This seminar posits making photographs and writing as complementary, iterative activities. Students will regularly photograph aspects of their daily lives and confront the challenges involved in the creation of images that resonate beyond the commonplace. At the same time, the class will conduct close readings of texts related to the medium and images significant to its history. Comparing and contrasting writing and making photographs will shape class discussions and writing assignments. Students will learn how to use a camera intentionally through specific prompts and class exercises and should expect to share and discuss their images and writing in class. Instruction on the use of digital single lens reflex (dSLR) cameras will be provided — no previous experience with making photographs is needed. Cameras will be available for student use.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2023.

This course is an introduction to drawing, with an emphasis on the development of perceptual, organizational, and critical abilities. Course projects entail objective observation, exploration of the abstract formal organization of graphic expression, and the development of a critical vocabulary of visual principles. Lectures and group critiques support studio projects in various drawing media.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020.

How do we design images that visually express what we want to communicate? This question is at the heart of the printmaking discipline, which originated in the book and news printing industries and was later adopted as a tool by visual artists. Offers an exploration of image making through traditional and digital craft. Basic printmaking strategies and materials are introduced, such as ink, pressure, stencils, and multiples. Practices fine art print processes (digital, relief, and intaglio) using contemporary formats such as zines, stenciling, found objects, and collaboration. Exposure to historical and contemporary examples of printmaking through library special collections and museum visits, trips to local print shops and artists’ studios, demonstrations, visiting artist projects, and critiques supplement learning in the printmaking studio. Prior experience with other methods of image making, such as drawing or photography, is not required.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020.

An introduction to painting, with an emphasis on the development of perceptual, organizational, and critical abilities. Studio projects entail objective observation and analysis of still-life, landscape, and figurative subjects; exploration of the painting medium and chromatic structure in representation; and the development of a critical vocabulary of painting concepts. Lectures and group critiques augment studio projects in painting media.

Prerequisites: VART 1101.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020.

Photographic visualization and composition as consequences of fundamental techniques of black-and-white still photography. Class discussions and demonstrations, examination of masterworks, and field and laboratory work in 35mm format. Students are encouraged to provide their own 35mm film manually adjustable cameras, but the department has cameras for loan if necessary.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020.

An introduction to sculpture with an emphasis on experimentation, discovery, and problem-solving. Hands-on projects in clay, wood, and other media are supported by technical demonstrations, images, videos, group discussions, and critiques. By approaching sculpture through multiple formats, students develop an informed awareness of the medium while expanding skills, challenging perceptions, and engaging in creative expression.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020.

An introduction to digital media within a visual arts context. Emphasis will be on video and sound as the foundation of digital artistic expression, including installation art, web-based art, experimental gaming, and narrative storytelling. Studio projects are supported by technical demonstrations, readings, viewings, group discussions, and critiques. By approaching digital media through multiple formats, students develop a broader, more informed awareness of the potentials of the medium while developing a facility with certain digital tools, challenging assumptions about the ways information is conveyed, and finding new ways to communicate one’s ideas and impressions.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Fall 2020.

A course in beginning video production with an emphasis on the expressive potentials of the recording, editing, and sequencing of sound and the moving image. Studio projects are supported by technical demonstrations, readings, viewings, group discussions, and critiques. By approaching video and sound through multiple formats, students will develop a facility with a range of digital imaging and editing tools along with the basics of lighting and audio recording. Students will be encouraged to challenge conventional ways of conveying information and seek new ways to communicate ideas and tell stories. (Same as: CINE 1171)

A continuation of the principles introduced in Visual Arts 1101, with particular emphasis on figurative drawing. Studio projects develop perceptual, creative, and critical abilities through problems involving objective observation, gestural expression and structural principles of the human form, studies from historical and contemporary examples, and exploration of the abstract formal elements of drawing. Lectures and group critiques augment studio projects in various drawing media.

Prerequisites: VART 1101.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021.

The Printed Book introduces students to methods of designing and creating artist's books, a visual art medium that uses the form or function of “book” as inspiration. With an emphasis on design, visual storytelling, and studio technique, students explore the printed page, sequenced imaging, and image/object hybrids through a variety of book structures. Students create and analyze book constructions through hands-on studio work, group and individual critiques, and the study of the cultural and historical significance of books. Readings, lectures, and field trips to library special collections both on and off campus support studio classroom exercises.

Prerequisites: VART 1101 or VART 1201 or VART 1601.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2022.

A continuation of the principles introduced in Visual Arts 1301, with studio problems based on direct experience.

Prerequisites: VART 1301.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2021.

A continuation of principles introduced in Visual Arts 1301, with an emphasis on landscape painting. Studio projects investigate various relationships to nature through painting at a variety of sites and through the changing seasons of the coastal landscape. Painting activity is augmented with readings and presentations to offer a historical perspective on different languages, approaches, and philosophies in relation to the pictorial interpretation of landscape experience.

Prerequisites: VART 1301.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2022.

Review and expansion of concepts and techniques fundamental to black-and-white photography, with exploration of image-making potentials of different formats such as 35mm and view cameras. Seminar discussions and field and laboratory work. Students are encouraged to provide their own 35mm film manually adjustable cameras, but the department has cameras for loan if necessary.

Prerequisites: VART 1401.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2022.

A continuation of principles encountered in Visual Arts 1401, with an added emphasis on the expressive potential of color. Cameras of various formats, from the 35mm to the 4x5, are used to complete assignments. Approaches to color film exposure and digital capture, manipulation, and printing are practiced and the affect of color is examined. Through reading assignments, slide presentations, and discussions, students explore historical and cultural implications of color photography. Weekly assignments and group critiques structure class discussion.

Prerequisites: VART 1401.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2021.

Sustained photographic exploration of situations that appear unfamiliar or foreign to the student's experience. A consideration of connections between the different moments encountered and described by the camera, followed with written and further visual articulation of discoveries made from these insights. Narrative strategies, viewer expectations, and the role of the image in the dissemination of knowledge are central concerns of critiques, discussions, and readings. Photographic prints to be produced only through the exposure of black-and-white film and traditional darkroom techniques. Final project consists of a book, exhibit, or publishable article employing both text and photographs.

Prerequisites: VART 1401.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2023.

An extension of principles and techniques developed in Visual Arts1401, with increased emphasis on independent projects. Seminar discussion and critiques, and field and laboratory work. Participants must provide their own non-automatic 35mm camera.

Prerequisites: VART 1401 or VART 2406.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2023.

Students will pursue projects using analog photographic processes. Exposure and development of film, production of prints in wet darkroom, and exploration of other analog methods of image production will be covered. Discussions, critiques, and demonstrations will comprise most of the class sessions.

Prerequisites: VART 1040 or VART 1401.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2021.

A continuation of principles introduced in Visual Arts 1601, with particular emphasis on independent projects.

Prerequisites: VART 1601.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020.

Course builds on the use of everyday objects from Sculpture I and introduces advanced mold making and casting techniques. Students engage with a wide range of materials including clay, concrete, plaster, rubber, wax, and alternative materials like chocolate and soap. Through this process, students can alter and reimagine familiar everyday objects to explore how materials, forms, and images convey meaning in life and culture. Additional themes include art-by-instruction and installation.

Prerequisites: VART 1601.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024.

Guided independent studio practice. Explore crosspollination between art, science, and the environment through hands-on projects while also gaining exposure to a diverse range of contemporary artworks and interdisciplinary projects. Early assignments guide students through considerations for form, process, and meaning, followed by an emphasis on self-directed projects. (Same as: ENVS 2433)

Prerequisites: Two of: VART 1100 - 2969 and VART 1100 - 2969.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2023.

Guided Independent Studio Practice. Through the study of interdisciplinary media and studio practice, explores abstraction in historical and contemporary contexts in terms of form, content, process, and meaning. After guided assignments, the emphasis shifts to self-directed projects. Choice of media to be determined jointly by faculty and students in the course.

Prerequisites: Two of: VART 1100 - 2969 and VART 1100 - 2969.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2022.

Guided Independent Studio Practice. An exploration of installation art in the context of contemporary practice, especially as a means to transform space, create an environment, or offer a visceral experience. Early assignments guide students through considerations for form, content, process, and meaning, followed by an emphasis on self-directed projects. Choice of media to be determined jointly by faculty and students.

Prerequisites: Two of: VART 1100 - 2969 and VART 1100 - 2969.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2021.

Guided Independent Studio Practice. An exploration of the role of time in the visual arts. Through class assignments and independent projects, examines how artists can invoke and transform time. Attention given to historical and contemporary precedents. Seminar discussions, field trips, and class critiques.

Prerequisites: Two of: VART 1100 - 2969 and VART 1100 - 2969.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2020.

Guided Independent Studio Practice. Explores narrative content, forms, processes, meanings, and approaches in the visual arts, especially in the context of contemporary practice, through interdisciplinary media, as determined jointly by faculty and students in the course.

Prerequisites: Two of: VART 1100 - 2969 and VART 1100 - 2969.

Previous terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020.

Guided Independent Studio Practice. Concentrates on strengthening critical and formal skills as students start developing an individual body of work. Includes periodic reviews by members of the department and culminates with a group exhibition at the conclusion of the semester.

Prerequisites: VART 3000 or higher.

Previous terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021.