Learning Goals in the Art Major

Studio Art Department Program Objectives

The Studio Art program offers a wide variety of studio disciplines designed to provide instruction in a liberal arts context. These courses promote and provide methods for students to communicate ideas in visual form. The department provides students with a broad knowledge of theory and technique, allowing for creative and intellectual development in exciting and diverse media incorporating traditional tools and methods as well as state of the art software and technology. A Studio Art major can lead to an embrace of visual culture as part of a meaningful life and a professional career in the field of visual arts.

Studio Art Program Learning Outcomes

Students are expected to engage fully within the Studio Art Program and the opportunities presented for learning. Having completed a B. A. in Studio Art, graduates of this program will:

Visual Literacy and Communication. Develop a high level of visual literacy allowing students to situate contemporary visual practices in a proper historical context and grounded in a foundation of visual expression.

Creative Thinking. Creatively solve problems through the successful integration of knowledge and experience towards the creation of an original body of work.

Technical Skills and Professional Development. Acquire the knowledge of technical skills and basic processes in a variety of media including two-dimensions, three-dimensions and time-based works. Use professional standards to develop and present works of art and understand the discipline, rigor, initiative and passion required to sustain studio practice.

Critical Skills. Be able to analyze visual art, verbally and in writing, both past and present, in terms of formal and technical qualities as well as their relevance to society through informed discourse.