Art and Design Curriculum

Initially, the major in Art and Design requires a solid grounding in the foundations of the creative disciplines. As part of the core curriculum program, students are encouraged to take courses which will establish their interest in and dedication to the pursuit of the major before they apply to enter the major.

All majors in Art and Design complete courses which provide the foundation for all concentrations. From these foundation courses, students branch into the concentration of their choice. Students from all concentrations intermingle in courses, providing a rich learning environment as their projects are developed, critiqued and exhibited.

Students complete their concentration through the requirements in the major. These courses are individually selected with the assistance of the major advisor. Thus, each student’s program has an element which is individually designed, in addition to the foundation and core courses common to all Art and Design majors.

Three culminating efforts provide the framework within which fourth-year students mature as artists: the internship, the senior exhibition and the Capstone project. The internship provides a career-related, experience-centered professional work opportunity where students gain skills training and professional life experience. The senior exhibition provides an opportunity for a group show in a public venue which gives students public recognition for their work. Finally, the Capstone project offers an opportunity to apply all of the learning which students have achieved, reflect on their total educational experience, and share with others the essence of that experience.

In addition to academic and studio work, art students participate in field trips to museums, galleries, and archeological and architectural sites, and become involved in various university events and other activities which demonstrate their versatility and competence.

Students intending to major in Art and Design should begin their art studies in the first year of baccalaureate level work, taking ART 125 in order to become familiar with the concentrations available in Art & Design and the variety of art media in the program, and beginning to prepare work for exhibition.

The curriculum for the major in Art and Design has been developed to be consistent with the accreditation standards of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) in the United States.

Concentrations

Design

Design is the area where the students have had the most success upon graduation. The combined skill sets within this concentration (involving design, creative, artistic, and technological skills) facilitate the successful transition into the workforce. Instruction and project development are undertaken on both campuses in three state-of-the-art computer labs. Most importantly, the technology is placed in the context of the foundation in the theories and aesthetics of art, with the goal of developing artists who express ideas and themselves through the implementation of design.

Painting and Drawing

Visual art courses remain at the heart of the art and design profession and, therefore, painting, drawing, printmaking and photography are central to the Art and Design major. Students have the opportunity to develop as artists in a range of traditional media and to extend the mastery of these skills to various advanced forms of the disciplines.

Photography and Video

New technologies have transformed the art and design world, and many of the most creative directions are now found in multimedia. Students learn visual design principles and the technology from the ground up as a way of providing the foundation for the competence to grow professionally with rapidly unfolding technology. Darkroom laboratories for photography and video production equipment are provided within the framework of the major.

Future development of the Art and Design major is anticipated in the areas of motion graphics, which would encompass three dimensional computer modeling and animation.