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 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

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 Art field. Four studio projects cover basic handbuilding and wheelthrowing techniques with room for individual growth and creativity. Emphasis is placed on development of strong three-dimensional forms and surface decoration. Thematic assignments and guided ideation processes are offered to support creative problem solving. This course aims to promote an appreciation for the spirit of handmade objects. Students are introduced to historical and contemporary examples of Ceramic Art that serve as inspiration for creating original work in clay. Discussions, demonstrations, group critiques and gallery/museum visits supplement studio work and introduce students to the broader worlds of art and clay in the Twin Cities and beyond. 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 examines material and symbolic practices through myriad visual culture forms, from standards of fine art such as painting and sculpture to mass media including TV, film, advertising, and the Internet. Students will learn different theoretical paradigms and techniques for visual analysis in order to understand how visual culture mediates numerous social, economic, cultural and political relationships. We will investigate these diverse practices through lectures, guest speakers, film, historical art and media and, of course, those proliferating images that define our daily experiences. Offered every Fall.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

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:

Course Materials

This course will examine the developments of contemporary art beyond traditional centers of gravity in Europe and the United States. Using a series of case studies, it will examine how globalization impacts artistic production in different parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, India, Latin America, Russia, Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. While analyzing a diverse range of artistic practices in these regions, the course will critically explore key discourses around the topic of globalization, including hybridity and diaspora, from post-modern and post-colonial perspectives. No background in art history necessary.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this 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.

General Education Requirements:

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 format of the photobook as a method of arranging images and storytelling. This course introduces students to digital workflow, handmade books, and how to take their images from screen to print. Students will learn foundational aspects of digital photography from manual camera operation, lighting, editing, and printing with Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and InDesign.Presentations, assigned readings, independent research, and group critiques will help students develop the critical and creative skills needed to understand how image making and visual storytelling with sequencing can expand the creative possibilities within photography.

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

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. Technical 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 relevant, intersectional artform and a catalyst for social connection, cultural affirmation and community care. 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. No prerequisite.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces the conceptual, technical, and historical aspects of graphic design within a fine arts context. Using the foundational Principles and Elements of Art and Design students will learn how to blend personal creativity with technical skills to make image and text based work that sparks ideas and informs thinking. With a focus on shape/form, color/pattern, and image/text students will learn the process of design thinking, creative research, and visual communication through various methods of analog and digital problem solving. Presentations, assigned readings, and small group critiques will help students develop their own creative practice in design while gaining experience from concept development, sketching, digital layouts in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, editing, and printing.This course emphasizes personal creativity, experimentation, and developing an intentional studio practice. Long and short form assignments will provide foundational structure while students work to visualize their ideas, concepts, and aesthetic interests.

General Education Requirements:

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:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will explore the art and architecture of the Islamic world from the time of the Prophet Mohammed to the 18th century. The lectures and class discussions will focus on culturally specific concepts of design and aesthetics in the vast geography from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Subcontinent, and analyze a variety of genres including architecture, glass, wood and metal working, painting, calligraphy and ceramics in their political and socio-economic contexts. Within these chronological, geographical and typological frameworks, this course will focus on special themes such as patronage, art and politics, figural representation, religious vs. secular art, and the impact of pre-Islamic Near Eastern heritage and Christianity on the development of Islamic forms and styles.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This interdisciplinary course reimagines the study and practice of performance art as a bridge between disciplines and a dialogue between theory and practice, mind and body, history and experimentation. Students will gain a rare opportunity to think, move, and create across traditional disciplinary boundaries within fine arts, investigating how artists transform the body into a site of creation, resistance, and social critique—from early avant-garde disruptions to contemporary, cross-cultural performances in galleries and in public spaces. Students will engage with foundational texts on embodiment, spectatorship, and the politics of visibility alongside hands-on explorations of performance strategies by globally significant artists, ensuring that they learn not only about historical figures such as Marina Abramović, Joseph Beuys, and Carolee Schneemann, but also with cutting-edge global artists and experimental collectives in performance art today.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism OR U.S. Identities and Differences

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This interdisciplinary course explores the relationship between photography and design, focusing on the integration of visual imagery and typography to create work that is engaged and responsive to contemporary visual culture and shaped by current social, technological, and artistic contexts.This course introduces students to digital workflow, creative research, and technical skills as they learn to produce, manipulate, and combine photographic images with text across digital and print formats. Through presentations, studio projects, reading, and critiques students will learn how meaning is shaped through composition, sequencing, and the synthesis of image and language.Emphasis is placed on visual storytelling, experimental approaches, and design thinking. Students will gain experience with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Lightroom for image editing and design layout, while also engaging with contemporary and historical examples of Image/Text art and design practices in areas such as typography, editorial design, artist books, advertising, and social practice. *A digital SLR camera is recommended but not required for this course. Students can use their own camera or borrow one during the semester. Camera rentals are available at the start of classes.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio class will focus theory, process, tools, and most importantly will give you a chance to flex some design muscles. We will investigate theories of design that play a large role in the designing of our exterior spaces — everything outside of buildings: from parks to urban streetscapes. Adding to that, the history of design thinking that created many styles and places that we still hold in high esteem, coupled with the major artistic movements that still shape our aesthetic preferences. The studio will also focus on the tools employed by historic designers, but especially dig into how contemporary designers approach the process of transforming spaces into memorable places. Finally, throughout the course we will discuss the tools and methods of spatial design and most of the assignments will give you a hands-on opportunity to design spaces using the tools we have explored as you will explore develop your own process for design. Landscape design professionals come from all backgrounds, so this studio requires no specific background in art, design, or plants. All are welcome!

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio class will focus theory, process, tools, and most importantly will give you a chance to flex some design muscles. We will investigate theories of design that play a large role in the designing of our exterior spaces — everything outside of buildings: from parks to urban streetscapes. Adding to that, the history of design thinking that created many styles and places that we still hold in high esteem, coupled with the major artistic movements that still shape our aesthetic preferences. The studio will also focus on the tools employed by historic designers, but especially dig into how contemporary designers approach the process of transforming spaces into memorable places. Finally, throughout the course we will discuss the tools and methods of spatial design and most of the assignments will give you a hands-on opportunity to design spaces using the tools we have explored as you will explore develop your own process for design. Landscape design professionals come from all backgrounds, so this studio requires no specific background in art, design, or plants. All are welcome!

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

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:
Writing WA
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course addresses the art and visual culture of Japan from the late nineteenth century through the twentieth century, a period of Japanese history marked by dramatic cultural, political, and social change.  The concepts of 'modernism' and 'modernity' were crucial elements in this change, sparking revolutionary shifts in the conception of art, empire, and identities (both personal and national) in Japan that would persist into the 21st century. Our class will discuss at length the visual arts from the 1850s to 1945, a time that saw foundational cultural, political, and social transformation in Japan as the nation developed from fledgling global power into a ultranationalist military hegemon in Asia; we will also consider artistic practices in the postwar era to understand the "crisis of the modern" that developed in the decades after the war as artists struggled to find their individual and national voices. Drawing on a diverse array of artistic forms and visual media, including painting, prints, sculpture, architecture, fashion, anime (Japanese cartoons), film, and photography, we will explore how themes such as trauma, nationalism, imperialism, war, protest, hybridity, and performativity have intersected with shifting notions of modern artistic and national identities inside and outside Japan. Prerequisite(s): No prerequisites required; First Years are welcome.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA
Internationalism

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