message from the chair

 

The Department of Fine Arts at Winthrop University is recognized as the most rigorous, challenging and rewarding undergraduate program in the region. Our faculty are individual scholars, working artists and educators who care about their students and who realize that higher education is about human discovery. They realize that learning emerges from communication, from observation and from critical thinking. They understand professional and creative development emerges from applying these skills to real work every day.

Recognizing the ever-evolving digital tools available to us in the 21st Century, a core of courses that underscore technology, communication and critical thinking begin the freshman year with Introduction to Fine Arts (fall semester) and Introduction to Fine Arts Portfolio (spring semester). Students' first digital portfolio will be produced as a result of these classes and serve as a point of departure for the more advanced Specialization Portfolio Review and capstone experiences including Senior Exhibition, Senior Presentation and Website Development.

Students also have opportunities for Study Abroad and for internships off campus. If students are resourceful, they may also find entry level working experiences in studio, art history or as arts administration assistants within the department. The Department of Fine Arts encourages our students to be actively engaged while at Winthrop by using their skills within the campus community and the community at large.

In addition to noted undergrad programs, the Department of Fine Arts offers graduate degrees, the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and the M.F.A. in Studio Art. The M.F.A. engages artists in developing their ability to address a broad range of visual and conceptual ideas in a changing contemporary world. The M.A.T. and MAT-Accelerated program offered through the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences also provides additional options for post baccalaureate study in teacher preparation, but also offers B.F.A. students a five-year master's level opportunity to enter the teaching profession with a graduate degree.

In the Department of Fine Arts students can find their true colors that will be a foundation for a lifetime of creative and intellectual inquiry, personal and professional growth and civic awareness. If you would like to know more about our programs in Fine Arts or if you would like to schedule a tour, please be in touch.