Class Schedules

This course is an introduction to fundamental drawing materials and techniques. Students explore a variety of themes and subjects, including still life, architecture, figure drawing, portraiture, and imagination. Formal elements covered include: line, value, volume, space, proportion, perspective, mark-making, and composition. Context for assignments is given through frequent discussion of both historical and contemporary artworks. In group critiques and discussions, we consider composition, representational accuracy, creative expression, content, and intention.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory course provides a supportive studio environment for the exploration of diverse approaches to the ceramic field, ranging from investigation of utilitarian objects, pottery and sculpture. Techniques for both handbuilding and wheel throwing are presented. Emphasis is placed on development of strong three-dimensional forms and surface decoration. Thematic assignments allow for individual expression and creative problem solving. The course goal is to introduce students to historical examples and contemporary perspectives on ceramic art, building an appreciation for the spirit of the handmade object. This course prepares students for upper level self-directed work. Discussions, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, self-assessment and class participation.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

​This course surveys the visual and material culture of Europe, the Middle East and the broader Mediterranean world from prehistory through the late Medieval period, including early Christian, Jewish and Islamic cultures. We consider the artistic and archaeological remains from the Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Greece, Etruria, Rome, and western Europe from a contextual perspective in order to understand each culture's ideologies, and the diverse social and artistic purposes for which art and architecture was created and used.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This interdisciplinary course explores the intersection of biology and art, by combining the study of plant ecology with a range of studio art practices. Students will investigate how plants respond to the environment, while developing skills in observational drawing, botanical illustration, visual journaling, and uncovering the uses of plants for pigments and drawing material. In addition, we will learn about plant form, function, physiology, and ecology across a range of environments, explore the history of artmaking as a type of scientific inquiry, and spend plenty of time outdoors. Fieldwork sessions will allow students to observe seasonal changes in plants, and the diversity of plant adaptations, while laboratory and studio sessions will facilitate experimentation and creativity in translating these observations into visual form. No prior drawing or biology experience is required, but an openness to integrating science and art is essential.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this team-taught, creative writing/studio art hybrid course, students will contribute to the rich medium of graphic novels by writing, drawing, and inking their own original comic book story. The stories will then be mass-produced into individual zines, and collected into a class-wide graphic novel anthology and ebook. This course has two fundamental goals: To help students work individually on a graphic storytelling project of their own devising: from the cultivation of an initial idea, to the further exploration of that idea through multiple drafts and storyboards, and then finally to sending it out into the world as a “completed” project, which is to say a project that is “good enough for now.” Our second, equally important goal, is to work collectively to build a mutually supportive artistic community dedicated to helping everyone achieve their best work. Along the way, students will also strengthen their technical drawing and design skills, view and analyze examples of visual storytelling from diverse artists, investigate a range of storytelling structures, learn how to communicate more effectively through images, and gain hands-on experience in the publishing process. Prerequisite(s): ART 130 or ENGL 150.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces the conceptual, technical, and historical aspects of photography within a fine-arts context. The emphasis throughout is on photography as a creative and expressive medium and will introduce strategies and methods related to this goal through assignments and class activities. Students will learn the foundational aspects of digital photography from manual camera operation to the editing of images through Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Along the way, students will be introduced to the digital workflow, the critique process, and how to take their images from screen to print. Presentations and assigned readings will help students develop the critical and creative skills needed to understand how artistic photographs function in society and culture. Note: A digital SLR camera is required for this course--students may be able to rent one from the department on a first-come, first-served basis.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

An introduction to the studio practice of painting, using oil paint on a variety of supports ranging from paper, board and canvas to non-traditional painting surfaces. Exploration of the practical techniques and mechanics of painting as well as a consideration of content and meaning will be studied. Topics that will be studied include: paint-mixing, color matching, composition, design and a variety of painting styles. Readings and class discussions of historical and contemporary painting practices and issues will develop a visual vocabulary as well as critical/theoretical knowledge to complement technical skills. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and a gallery/museum visit will supplement studio work.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This hands-on studio class serves as an introduction to the rich and diverse field of inquiry we call sculpture. Over the course of the semester we will investigate a variety of concepts, materials, and fabrication methods employed in the realisation of sculptural works. Examples of fabrication methods may include basic woodworking techniques, 3D modeling with cardboard, basic sewing techniques, and more. The early part of the semester is devoted to brief exercises that introduce materials, processes, techniques, tools/equipment, and ways of thinking/unthinking. The latter part of the semester is devoted to fully realised individual projects. In addition to the formal and spatial aspects of the sculptures we create, we will consider their symbolic, sociopolitical, ethical, material, and tactile dimensions. Artist presentations, short readings, critiques, group discussions, and gallery/museum visits may supplement our studio research. The goal of this class is to conduct a serious and sustained - yet playful - inquiry into the question of sculpture while nurturing individual expression. This class is appropriate for any and all curious students interested in play, thinking with the hands, and reflecting on the results.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A hands-on introduction to original printmaking in the media of relief, intaglio, lithography and handset type. Included are discussions of esthetics, the impact of printed imagery on society, the political power of prints, printmaking practices from diverse cultures and from around the world. Learn hand printing technologies as well as use of printing presses and tools in the service of developing your ideas in printed form. Trips to local exhibits and museums frame contemporary and historic understanding of the field. Emphasis is on personal expression and appropriate techniques for the content. Students edition one print at the end of the semester to trade in a portfolio with classmates. Contact the instructor directly for more information.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This hands-on studio class will introduce students to the practice of making meaningful pottery for everyday use. Studio demonstrations will introduce ceramic handbuilding and wheel throwing techniques, surface decoration and firing. Lectures, discussions, field trips and readings will provide further context - framing pottery as a tool for grassroots organizing, mutual aid and community care. Students will study several historical and contemporary movements in craft activism including the Empty Bowls project and Potters for Peace, and use them as inspiration for their own projects. Emphasis will be placed on a model of the studio as an ecosystem; a collaborative, generative space that enhances human connection and relationship to the natural world. Learning will be assessed primarily through guided self-assessment and class participation.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this foundations course we explore the fundamentals of two-dimensional design through a series of hands-on and digital projects. Topics such as the design process, pattern development and application, typography and branding are explored through both fine-art and commercial design projects. Demonstrations, presentations, and artist talks are included in addition to lab time and class discussions.  Students will finish the semester with a sketchbook full of ideas, a self-directed final project, and a well-rounded design portfolio. Software introduced includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Three two-hour periods per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course examines the ways in which gender and sexuality are understood in modern visual culture. It also covers a wide range of feminist approaches in the 20th and 21st century art and as they have been articulated in theory. Students explore social constructions of gender and sexualities, their visible and invisible representation, and discuss the impact of feminism and the changing role of women in society. The course will also cover some of the most recent global feminist trends and new directions in the feminist theory. Feminist work from Africa, India, Asia and Eastern and Central Europe and various marginalized cultural centers in Western Europe and the United States will be addressed.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course examines the ways in which gender and sexuality are understood in modern visual culture. It also covers a wide range of feminist approaches in the 20th and 21st century art and as they have been articulated in theory. Students explore social constructions of gender and sexualities, their visible and invisible representation, and discuss the impact of feminism and the changing role of women in society. The course will also cover some of the most recent global feminist trends and new directions in the feminist theory. Feminist work from Africa, India, Asia and Eastern and Central Europe and various marginalized cultural centers in Western Europe and the United States will be addressed.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WC

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This hands-on, studio class serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of organizing forms in three dimensions. Over the course of the semester we will work both independently and collaboratively to solve basic formal and spatial problems encountered in fields such as sculpture, architecture, and industrial design. We will develop a technical working vocabulary and think critically about the formal, spatial, structural, tactile, and ethical dimensions of the forms we create. This class is appropriate for any and all curious students interested in design, thinking with the hands, and reflecting on the creative process. Slide presentations, short readings, critiques, group discussions, and gallery/museum visits will supplement our studio research.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Coined as a term in the late 19th century by the German geographer, Ferdinand von Richthoven (1833-1905), the “Silk Road” was neither a singular road nor strictly occupied with silk. Rather, it was a complex web of overland and maritime trade of multifarious luxury goods including jade, porcelain, prints, paintings, metalwork, sculpture, furniture, and (of course) textiles. These goods moved along routes extending geographically from the Far East through Central, North, and South Asia to the Mediterranean. This course examines how art and artifacts moved along these trade routes from around the 2nd c. BCE to the 19th c. CE (inspiring the evolution of culture and taste in many regions) and how religions such as Buddhism and Islam contributed to these cultural flows. Through a study of the art and treasure associated with the Silk Road, we will learn about the muddy, complicated, and fascinating nature of ancient, pre-modern, and early modern trade and the formative role it has played in shaping visual cultures we see and understand today.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course examines the art and visual culture of China from the Neolithic era to the twenty-first century. Lectures and readings will teach methods of formal visual analysis as well as provide the opportunity for students to think critically about how scholars write the artistic history of the region. Through this class, students will engage with a broad array of media, from jade carvings, Buddhist cave painting, architecture, calligraphy and monumental landscape paintings to ceramics, imperial palaces, and contemporary installations. While examining the intended meanings and functions of these objects and spaces, we will discuss the varied contexts and value systems that have informed visual production in China.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course explores the making and function of art and architecture in ancient Egypt along with its socio-economic and political context from pre-dynastic times (ca. 5300 - 3000 BCE) to the Roman era (30 BCE - 391 CE). The lectures and class discussions will focus on concepts of design, representation and aesthetics in Egypt, and explore the uses of art objects and monuments in politics, religion, private and state cults, and burial practices. Addressing topics such as pharaonic ideology, imperialism, gender, and afterlife, this course will help students comprehend the fundamental place of art and visual culture in the creation and sustenance of one of the oldest civilizations in the world.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

From the ancient world to the early modern era, Babylon, Rome and Constantinople served as the centers of great empires, and thus controlled vast demographic, material, intellectual and artistic resources. This course will explore the formation and transformation of these metropolises through centuries. What kind of social, political and economic conditions stimulated their rise? In what ways did their urban layout change through time? What forms of art and architecture defined them as imperial centers?  Keeping these main questions in mind, this course will explore the impact of politics, religion and other historically and culturally specific conditions on the formation of the three cities that has inspired Western imagination for millennia.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will consider the role of art in manifesting power by analyzing its role in visualizing the power of the individual, the power of the state, and the power of resistance in Early Modern Europe. Beginning with questions about the shifting status of the artist in Renaissance Europe, we will consider how the ability to create was historically considered and represented within art, looking at works by Michelangelo, Velasquez, Artemisia Gentileschi and others. We will also consider the role of art in manifesting State Power, and how the deployment of art operated within a political, in addition to aesthetic, realm. Finally, we will look at examples of resistance within art, thinking about how the production of art and the circulation of images provided a means for individuals and collectives to shape identity and subvert conventional wielders of power.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A continuation of ART 234, expanding both technical and critical/theoretical knowledge through projects which demand the development of each student's individual interests. Required projects will encourage increasing self-direction and development of the students' own artistic vision. Readings will supplement students'  critical and theoretical understanding of historical and contemporary art practices. Frequent group discussions and critiques, as well as museum/gallery field trips. Three two-hour periods per week. Offered every other semester. Prerequisite(s): ART 234 .

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is a continuation of Printmaking I, with the introduction of new techniques appropriate for the content. Advanced printers can explore known media in more depth and learn new processes such as photo polymer relief, laser stencil cuts, collagraphs, pronto plate lithography or photo screenprint. Individually generated concepts are explored with expanded forms such as monoprinting, printing on unusual surfaces, or installation and performance work involving printed components. Trips to local galleries, printshops and museums add depth to understanding the diverse contexts in which contemporary prints are made, as well as the vital role prints play in social movements. In addition to exchanging prints within the class, students research and identify an external opportunity to share their prints. Contact the instructor directly for more information.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is an introduction to fundamental drawing materials and techniques. Students explore a variety of themes and subjects, including still life, architecture, figure drawing, portraiture, and imagination. Formal elements covered include: line, value, volume, space, proportion, perspective, mark-making, and composition. Context for assignments is given through frequent discussion of both historical and contemporary artworks. In group critiques and discussions, we consider composition, representational accuracy, creative expression, content, and intention.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory course provides a supportive studio environment for the exploration ofdiverse approaches to the ceramic field, ranging from investigation of utilitarian objects, potteryand sculpture. Techniques for both handbuilding and wheel throwing are presented. Emphasisis placed on development of strong three-dimensional forms and surface decoration. Thematicassignments allow for individual expression and creative problem solving. The course goal is tointroduce students to historical examples and contemporary perspectives on ceramic art,building an appreciation for the spirit of the handmade object. This course prepares studentsfor upper level self-directed work. Discussions, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museumvisits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolioproduction and review, self-assessment and class participation.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the history of art from Renaissance to Modern Art. The course focuses on the developments in art in Europe and the United States but within a larger global context in order to de-center privileges of Western artistic traditions. The course will introduce students to art periods such as Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and a wide spectrum of modern art movements, including Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Post-Modern Art but always with a critical interpretive lens that reveals deeply entrenched cultural, social, and political hierarchies in the art word and complex relationships between diverse cultures and artistic traditions. This course will provide students with tools how to look at art and interpret meaning in individual works of art.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This new version of Photo 1 will introduce the conceptual, technical, and historical aspects of photography while focusing on subject matter development, visual narratives, and sequencing with the intent of using the photobook format as a method of arranging images and storytelling. The emphasis throughout this course is on photography as a creative and expressive medium and will introduce assignments and class activities that assist students in pursuit of this goal. Students will learn the foundational aspects of digital photography from manual camera operation to the editing of images through Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Along the way, students will be introduced to the digital workflow, the critique process, and how to take their images from screen to print. Lectures and assigned readings will help students develop the critical and creative skills needed to understand how artistic photographs function in society and culture. Note: A digital SLR camera is required for this course--students will be able to check one out from the department. Enrollment restricted to Art Majors and Minors until first day of first-years' registration.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

An introduction to the studio practice of painting, using oil paint on a variety of supports ranging from paper, board and canvas to non-traditional painting surfaces. Exploration of the practical techniques and mechanics of painting as well as a consideration of content and meaning will be studied. Topics that will be studied include: paint-mixing, color matching, composition, design and a variety of painting styles. Readings and class discussions of historical and contemporary painting practices and issues will develop a visual vocabulary as well as critical/theoretical knowledge to complement technical skills. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and a gallery/museum visit will supplement studio work.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This hands-on studio class serves as an introduction to the rich and diverse field of inquiry we call sculpture. Over the course of the semester we will investigate a variety of concepts, materials, and fabrication methods employed in the realization of sculptural works. Examples of fabrication methods may include basic woodworking techniques, carving, basic sewing techniques, "non-traditional" techniques, and others. The early part of the semester is devoted to brief exercises that introduce materials, processes, techniques, tools/equipment, and ways of thinking/unthinking. The latter part of the semester is devoted to fully realized individual projects. Final projects are self-assigned and self-directed via prompts. In addition to the formal and spatial aspects of the sculptures we create, we will consider their symbolic, sociopolitical, ethical, material, and tactile dimensions. Slide presentations, short readings, critiques, group discussions, and gallery/museum visits supplement our studio research. The goal of this class is to conduct a serious and sustained - yet playful - inquiry into the question of sculpture while nurturing individual expression. This class is appropriate for any and all curious students interested in play, thinking with the hands, and reflecting on the results.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

A hands-on introduction to original printmaking in the media of relief, intaglio, lithography and handset type. Included are discussions of esthetics, the impact of printed imagery on society, the political power of prints, printmaking practices from diverse cultures and from around the world. Learn hand printing technologies as well as use of printing presses and tools in the service of developing your ideas in printed form. Trips to local exhibits and museums frame contemporary and historic understanding of the field. Emphasis is on personal expression and appropriate techniques for the content. Students edition one print at the end of the semester to trade in a portfolio with classmates. Contact the instructor directly for more information.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Contemporary Ceramics is an expansive art form. This hands-on studio course will reachbeyond functional pottery and examine experimental approaches to working with clay thatprioritize content, emotional impact and aesthetic experience. Slab building and solid buildingtechniques will be introduced to provide a deeper understanding of the physical properties ofearthenware clay. Students will study the work of key innovators in the field of ceramicsculpture including Peter Voulkos, Jun Kaneko and Arlene Shechet. Slide presentations, groupdiscussions, field trips and guest speakers will supplement studio work and provide context fordeeper understanding of the diverse and expanding field of contemporary Ceramic Art. Noprerequisite, open to all levels.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this foundations course we explore the fundamentals of two-dimensional design through a series of hands-on and digital projects. Topics such as the design process, pattern development and application, typography and branding are explored through both fine-art and commercial design projects. Demonstrations, presentations, and artist talks are included in addition to lab time and class discussions.  Students will finish the semester with a sketchbook full of ideas, a self-directed final project, and a well-rounded design portfolio. Software introduced includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Three two-hour periods per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Founded by poets, writers, artists, photographers, and filmmakers in Paris in the early 1920s, Surrealism quickly spread to many corners of the globe. By 1929, when the Surrealist Map of the World was published, France had disappeared, the US and Canada were removed, and the Pacific Ocean became the center of the world. The Surrealists' map drew attention to many other important places in the world -- Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa--where different forms of the Surrealist imaginary flourished, shaping identities and seeking liberation from diverse forms of oppression. Examining art, film, and theoretical perspectives that framed surrealist goals and practices. from the 1920s to the late 1960s, this course will address various topics central to the movement, such as amour fou (mad love), convulsive beauty, the fantastic, the uncanny, madness, black humor, magic andoccult, Négritude, and Afro-Surrealism.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course serves as a hands-on introduction to some basic processes within the fiber arts and other materialswithin the realm of soft sculpture. This course will explore a diverse range of techniques such as fabric dyeing,embroidery, sewing, paper making, and processing nature based materials.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The city of Venice was once the heart of a vast maritime empire that stretched from Northern Italy, down theAdriatic, and into the Aegean. This course will look at how a group of islands in the Venetian Lagoon not onlyweathered the shifts of power in Europe in the wake of the fall of the Roman Empire, but went on to become oneof the richest and most populous cities in Europe. Beginning with its founding in 421, we will analyze theconstruction of the city over centuries, its relationship with the Byzantine and then Ottoman Empires, its artisticascendancy during the Renaissance, and its decline up to Napoleon’s conquest in 1797. Through looking at worksby artists like the Bellinis, Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto, we will consider how the art produced in theSerenissima, The Most Serene Republic of Venice, changed alongside the shifting fortunes of the city. We will lookat how the city utilized art to contend with its ecological, commercial, and social position as the gateway of goodsfrom the Mediterranean into Europe, and even how these throughlines continue into the present with the rise ofthe Venice Biennale.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The Early Modern Era was one of societal transformations that brought about the foundation of many moderninstitutions from banks to academies, and eventually the “Renaissance Man,” who was transdisciplinary, gave wayto the specialist. This course will look at Renaissance relation to matter, ranging from questions of artistic mediaand creation to conceptions of matter on an epistemological level. Here materials like gold, pigments, blood, dung,will all be considered together as we analyze a shifting episteme and the rise of scientific inquiry. Matter andimages are powerful, perhaps best illustrated by their destruction; here violence towards images during theProtestant Reformation helps shed light on the social significance these myriad objects held. This will include therole of the arts in the nascent moments of science, like how drawing allowed for and impacted Galileo’s scientificdiscoveries. We will also consider the role of prints and the printing press as a novel mode of informationdistribution (with all the benefits and problems that entailed).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Classical forms of architecture have had a profound impact on the design of public and private buildings in our cities. Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns, triglyphs, metopes, and numerous other elements created in ancient Greece embellish our capitol buildings, opera houses, libraries, train stations and more. All these forms can be traced back to the ancient Greek temple. The association of this structure with sophistication and high culture is so deeply ingrained in the contemporary mind that the logo of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is based not on a mosque, a church, or another building form, but on the façade of a Greek temple, such as the famous Parthenon in Athens.This course will explore the formation of this distinctive building type and its functions in Greek society from the 8th century BCE to the Hellenistic period (ca. 330 - 30 BCE). What social, political, and economic processes led to the creation of the Greek temple forms? What role did interactions with cultures in the eastern Mediterranean—particularly Egypt and Western Asia—play in this process? Was there a standard form applied to all Greek temples, or did they vary? Who were their designers and patrons? And what historical and intellectual processes identified this iconic structure as the source of Western architectural tradition? Focusing on these key questions (and many others), this course will help students understand the importance of the majestic residences of Greek gods in shaping not only ancient urban and rural landscapes across the Mediterranean, but also modern ones, especially in Europe and North America.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course explores the art, architecture, and religious institutions of Central Asia and its environs from the 3rd millennium BCE to end of the 9th century CE. We will explore such topics as the migration of peoples, ideas, and visual culture; the importation and exportation of royal and religious images; the rise and spread of Zoroastrianism from its roots in Central Asia to its apogee as the state religion of the Sasanian Empire; among many other topics. We will cover the migration of the Indo-Iranian peoples from Central Asia into Iran and India, the Bactria-Margiana archaeological complex, the empires and kingdoms of the Hindu Kush, the Parthian Confederacy, and the rise of the Sogdian merchant elite. At the end of this course students will have a firm understanding of the peoples, cultures, and artistic styles of this pivotal region. This course requires no prior knowledge of art, archaeology, religion, or of Central Asia and is open to all students eager to learn about the land between the Caspian and China.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Emerging in the late 1950s, Pop Art radically redefined approaches to contemporary art and became emblematic of a cultural revolution that unfolded during the turbulent decades of the 1960s and 1970s. In traditional accounts of art history, however, Pop Art features as a primarily American phenomenon created by male artists such as Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and Roy Lichtenstein. But the movement spread around the globe, encompassing many artists (including women) who responded to the rise of consumer culture, popular media, and imperialism .In this course we will significantly expand the frame of Pop Art by analyzing works by artists from France, Italy, Germany, South America, Japan, and Eastern Europe. We will also trace feminist responses to Pop Art and trace the legacy of Pop Art today in the works of Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Damien Hirst, and the ”Young British Artists.” Throughout the course we will listen to pop music and watch films by Jean-Luc Godard and Michelangelo Antonioni as well as look at Pop psychedelia and comics.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Building on the knowledge and skills learned in the Photography I course, Photography II highlights the aesthetic and conceptual aspects of photography in contemporary art and is designed for self-driven students wanting to pursue a semester-long photography-based art project. The first part of the semester will focus on helping students identify possible themes, concepts, and technical investigations they may want to explore. The course will encourage individual research, practice, and studio time with the support of the professor and classmates as an artistic community.Throughout the semester students will participate in presentations, studio visits, in-progress critiques, and Final critiques as methods of sharing resources and giving and receiving feedback. Students in Photo 2 will work toward completing a body of work and final project that can be arranged into a portfolio, artist book, website, or group exhibition. The professor along with student input will decide on the format of each student’s final project. Note: A digital SLR camera is required for this course--students will be able to check one out from the department.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will guide you through the processes of developing, revising, and completing your own self-directeddrawing project(s). We will spend the first part of the semester exploring different themes, content areas, andapproaches to materials, to help you narrow down an idea that is meaningful to you. Working one-on-one, we willdevelop a timetable for completing a body of self-directed work during the semester. Realistic goals andaccountability within a supportive class community will help keep you on track and provide you with in-progressfeedback. Materials and scope of projects will depend on your own individual preferences, and might includetraditional, digital, or non-traditional materials. Prerequisite: ART 130 Drawing I.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Sculpture 2 offers a hands-on studio experience that builds on the tools, processes, concepts, and conversations introduced in Sculpture 1. This class supports the development and creation of individually-designed sculptural projects and research, with an emphasis on experimentation and ideation. Students will have the opportunity to explore both contemporary and traditional fabrication methods such as carving, assemblage, mold-making, and casting, and well as engage sculptural concerns such as context and display, materiality, mimesis, and ephemerality. Slide presentations, short readings, critiques, group discussions, and gallery/museum visits supplement our studio research. Prerequisite(s): ART 235

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Learn simple techniques to build complex patterns with screen printing, relief printing and intaglio. The first third of the course emphasizes instruction in technique, process and experimentation. The remainder of the semester offers support for personal exploration and project development. The course will include traditional printmaking as well as “printmaking in the expanded field,” which can include topics such as textiles, garments, sculpture and installation, depending on student interests.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed to build upon each students’ previous clay experiences and grow theirskills and knowledge of ceramic art materials and process. Students are expected to commit toa regular studio practice to develop their individual artistic voice and build community andsupport within the class. Discussions, presentations, readings and field trips will providecontext; expanding the students’ knowledge of the field of contemporary ceramic art. Studentswill build their vocabulary and learn to articulate how their own work fits into broaderdiscourses of fine art, craft and material culture. This course includes an introduction to glazechemistry, gas and electric kiln firing and a self-designed final project. Learning will beassessed through portfolio production and review and class participation. Ceramic Art 2 maybe taken for credit up to three times. Prerequisite: ART 131, or any intro-level ceramics courseor equivalent experience (with approval of instructor). Permission of instructor required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is designed for graduating art history majors and it exposes them to methods and theories of art history, with a particular focus on the transformation of the discipline that began in the 1970s and continues to the present. The course will expose the students to both conventional methods of art historical analysis (style, form, iconography)  and to the so called "revisionist" perspectives of "new" art history. The course surveys a wide range of approaches used in the discipline, beginning with writers such as Vasari, Riegl, Panofsky, Gombrich, and ending with the more recent art historical studies informed by Marxism, feminism, and  postmodern and postcolonial theories. Prerequisite(s): Art History seniors only.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course provides a setting in which art studio majors complete their capstone projects, including mounting a professional exhibition of recent work. It provides a look ahead to post-Macalester opportunities and the challenges of graduate school, jobs, and career opportunities in art. Arts professionals make presentations to the class and readings provide theoretical grounding for putting contemporary art in context. Students learn professional practices for studio artists, how to write artist statements, professional resumes and applications for grants, residencies and graduate school. Two three-hour sessions per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials