The Visual Arts major is designed to prepare students to create, analyze, and critique visual art in a complex, rapidly changing global culture. The mission of the major is to empower students through the integration of technical applications and critical theories, to provide students with marketable skills, to assume creative, scholarly, and leadership roles in the visual arts field, and to promote an understanding of the role that the visual arts play in all facets of contemporary life. Concentrations are available in: Studio Arts and Art History.

Students must earn a C- or better in all major courses. Failure to earn this minimum grade will result in the need to repeat the course thereby possibly extending the student’s course of study beyond four years.

Learning Outcomes

B.A. in Visual Arts, Studio Concentration

College-Wide Goals & Objectives

This section explains how the Visual Arts, Studio Concentration Major meets the overarching objectives at Chatham University.

1. Information Literacy

1. Students must effectively locate and gather information for research and medium-related analysis through a variety of information media.
2. Students must be able to properly evaluate the quality of the information and its sources.
3. Students must utilize their knowledge gathered from various media sources to render well-communicated, designed and conceptualized projects and/or research papers in response to their contextual analysis.

2. Critical Reading

1. Students must evaluate art and theories related to critical visual studies through a combination of written and online texts, hand-outs, journal articles, art shows in galleries and museums, artist discussions and in-class lectures, conversations and demonstrations.
2. Students must assess the quality of gathered and presented information as well as its sources.

3. Analytical Thinking

1. Students must critically investigate and respond to the work of other artists, and theorists as well as the work of their peers during critique sessions.
2. Students must look for multidisciplinary relationships between art, studio practice and other fields of research, examining the role of the artist as well as art works within a broader social context.
3. Students must exhibit a critical understanding of related technical concerns, representational issues, aesthetic practices, ideas and concepts through original projects and/or papers.

4. Problem Solving

1. Students must transform critical and analytical research into well-conceptualized projects and informed responses.
2. Students must be able to move from concept to project actualization.
3. Students must have a strong understanding of technique in order to properly troubleshoot and solve conceptual and creative issues related to a project.

5. Public Written Communication

1. Students must communicate clearly by writing research or response papers of various lengths, which support coursework requirements.
2. Students must communicate their conceptual and creative concepts clearly in written project statements.
3. Students must formulate a point of view and be able to defend it within the written format.

6. Public Oral Communication

1. Students must communicate ideas clearly in oral presentations.
2. Students must actively participate in classroom discussions and group critique sessions.
3. Students must formulate a point of view and be able to defend it orally.

Program-Specific Goals & Objectives

This section explains the discipline-specific goals and objectives of Visual Arts, Studio Concentration major.

1. Media Literacy, Analysis and Context

1. Students must have a historical understanding of the medium they are using and the ideas they are pursuing in their creative work.
2. Students must be aware of major theories influencing the art field.
3. Students must develop original and well-informed responses to theoretical and critical analysis.
4. Students must look for interdisciplinary relationships between art, art history, and other fields of research.

2. Creative Processes

1. Students must develop and transform original concepts into well-conceptualized projects – demonstrating a competency in project development.
2. Students must choose appropriate medium for the development of their project and/or idea through models, sketches, proposals, and aesthetic choices.
3. Students must communicate their creative expression through project presentation at various stages of development.

3. Technical Fundamentals

1. Students must have knowledge of the medium they are utilizing for their projects.
2. Students must create original projects that draw on their knowledge of the medium in order to thoroughly investigate relationships between concept development and media used.
3. Students must properly troubleshoot and solve medium-related problems.

4. Professional Practice

1. Students must develop projects with an understanding of a diversified audience.
2. Students must properly document their projects, choosing appropriate forms of media
3. Students must have an understanding of relevant journals, festivals, firms, etc. for later distribution or field contribution.
4. Students must develop field-appropriate professional portfolios and be able to communicate their projects clearly.
5. Students must develop attitudes of professional responsibility and accountability.
6. Students must develop professional discipline (time-management, organizational skills).

Curriculum

+Major Requirements

ART103	Intro to Visual Culture Visual Culture can be understood as the practice of scrutinizing visual items in both elite and popular culture; of determining how and what they mean to a variety of audiences; and of examining how those meanings might slip, change, or be changed according to both context and audience. Students examine a broad range of visual materials - from paintings to films - through the term of study.	3
ART132	History of World Art II: 1400 to Present This introductory survey focuses on Western art from the Renaissance to today and the art of selected non-Western cultures (including Japan, Africa, and Islamic countries) after 1400. It concentrates on the stylistic, technical, and expressive evolution of painting, architecture, and sculpture within specific historical contexts, yet also explores the cross-influences and interaction of non-Western and Western art as defining characteristics of the modern world.	3
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ART230W	Women and Art Women and Art addresses the work of women artists from the Renaissance to the present and images of women in Western art. Feminist approaches to the history of art are examined critically to determine their contribution to the history of art. This is a writing intensive course.	3
OR
ART309W	Art + Land: Artists Engage the Environment This course explores interactions between visual artists and the natural environment. It examines 15th- to 17th-century landscape painting and the role of landscape and national identity in the 19th century. It also explores the Earth Art movement that began in the 1960s and current investigations of art and sustainability.	3
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FDT300W	Critical Theory Critical theory offers a critical study of the key debates in theories of media and communication interfaced with cultural studies. This course also examines the communication circuit from production to consumption within the broader paradigms of cultural studies, feminism, politics of identity, and theories of ideology and postmodernism. Connections are made between these debates and wider debates in communication studies.	3
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ART254	Modern Art, 1900 to the Present In this course the student will be introduced to the major movements in European and American art since 1900. The first half will focus on 1900 to 1950 and the concept of modernism, who and what shaped it, and the shifting definitions of the artist. The second half will focus on recent trends in world art, focusing on new media and movements, including installation art, earth art, video art, postmodernism, and the new theoretical and conceptual approaches to art and art history.	3
OR
ART328	The Carnegie International This course will analyze contemporary art of the past 4-5 years as organized by the curators of the Carnegie International. It will examine the history of the International and other exhibitions of this type, the globalized art market, and current media techniques and broader concerns of visual artists working today. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: ART132 History of World Art II: 1400 to Present ART254 Modern Art, 1900 to the Present	3
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ART490	Integrative Capstone The integrative capstone, undertaken by the student during the senior year, is an extended project that helps the student complete their transition from an undergraduate student to a world-ready professional. The study usually centers on the student's major and may be conducted, at least in part, in the context of a group experience. Such programs are crafted to meet the unique needs of each major, and could include, for example, fieldwork, theater production, creative work in the arts, independent research, or independent readings. The integrative capstone in an interdisciplinary major must have the approval of both academic programs. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: FDT300W Critical Theory	3

+Studio Arts Concentration

One Advanced 2D Studio:

OR

OR

One Advanced 3D Studio:

OR

OR

+Studio Arts Minor

Five courses:

Choose One:

2D Courses:

3D Courses

Choose One:

2D Courses

3D Courses

Choose One:

2D Courses

3D Courses

+Art History Concentration

ART131	History of World Art I: Prehistory to 1400 This introductory survey focuses on art of the ancient world and the Middle Ages in the West and selected non-Western cultures to 1400 including India, China, and Mesoamerica. It emphasizes the role of art in the formation of a culture, the shifting function of art in different societies and time periods, and the approaches students can use to understand art.	3
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ART231	Renaissance Art This course traces the rise of the humanistic spirit in the art of Italy between 1300 and 1550. Equal emphasis is placed on the achievements of Early Renaissance artists and architects (Ghiberti, Alberti, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli), and the masters of the High Renaissance (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bramante, Titian).	3
OR
ART234	Baroque and Rococo Art An in-depth survey of the various styles and aims of European art from 1590 to 1700.	3
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ART366	American Art: Colonial to 1900 This course examines the major movements, artists, and cultural issues of American painting, sculpture, and photography from its beginnings to 1900. Special attention is given to works that address definitions of American "identity" and cultural interaction and conflict between races. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: ART132 History of World Art II: 1400 to Present ART131 History of World Art I: Prehistory to 1400	3
OR
ART248	19th-Century Art This survey examines art movements in France, England, Germany, and other European countries from the early to late 19th-century, focusing on Romanticism and Realism, the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism. It explores the impact of urbanization, industrialization, and race and gender issues on visual culture.	3
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ART372	Curating African Art and Artifacts This course explores the rich diversity of art across sub-Sahara Africa from the Paleolithic era to today. It focuses on cultures from West Africa, Central Africa, and East Africa to complement the holdings of the College's outstanding Olkes Collection of African Art, which includes more than 600 objects. Class lecture, discussion, and student projects utilize works from the collection, including masks, wood sculpture, beadwork, and metalwork.	3
ART271	Asian Art This course surveys the art of India, China, Southeast Asia, Korea, and Japan from the earliest civilizations to the modern period. Since much Asian artistic production was inspired by religious belief, students also will be introduced to the major currents of Asian religion and philosophy, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintoism.	3
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ART208	Introduction to Art Museum Studies This course introduces students to the themes and issues addressed in the Art Museum Studies program, including an overview of the history and function of art museums, their role in society, the interpretation of objects for museum audiences, and other issues central to the museum profession such as censorship and repatriation.	3
OR
ART368	Museum Education and the Visual Arts This course traces the development of the American art museum's educational mission from the early nineteenth century to the present. A range of programming types, including docent touring, computer-based learning, museum-school partnerships, and hands-on experiences are observed and analyzed. Students will also design programs for exhibitions in the Chatham University Art Gallery. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: ART208 Introduction to Art Museum Studies	3
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+Art History Minor

5 courses

ART131	History of World Art I: Prehistory to 1400 This introductory survey focuses on art of the ancient world and the Middle Ages in the West and selected non-Western cultures to 1400 including India, China, and Mesoamerica. It emphasizes the role of art in the formation of a culture, the shifting function of art in different societies and time periods, and the approaches students can use to understand art.	3
ART132	History of World Art II: 1400 to Present This introductory survey focuses on Western art from the Renaissance to today and the art of selected non-Western cultures (including Japan, Africa, and Islamic countries) after 1400. It concentrates on the stylistic, technical, and expressive evolution of painting, architecture, and sculpture within specific historical contexts, yet also explores the cross-influences and interaction of non-Western and Western art as defining characteristics of the modern world.	3
--------------------
ART231	Renaissance Art This course traces the rise of the humanistic spirit in the art of Italy between 1300 and 1550. Equal emphasis is placed on the achievements of Early Renaissance artists and architects (Ghiberti, Alberti, Donatello, Masaccio, Botticelli), and the masters of the High Renaissance (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bramante, Titian).	3
OR
ART234	Baroque and Rococo Art An in-depth survey of the various styles and aims of European art from 1590 to 1700.	3
--------------------
ART254	Modern Art, 1900 to the Present In this course the student will be introduced to the major movements in European and American art since 1900. The first half will focus on 1900 to 1950 and the concept of modernism, who and what shaped it, and the shifting definitions of the artist. The second half will focus on recent trends in world art, focusing on new media and movements, including installation art, earth art, video art, postmodernism, and the new theoretical and conceptual approaches to art and art history.	3
OR
ART328	The Carnegie International This course will analyze contemporary art of the past 4-5 years as organized by the curators of the Carnegie International. It will examine the history of the International and other exhibitions of this type, the globalized art market, and current media techniques and broader concerns of visual artists working today. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: ART132 History of World Art II: 1400 to Present ART254 Modern Art, 1900 to the Present	3
--------------------
ART248	19th-Century Art This survey examines art movements in France, England, Germany, and other European countries from the early to late 19th-century, focusing on Romanticism and Realism, the Pre-Raphaelites, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism. It explores the impact of urbanization, industrialization, and race and gender issues on visual culture.	3
OR
ART366	American Art: Colonial to 1900 This course examines the major movements, artists, and cultural issues of American painting, sculpture, and photography from its beginnings to 1900. Special attention is given to works that address definitions of American "identity" and cultural interaction and conflict between races. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: ART132 History of World Art II: 1400 to Present ART131 History of World Art I: Prehistory to 1400	3
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One Elective:
ART213	Special Topics Special Topics	3
ART313	Special Topics Special Topics	3