From curating shows to exhibiting your own work, we promote dynamic student research and creative activity by engaging the diverse and rich world of artistic expression. Working with objects first-hand is key, with numerous field trips to major museums in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. as well as an extended visit to New York City. Our majors and minors will be encouraged to expand their learning through Study Abroad for one or even two semesters.
Studio majors learn the technical and conceptual skills to develop and professionally exhibit their own body of work, including a digital portfolio and artist’s statement, with faculty experts and facilities in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and photography. You will have numerous chances to exhibit and discuss your artwork in a variety of spaces, from Introductory class work in the West Gallery to a competitive Juried Show in Schmucker Art Gallery, which includes awards. Seniors have their own private studios and work with a Graphic Designer on a professionally-produced Capstone catalog for their senior exhibition.
To complete a major in studio art students are required to take the following courses:
ARTS 141
Four Core Studio classes (ARTS 251, 255, 261, and 263)
Two second-level Studio core courses (or a second level drawing)
One elective Studio (may use approved media or internship)
Three courses in theory and history (Must include one entry-level survey in art history (ARTH 125 or ARTH 126) and one upper-level course on the history of art after 1945 (ARTH 318). Third course may include FYS 188, 197, PHIL 334 or any other art history course.)
Major Capstone course ARTS 401
May use no more than two transfer or off-campus study courses toward the minimum requirements for the major.
Art History Majors
As an Art History major, you’ll develop skills in visual analysis, historical research, writing and public speaking as well as curation and exhibition display. You will learn from faculty experts in Asian Art, African American Art and Art of the African Diaspora, 19th-century America and the Italian Renaissance. Our students regularly carry out original research on works in Musselman Library’s Special Collections and have curated a vast range of exhibitions and objects, from Renaissance prints by Albrecht Dürer to polariods by Andy Warhol to an Ethiopian magic scroll in a Chamber of Wonders. Art History seniors craft their own senior thesis research topic with funding available for travel and professionally present their work as part of an Art History Symposium to the campus public. You'll be prepared for graduate study in Art History or Museum Studies or a career in a range of fields.
To complete a major in art history students are required to complete eleven courses:
ARTH 125 or ARTH 126
Methods Course ARTH 214
One course in ancient or medieval fields (ARTH 201 or 202)
One course in Renaissance or Baroque fields (ARTH 203, 245, 284, 303, 306, 307, 308 or FYS 188-1, FYS 197)
Two courses in 19th century or modern fields (ARTH 206, 210, 217, 221, 240, 318, 322)
One course in a non-western field (ARTH 131, 234, 235, 236)
One additional course in art history or theory (May include approved Internships and Independent Studies)
Two Studio Courses
Major Capstone course (ARTH 400)
May use no more than two transfer or off-campus study courses toward the minimum requirements for the major.
To complete a minor in studio art students are required to take the following courses
ARTS 141
Must take two of the following:
Introduction to Painting (ARTS 251)
Introduction to Printmaking (ARTS 255)
Introduction to Sculpture (ARTS 261)
Introduction to Ceramics (ARTS 263)
Must take one second-level of the core you chose above. May include second-level drawing here as well.
Must include one entry-level survey in art history, and one other art history.
The minor must include 6 courses; no more than two of which shall be 100-level courses. May use no more than two transfer or off-campus study courses toward the minimum requirements for the minor.
Minor in Art History
To complete a minor in art history students are required to take the following courses.
ARTH 214 or substitute at the discretion of the department chair
Three 200–400 level Art History or Theory courses
One course in a non-western field (ARTH 131, 234, 235, 236)
One studio course
Please note that no more than two 100-level courses are acceptable to fulfill the requirements for the minor.
This list is a sampling of the kinds of courses offered through the Art and Art History department curriculum. Not all courses shown here will be offered every semester. For a complete list of currently available courses, students may log into their account on Student Center.
Drawing from models and controlled studio problems. Intended to promote coordination of the hand and the eye to achieve a degree of technical mastery over a variety of drawing tools. Emphasis is placed on line quality, techniques of shading, negative-positive relationships, figure-ground relationships, form, structure, and an awareness of the total field. Prerequisite: First-year students and sophomores only.
Introduction to Digital Media is a preliminary studio for digital art, graphic design,
and new media. Coursework introduces principles and techniques of visual communication and builds the capacity to discuss aesthetic, conceptual, and technical aspects of contemporary media. Workshops, sketching, informal writing, and constructive group reviews build visual discernment and teach industry standard tools and experimental technologies.
Development of a series of paintings according to a thematic image. Assigned problems are designed to introduce a variety of conceptual, procedural, and experimental possibilities. Prerequisite: ARTS 141 or permission of instructor.
Development of unique and experimental techniques, procedures, images, presentations, and textural applications. Series of paintings is developed. Alternative concepts and methodology are discussed. Students are referred to works by artists who have related aesthetic interests. Prerequisites: ARTS141, 251, or permission of instructor. Offered once a year.
Creative process as conditioned and disciplined by intaglio techniques. Discussion of past and contemporary methods, and the study of original prints. Offered once a year.
Introductory course in experimental work, with a primary concentration on cameo techniques. Lithography and seriography are often introduced in alternate semesters. Prerequisite: ARTS 255. Offered once a year.
Introduction to fundamentals of three-dimensional forms and modes of expression involving creative problems in the organization of space, mass, volume, line, and color. Correlated lectures and demonstrations are used to acquaint students with those aspects of sculptural history and theory relevant to studio projects. Course is intended for both general students, and art majors.
Program of studio projects (arranged by instructor and student) concerned with developing an individual approach to three-dimensional form, using fabrication and construction techniques involving a series of experiments in spatial organization. Prerequisite: ARTS 261. Offered once a year.
Introduction to clay as a medium for personal three-dimensional expression. Material is approached in a utilitarian and sculptural way. Both wheel and hand-building will be practiced. Introduction to kilns and glaze techniques. Offered once a year. Prerequisite: ARTS 141; or permission of the instructor
Introductory course with a concentration on camera usage, design theory, and editing techniques in the digital photography creative process. Additional emphasis on origins, evolution, and relationship of the photographic image to contemporary materials and methods. Offered once a year.
Intermediate course with a concentration on camera usage, production of narrative imagery, videography, design theory, and advanced editing techniques in the digital photography creative process. Additional emphasis on origins, evolution, and relationship of the photographic image to contemporary materials and methods. Offered once a year.
Focuses on materials, techniques, and compositional parameters not systematically covered in the regular curriculum. Topics are chosen by individual studio faculty members and may include cast metal sculpture, welded sculpture, calligraphy, computer graphics, color photography, figurative drawing, watercolor painting, assemblages, installations and earthworks. Not offered every year.
Emphasis on individual concepts as developed in a series of interrelated drawing problems, materials, and techniques. Prerequisites: ARTS 141 or permission of instructor. Offered infrequently.
Emphasis on advanced painting concepts and the development of individual student concerns in a series. Prerequisites: ARTS 251 and 252. Offered infrequently.
Exploration of individual three-dimensional concerns, with concentration in one media and technique. Prerequisites: ARTS 261, 262. Offered infrequently.
Creation of a cohesive, individualized body of work for inclusion in the Senior Show, accompanied by portfolio presentation and faculty review. Emphasis is placed on extending unique student interests and strengths in an exploration of media, imagery, and technique, which result in mature, high quality aesthetic conclusions. Students participate in all aspects of offering the public a provocative, thoughtful series of well-crafted work that is displayed professionally. Offered every spring semester.
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office
An introduction to Western art from about 25,000 BC to the 21st century. Students learn some of the many relationships of visual art to various environmental contexts and some of the ways humans have employed art as a means to respond to life's experiences and also to influence those experiences. Additionally, students learn various methodologies of approaching art, such as formalist, feminist, Marxist. Through practice, students learn techniques of visual analysis and build skills to evaluate visual images.
Study of the history of art from the mid-nineteenth-century to today, loosely from Post-Impressionism to art made within the past five years. We critically engage with the works themselves and situate them with their larger global and cultural context and trace the evolution of artists’ various formal, social, and political commitments. In this class we will ask: What constitutes a vital artistic intervention into any era and why? What are the aesthetic, social, and technological conditions that variously inform the making and interpretation of modern and contemporary art? What publics and whose politics do art and its institutions aim to engage, contest, or occlude? In attending to these questions, we will move more or less chronologically from the mid- nineteenth century up the present, surveying major trends and thematic, while also homing in on specific artists, exhibitions, and works that emblematize both the cultural contradiction of the modern and contemporary moment and the transformative potential of aesthetics within culture.
A survey of the Arts of Asia from Neolithic period to Modern times. Three general topics, including Ancient Civilization, Asian Religion and Art, Traditional China and Japan will be discussed. The course covers different art forms primarily painting, sculpture and architecture from several regions: India, China, Japan, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. The works of art are important in their own contexts and we want to learn what they reveal about their parent cultures. Offered every semester. ARTH 131 and AS 131 are cross-listed.
Introductory survey of the art and architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome, beginning with the Bronze Age in the Aegean to the reign of emperor Constantine. The course covers the history, culture and social context of major works produced by these civilizations and analyzes developments in style, taste and use of materials. Recommended ARTH 125. Offered once a year. ARTH 201 and CLA 201 are cross-listed.
Survey of the arts of the Middle Ages and their development from the Roman catacomb through the high Gothic cathedral. Analysis of art as a reflection of changing political and social conditions in Europe, with particular emphasis on liturgical arts in the Middle Ages. Recommended prior course: ARTH 125.
Introductory survey of the art of the Northern Renaissance, ranging from the meticulous detail of Jan van Eyck to the superb workmanship of Albrecht Dürer to the mysterious and grotesque figures of Hieronymus Bosch. In lectures, readings and class discussions, students explore the artistic styles, history, culture and social context of works produced during the 15th-16th centuries in Northern Europe. Topics include the rise of naturalism in the Renaissance, the pioneering advances in oil painting and printmaking, the use of “disguised symbolism”, portraiture and genre subjects, and the impact of religious conflict and the Reformation.
Introduction to eighteenth-century painters in Italy, France, and England and their relationship to the Enlightenment. Major emphasis on the evolution of painting in France during the nineteenth century in relation to the changing social, political, and philosophical climate. Alternate years. Prerequisite: any 100-level ARTH, ARTH 201, or permission of instructor.
Study of the schools and critical writings surrounding the major figures in the first half of the 20th century. Such movements as Art Nouveau, Nabis, Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, German Expressionism, De Stijl, Dada, and Surrealism are examined. Recommended prior courses: ARTH111, 112, or 120.
An introduction to the history of the art historical discipline and its research and interpretive methods. A broad goal of the course is to have students build a foundation of knowledge and methodology from which to approach works of art with understanding and critical appreciation. Through lectures and class discussions students will develop a thorough familiarity with various art-historical methodologies and be able to evaluate their applicability to the analysis of individual works of art. Students in the class will curate an exhibition of artworks from the college special collection in the Schmucker art gallery. Prerequisite: Any ARTH course, FYS 122-1, or HIST 201
Who decides what gets shown in a museum? How it gets shown? Who is the intended audience, and how do these institutions engage with the public? This course peels back the curtain to examine how museums function, both as cultural institutions and as businesses. We will unpack the various roles museums play in our society, including meeting the players who make institutions tick. Through a series of themes, field trips, and virtual meetings, we will analyze various kinds of museums, interact with museum professionals, and literally go behind the scenes to discuss issues such as collection storage and curation, exhibition implementation, development (fund raising), educational programming, and the handling of objects.
Survey of American painting from the Colonial Period to 1900, studied in relationship to developments in Europe, and with emphasis on the response of art to the changing social and technological environment in America. Alternate years.
"History and Theory of Photography" explores critical issues in photography from its invention in 1839 through the present. The course examines the following themes: the photograph as document, landscape photography in the American West, the relationship between photography and painting, the practice of street photography, and postmodern photography.
This course examines American visual culture in the Civil War period, encompassing painting, sculpture, prints, and photography. It treats works that directly depict aspects of the conflict, and those that address how everyday life and perceptions of what it meant to be American were shaped by the war and its aftermath. We examine how the making and circulation of images shifted during this pivotal period. ARTH 226 and CWES 226 are cross-listed.
An introduction to a world of visual and intellectual richness of Chinese art. The course will provide a base for the students to understand how the Chinese have viewed themselves and the world through time and how this has been expressed in the visual arts. Various art forms will be discussed chronologically. Within each period the arts are not only analyzed visually and stylistically, but are examined in their cultural, social and political contexts. Offered once a year. ARTH 234 and AS 234 are cross-listed.
A study of Chinese painting and the art forms that have long held prestige positions in Chinese art. This course is intended to introduce the students to artistic practices created by both professional artists and scholar-painters. Class lecture and discussion focus on painting, the history of collections, theories on connoisseurship and aesthetics from the 3rd c to modern times. The interplays between painting and poetry, philosophy and politics are emphasized. Ink and brushworks is also analyzed and demonstrated in class. ARTH 235 and AS 235 are cross-listed.
We are examining the transnational flows and exchanges that make up the cultures of the African diaspora. We survey theoretical approaches to the African diaspora and visual approaches to race, as well as the processes of forced migration and dispersal that gave birth to a Black Atlantic world. Throughout this process, we encounter a broad set of visual practices and aim to understand how issues such as modernity, race, and coloniality can be complicated when investigated through African diasporic aesthetics.
An overview of art and architecture produced across cultures from the 14th-17th centuries. The course looks at the vibrant array of visual works from different areas of the world to de-center the traditional Euro-centered definitions of “Renaissance” and incorporate diverse perspectives, techniques, materials, iconographies, social expectations and cultural contexts. This course draws on new approaches to art in a global context and explores how different geographies interacted with each other through the circulation of goods, resources and knowledge.
An introduction to the methods and practices of collections and curating. Students examine how museums and galleries function through hands-on experiences. In addition to learning how to handle artwork, manage art and digital image collections, and design and install exhibitions, students interact with the public through tours, didactic texts, and social media. Students consider the history of collections, engage in dynamic discussion about current issues and controversies, and learn about professional practices and careers in museums.
Focuses on specific aspects of the history and theory of art and architecture not usually covered in the regular curriculum. Topics are chosen by individual faculty members; not offered every year.
The course is an introduction to material culture studies, a dynamic interdisciplinary field that examines the fascinating lives of objects. Students will explore how scholars in diverse disciplines, primarily art history, archaeology and anthropology, and museum studies, study objects. By studying college’s special collections, student will learn how to address historical knowledge through examinations of objects, not only their physical attributes, but people’s relationships with them, and how objects and human shape each other in antiquity and contemporary world.
ANTH 270 and ARTH 270 are cross-listed.
Survey of the art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance from the thirteenth to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Course explores the characteristics of this important historical period, traditionally defined as a time of rebirth. Class material introduces students to primary sources and biographies of prominent artists, including Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, as well as the broader historical context of patronage, politics and social customs. Prerequisite: ARTH 115, or 125, or 201, 202; or permission of the instructor. Offered once a year.
Art Study of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Europe, from the first decades after the Reformation through their transformation under the impact of the Counter Reformation. Artistic developments in Italy are discussed, as well as allied approaches in northern Europe and Spain. Works of some of the world's best known artists are examined, including Bernini, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, El Greco, Velasquez, and Poussin. Prerequisite: ARTH 115, or 125, or any 200-level art history course; or permission of the instructor. Alternate years.
Critical examination of the art forms and issues that identify the current post-modern phase of twentieth-century art. Past and current usages of the terms 'modern' and 'avant-garde' are explored in the context of contemporary modes of visual expression, art criticism, communications technology, and cultural pluralism. Prerequisite: two courses in art history and/or theory or permission of the instructor.
Since 1900 Survey of twentieth-century painting. Course concentrates on two basic themes: the changing social role of painting as America's needs and self-image change, and the on-going eclectic process in which American painters extend and deepen their familiarity with world art.
Discussion of methods, approaches and professional practices of Art History alongside the development of individual research projects and the organization of an academic symposium. Topics for critical discussion include formalism, iconography, social history, feminism and gender, high and low culture, challenging the canon and postmodernism. Students define and carry out an advanced research topic, the results of which will be written as a scholarly paper and delivered as a professional presentation with images in an Art History Symposium open to the public. Prerequisites: Senior Art History majors only. Offered in Spring semester.
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized tutorial counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized tutorial not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized research counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Individualized research not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor graded S/U
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Internship counting toward the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded A-F
Internship not counting in the minimum requirements in a major or minor, graded S/U
Summer Internship graded A-F, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office.
Summer Internship graded S/U, counting in the minimum requirements for a major or minor only with written permission filed in the Registrar's Office
From curating shows to exhibiting your own work, we promote dynamic student research and creative activity by engaging the diverse and rich world of artistic expression. Working with objects first-hand is key, with numerous field trips to major museums in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. as well as an extended visit to New York City. Our majors and minors will be encouraged to expand their learning through Study Abroad for one or even two semesters.
Studio majors learn the technical and conceptual skills to develop and professionally exhibit their own body of work, including a digital portfolio and artist’s statement, with faculty experts and facilities in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and photography. You will have numerous chances to exhibit and discuss your artwork in a variety of spaces, from Introductory class work in the West Gallery to a competitive Juried Show in Schmucker Art Gallery, which includes awards. Seniors have their own private studios and work with a Graphic Designer on a professionally-produced Capstone catalog for their senior exhibition.
Our students regularly carry out original research on works in Musselman Library’s Special Collections and have curated a vast range of exhibitions and objects, from Renaissance prints by Albrecht Dürer to polariods by Andy Warhol to an Ethiopian magic scroll in a Chamber of Wonders. Art History seniors craft their own senior thesis research topic with funding available for travel and professionally present their work as part of an Art History Symposium to the campus public. You'll be prepared for graduate study in Art History or Museum Studies or a career in a range of fields.