Introduces incoming art and art education majors to the contemporary art world and provides an understanding of what it means to pursue a career in the visual arts. Students will be introduced to critical dialogue, the creative process, professional standards of the field, and portfolio preparation and documentation resulting in the creation of an ePortfolio. Required for all first-year studio art and art education majors.

This course is a fundamental introduction to the elements, principles, tools and techniques of design as they apply to two-dimensional art forms. Traditional and contemporary approaches will be explored through a variety of media, processes and applications to facilitate students’ understanding of visual organization as well as provide a solid foundation for subsequent art courses.

This course is a fundamental introduction to the elements, principles, tools and techniques of design as they apply to three-dimensional art forms. Traditional and contemporary approaches will be explored through a variety of media, processes and applications to facilitate students’ understanding of visual organization as well as provide a solid foundation for subsequent art courses.

An introduction to drawing, concentrating on the fundamentals of line, value, perspective, and composition. Course projects will focus on representational drawing from observation using achromatic drawing media and maintaining a sketchbook practice. 

ARTH 175: This course introduces students to the visual cultures of ancient and medieval civilizations. The course examines representations of gender, class, and ethnicity; strategies of depicting the human form across cultures over time; architecture, ornament, and the production of urban space; and links between materials, meaning, and patronage across a broad range of media. Students learn to classify and analyze ancient and medieval works of art based on style, form, technique, and iconography while developing an understanding of the historical, cultural, religious, and social contexts surrounding their production and reception.

ARTH 176: Survey of art and architecture in Western Civilizations, from the Renaissance to the present.

This course explores conceptual growth and personal aesthetic through the investigation of traditional and contemporary approaches to three-dimensional art making. This will be achieved through projects focused on experimentation and creative problem-solving using sculpture, ceramics, jewelry/metals, digital technologies, and mixed media. Required for all first year Fine Arts majors.

An investigation of photo media, techniques, and processes. This course will explore lensless photography (pinhole, photograms, digital scanner), lens-based photography (35mm and Holga film cameras), and camera basics in the “wet” darkroom using both analog and digital methods of image creation. Required for all first year Fine Arts majors.

This course explores conceptual growth and personal aesthetic through the investigation of traditional and contemporary approaches to two-dimensional art making. This will be achieved through projects focused on experimentation and creative problem-solving using drawing, painting, printmaking, digital technologies, and mixed techniques. Required for all first year Fine Arts majors.

Digital Studio, introduces students to the use of digital technology and functions as the Logic Language and Semiotics, Technology Requirement for the University within the Department of Fine Arts. This class explores the fundamental technical, formal, and conceptual possibilities of digital technology as it relates to the production and distribution of artwork as a medium that has its own cultural and theoretical significance.

ARTS 101, ARTS 102, ARTS 120, ARTS 204, ARTS 205, ARTS 206, ARTT 112 and enrollment in 2nd semester foundation courses or by special permission of the Department Chair.

The Foundation Review is designed to measure the progress and resulting level of competency of all BFA, BA-Art and BA-Art Education degree-seeking students after the completion of their first year. The Foundation Studies Program comprises a series of sequential courses taken including Drawing I (ARTS 120), Two-Dimensional Design (ARTS 101),Three-Dimensional Design (ARTS 102), Digital Studio (ARTS 281) and three Media Studies courses (ARTS 204/3-D Media, ARTS 205/Photo Media, and ARTS 206/ 2-D Media). Students may exempt some 100 level courses upon production of a portfolio, which is juried by the Fine Arts Faculty.

Faculty representing Studio Art will review all portfolios of the student’s Foundations level work. The following will be considered in the evaluation of portfolios:

• Visual communication in projects from foundation classes.
• Understanding and use of the Elements and Principles of Art and Design.
• Understanding and use of Color Theory.
• Technical skill in use of materials, techniques, and/or tools.
• Evidence of risk-taking and innovation with materials/techniques.
• Evidence of critical thinking and introduction to concept development.
• Evidence of research, planning, and problem solving.
• Contextualization of progress communicated in writing

By providing a common experience, the Foundation Studies Program also educates the student in numerous other, less obvious yet vital ways, for example; time management, the discovery and growth of one’s abilities, aptitudes and skills, addressing one’s mistakes into accomplishing a successful outcome, and staying on task.

Upon successful completion of this Foundations Review, students will:

1. Gain skills to produce a professional digital presentation of their studio projects from the Foundation level courses in the form of a PDF document.
2. Use effective practices for documenting and compiling digital files of artworks for purpose of representing their work in a digital format.
3. Create concise and thoughtful written statements about their individual coursework and concerning their overall experience in the Foundations program.
4. Turn in a PDF file to the Department of Fine Arts on time and in accordance with the department’s specifications for the Foundation Review.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Create a professional record of their work from the Foundation level courses in a digital format presentation.
2. Represent in their portfolio, best practices for documenting their artistic works.
3. Write clearly and concisely about their work in Foundation level courses and within the Foundations program through their digital portfolio presentations.
4. Prove their due diligence in meeting the Department of Fine Arts standards for the Foundations Review, including turning it in on time.

The student’s level of proficiency will be evaluated by the work included in their presentation as seen in a digital portfolio presented as a PDF created using PowerPoint or Google Docs.  This presentation must include images of finished works from at least 4 studios from both semesters of Foundation classes (Drawing, 2D Design, 3D Design, Digital Studio, and Media Studies), and a written critical self-assessment for each area. Work from 300 level courses is not eligible for the Foundations Review.

*You must have work from a minimum of four courses (or their transfer credit equivalents along with documentation of your work from those classes) to go through review, unless given specific permission from the Department Chair, upon recommendation of the Foundation Coordinator. 

(This anticipates students having work from Drawing I, 2D Design, 3D Design, and one to two other courses in Media Studies, Drawing II or Computer Imaging)

There is a minimum of six image slides for each course. The following are criteria for the pieces displayed in the presentation for each course: