Art

Department
Academic Bulletin 

The Art Department is introduced a new curriculum for the 2019-2020 academic year. Previous offerings were changed to fit into a more clearly hierarchical sequences and take best advantage of new faculty.

Some changes include the following:

1. In Studio Art students can focus on the mediums of ceramics, electronic art and intermedia, painting, photography, and sculpture. We have dropped printmaking and upper levels of drawing.
2. The major in Art & Technology is now reconfigured as the interdivisional program Art, Science, and Innovation (ASI).
3. Discontinued for students matriculating in Fall 2018 or later are the Major and Minor in Art History and the Minor in Art & the Environment.

The Art Department is trying to be flexible in helping students meet requirements as students transition into the new curriculum. To understand how individual courses will meet requirements in a specific student’s program, it is best to consult with the Art Department Chair or an Art Department faculty advisor.

Students may MAJOR in Studio Art or ASI.

Students may MINOR in Studio Art or ASI.

Both the Major and Minor in ASI are considered Interdivisional.

A student majoring in Studio Art may not double-major or minor in ASI.

A student majoring in ASI may not double-major or minor in Studio Art.

A note about transfer or AP credit in studio art. Because the Art Department is small and we do not have a significant range of upper level studio courses, we do not always encourage first year students to place out of 100-level courses. Even if they have had some previous instruction in a medium, students usually have a lot to gain from taking introductory courses with new, College-level expectations. They can engage the material at their own level. But if they would like to apply their transfer credit to meet a specific requirement of an Art Department Major or Minor, they should consult with the department chair for a closer review of their portfolio and program plans.

A 4 or 5 in AP art history might be applied toward the requirements of a major or minor in the Art Department, typically replacing ART 115.

Suggested Schedule for the Studio Art Major:

Additional Advising Considerations for Studio Art:

• It is now possible to take Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced courses in ceramics, electronic art and intermedia, painting, photography, and sculpture. However, not all courses are offered every semester, so students should begin their sequences as soon as possible if they want to be able to schedule a third, advanced course in the media sequence by the time they are juniors or seniors.
• ART 580 Junior Seminar is now offered both Fall and Spring semesters. It is recommended that students plan to take ART 580 in the spring of their junior year, but it is possible to do the Junior Seminar / Senior Project sequence in the Fall and Spring of the senior year.
• Arts Administration Pathway. Students interested in careers in museums, galleries, or public history could choose a Studio Art MINOR of Art 115, Art 171, Art 187, Art 250, Art 271, leading to the capstone of Art 584. 

Suggested Schedule for Art, Science, and Innovation Major:

Additional Advising Considerations for Art, Science, and Innovation:

• ​There is a significant science component to this major (4 courses) that should be started early in the student’s program, since science classes are often hierarchal and strictly sequenced. The science module is intended to be highly customizable by the student. See the example Pathways below, but have the student consult with a major as soon as possible to consider meaningful choices.
• ART 59Junior Seminar is now offered both Fall and Spring semesters. It is recommended that students plan to take ART 580 in the spring of their junior year, but it is possible to do the Junior Seminar / Senior Project sequence in the Fall and Spring of the Senior year.

Sample Pathways in ASI
In selecting Science Electives, students might consider the examples of the following pathways through a focus area. Students should consult with their advisors to create a group of courses most relevant to their interests.

Optics -Different from the OpArt movement, an optics pathway would guide the understanding of the physics behind perception.

• MATH 140 - Calculus I with Precalculus, Part I
• PHYS 102 - Fundamentals of Physics II (prereq: MATH 140)
• PHYS 350 - Physical Optics
• PSYCH 150 - Sensation & Perception

Generative Art - Generative art is produced by developing an autonomous system that independently determines its own features.

• CMPSC 101 - Data Abstraction
• CMPSC 301 - Data Analytics
• CMPSC 310 - Artificial Intelligence (prereq: CMPSC 101)
• CMPSC 311 - Robotic Agents (prereq: CMPSC 101)

Mathematical Art - Art is often based in geometry and mathematical principles. In 3 courses, students establish the foundation of mathematical concepts

• MATH 151 - Calculus I
• MATH 152 - Calculus II (prereq: MATH 151)
• MATH 205 - Foundations of Mathematics (prereq: MATH 152)
• Option: MATH 320 Linear Algebra (prereq: MATH 205), which can provide an approach toward the basics of computer animation, or MATH 350 Geometry (prereq: MATH 205).

Bio Art - Bioart is concerned with the ethics of established and emerging biological science principles and how they are culturally understood and used.

• CHEM 120 - Chemical Concepts I
• BIO 220 - Organismal Physiology and Ecology
• BIO 221 - Genetics, Development and Evolution
• FSBIO 201 - Investigative Approaches in Biology

Integrated Sustainability - Evolving out of environmental art, Integrated Sustainability is an example of a solutions-based art practice geared towards finding practical applications for environmental challenges that engage with the imagination of the public.

• ENVSC 110 - Introduction to Environmental Science
• ENVSC 250 - Environmental Education
• ENVSC 352 - Environmental Justice
• ENVSC 380 - Climate Energy Policy (pereq: ENVSC 110)

Visualization/Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality - Artists working with AR/VR and visualization are established leaders in the computer science field working on developing new potential uses and aesthetics for the technology, from public engagement of data, to wellness applications for VR and AR.

• CMPSC 100 - Computational Expression
• CMPSC 101 - Data Abstraction
• CMPSC 301 - Data Analytics (prereq: FS 102 or permission) OR PSYCH 150 - Sensation & Perception
• CMPSC 310 - Artificial Intelligence (prereq: CMPSC 101)

Computer Art - Artists working within computer art work as web developers, graphic designers, UX/UI (User Experience/ User Interface) designers, and technologists.

• CMPSC 100 - Computational Expression
• CMPSC 101 - Data Abstraction
• CMPSC 102 - Discrete Structures
• CMPSC 302 - Web Development (prereq: FS 102 or permission)