Studio Art Major

The Studio Art major is designed to develop a broad intellectual grounding in the traditions of the visual arts through an understanding of mediums and concepts. Students learn to discriminate between the processes of production, interpretation, and evaluation, and to think creatively about all aspects of artistic problem solving. Through the examination and creation of original works of art, students learn to contextualize works of art and understand the relationship between praxis, theory, and history.

Students who successfully complete a MAJOR in Studio Art will:

• Actively engage in the production of a body of work that demonstrates conceptual sophistication while also conveying meaning, investigating human experiences, and integrating knowledge from other disciplines and cultural contexts.

• Make original works of art that demonstrate effective use of design principles, creative problem- solving, and appropriate craftsmanship and technique, in a range of mediums.

• Interpret and critically evaluate art and media, in writing and in speech, from an informed perspective by carrying out relevant research, contextualizing and interpreting relevant works.

• Exhibit familiarity with the works and intentions of major artists/designers and movements of the past and the present, both Western and global, and familiarity with contemporary art and critical theory.

• Develop professional practices through the exhibition of their work in a gallery setting, documentation of work in a portfolio, and proposal writing.

The Studio Art Major leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree and requires a minimum of 48 credits. The Major requires 9 courses in four categories, plus an Experiential Learning Experience, a Junior Seminar, and a one-semester Senior Project. Art majors are required to have a GPA of at least 2.0 in art at graduation. All art courses taken at Allegheny on a letter grade basis are included in the calculation with the exception of repeated courses for which only the most recent grade counts. All art courses must be taken on the letter grade basis. Under exceptional circumstances, one additional course taken Credit/No Credit may be presented for the major with permission of the chair of the department. Typically, this exception is made when a student has taken an art course CR/NC before declaring a major in the department.

Students who major in Studio Art may not double-major in Art, Science, and Innovation or minor in Art, Science, and Innovation.