other ARST courses (including one 3-D course)
  • 3 Art History courses in 3 different geographical regions (The Americas, Europe, East Asia, South and Southwest Asia, and Africa. A global survey course or a multi-continental course may substitute for one of the geographic areas)
  • Senior Seminar (ARST 350)
  • 2 semesters Senior Thesis Tutorial (ARST 409/410)
    = 11 courses

    *Must be GenEd compliant
    *1 Individual ARST Tutorial may be counted toward 5 ARST courses
    *Eligible for honors
    *Students pursuing the honors thesis pathway must secure the agreement of a thesis advisor.
    * In the rare case a student finishes their graduation requirements in December of their senior
       year, they may complete the major with only one semester of thesis, still exhibiting in the spring.

Portfolio pathway: course requirements and capstone portfolio

  • Drawing I (ARST 131)
  • 6 ARST courses (including one 3-D course, and 3 x 300-level or higher)
  • 3 Art History courses in 3 different geographical regions (The Americas, Europe, East Asia,
    South and Southwest Asia, and Africa. A global survey course or a multi-continental course may substitute for one of the geographic areas)
  • 1 Elective (ARST or ARHA course of choice, any level)
  • 1 capstone portfolio working with advisor spring senior year (not a credit, but a requirement)
    =11 courses

*1 Individual ARST Tutorial may be counted toward 6 ARST courses
*Must be GenEd compliant 
*Not honors eligible

Teaching Apprentice Tutorials in will not be counted toward requirements in either major pathway.  No Advance Placement classes are accepted for credit toward the major.  

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

The Art Studio faculty has set the following goals for student achievement and success in the major:

  • Exploration of and proficiency with a wide range of media and techniques, at the introductory level and beyond 
  • Honing of observational skill
  • Fluency in visual language
  • The development of technical facility enabling students to explore their personal visions through making art
  • Broad awareness of current and historical art and its theoretical and historical context
  • Methodologies of critique, and the ability to analyze art from diverse intellectual traditions and technical approaches
  • Development of an independent studio practice, ideation, and methodology, culminating in a one-person exhibition senior year (for students in the honors pathway)