Class Schedules

Drawing 1 is an introduction to the fundamentals of observational drawing. In this “mobile edition” of Drawing 1, projects will be designed to be flexible and adaptable to different circumstances, using portable and sometimes non-traditional materials. We will still cover the range of concepts associated with Drawing 1: line, value, volume, proportion, perspective, and composition. Subjects may include still life, outdoor drawing on location, portraiture, and imagination. Critiques and discussions are an important part of this class, and will be conducted in different modes depending upon the circumstances, as will technical demonstrations and image presentations.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory Ceramic Art course will provide an immersive studio art environment for the exploration of diverse approaches to the ceramic field, including utilitarian pottery and ceramic sculpture. Themed projects are designed to encourage individual artistic expression, creative problem solving and to develop technical skill. Low-stakes writing assignments are used for idea generation, integration of course content and critical thinking. The goal of this course is to build an appreciation for the spirit of the handmade object as well as give students the tools to develop a personal creative practice; centering self-care and embodied learning. Lectures, demonstrations, field trips, and group critiques supplement studio work and build community within the class. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production, and review, along with class participation. Class includes in-person and remote instruction. In the event of a pivot to online learning, this course will shift to examine unconventional approaches to clay; exploring wet clay as a medium for performance and installation. Students will be provided with kits for working with clay at home and instructions for identifying and digging wild clay in their area. Weekly projects – including a final Claymation video - will invite students to engage with their surroundings, develop material intelligence and maintain a personal creative practice.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

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:

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 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. $75 materials fee charged for course to cover printer paper and ink. 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. Three two-hour periods per week.

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 include basic woodworking techniques, carving, basic sewing techniques, “non-traditional” techniques, and bronze-casting. 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, self-assigned 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. The goal of this class is to conduct a serious and sustained 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 a variety of media - relief, intaglio, and handset type. Included are discussions of aesthetics, the impact of printed imagery on our society, and printmaking practices from around the world and in diverse communities. Emphasis is on individual expression and appropriate techniques for the content. Class includes in-person instruction as safety permits, with appropriate distancing, vents and PPE. Remote instruction as needed. Long class time blocks include independent working time on projects. Appropriately distanced field trips to exhibits and museum collections may be possible. Course materials and instruction will be provided to successfully complete the course in response to any changing circumstances. Plans will be adapted as necessary.

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 WA
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:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory course will provide a supportive studio environment for the exploration of diverse approaches to the ceramic field, ranging from investigation of utilitarian object making to sculptural practice. Techniques and applications for both handbuilding and wheel throwing will be presented. Emphasis is placed on development and understanding of strong three-dimensional forms as well as the relationship with surface decoration. Content-based assignments allow for individual expression through creative problem solving. The course goal is to present students with a historical perspective and the understanding of contemporary ceramics, building an appreciation for the spirit of the handmade object as well as preparing students for upper level self-directed work. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required.

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:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio course introduces the basic principles of color in the visual arts and wider culture.  Students explore a range of topics, including the historical uses of color, the psychology of color and the formal elements of color including: value, temperature, color interaction, afterimage and color as a design element. The class will be comprised of a series of small color studies advancing to more involved studio assignments. Some projects will be completed using paint while others will use media chosen by the student. The class will include painting/color demonstrations, color assignments, image presentations, readings, museum visits, individual and group critiques.

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 will explore the art and architecture of the medieval Christian world from the time of Constantine the Great (306-337 CE) to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The lectures and class discussions will focus on the role of images and relics in Christianity as well as the developments in sacred and secular architecture across Europe and the Byzantine empire. Special emphasis will be given to certain trends such as the foundation of monasteries, pilgrimage, icon and relic worship, and the emergence of Romanesque and Gothic styles in architecture, which changed the urban and rural topography of the continent.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Founded by poets, writers, artists, photographers, and film-makers 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. An anti-colonial diatribe, the Surrealists’ map drew attention to many other important places -- Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, Russia, and Africa--where the Surrealist imaginary flourished, shaping identities and confronting diverse forms of oppression. Examining art, film, and theoretical perspectives that framed surrealist goals and practices from the 1920s to the present, we will address topics such as amour fou (mad love), convulsive beauty, the fantastic, the uncanny, language and madness, black humor, magic and occult, Negritude, and Afro-Surrealism.

General Education Requirements:

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 collaboratively and independently 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, and we will shepherd our projects through a number of design stages. This class is appropriate for any and all curious students interested in design, thinking with the hands, and reflecting on the results. 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

This course is a continuation of ART 236, focusing on individually generated projects. There is an introduction of new techniques appropriate for content such as monoprint, collograph, screenprint, photo-printmaking and digital processes. Discussion of advanced printmaking strategies in diverse communities and from around the world. Class includes in-person instruction as safety permits, with appropriate distancing, vents and PPE. Remote instruction as needed. Long class time blocks include independent working time on projects. Appropriately distanced field trips to exhibits and museum collections may be possible. Materials and instruction will be provided to successfully complete the course in response to any changing circumstances. Plans will be adapted as necessary.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Editorial illustration is artwork that is created to accompany a written text. This topics course will explore techniques and concepts commonly used in editorial illustration for newspapers and magazines, as well as other types of messaging that combine text and image. Projects will be designed to be flexible and adaptable for different circumstances. A variety of portable traditional media will be used, including pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache, in addition to some digital processes using free software. Critiques and discussions are an important part of this class, and will be conducted in different modes depending upon the circumstances, as will technical demonstrations. Readings, guest speakers, and artist examples will help you explore the depth and breadth of editorial work as an artistic path. Prerequisite: Drawing 1 (ART 130).

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course surveys artists and art movements that are generally perceived to be crucial in the development of Western art from the 14th through the 20th century. The course introduces students to art periods such as  Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and a wide spectrum of modernist art movements, including Fauvism, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism. The course examines visual culture of this broad period of Western art within political, socio-historical and philosophical context in which it was produced. (4 credits).

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. $75 materials fee charged for course to cover printer paper and ink. 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. Three two-hour periods per week.

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 contemplates the definition of Sacred Art and Sacred Space by focusing on religious visual culture in Asia and examining how intangible concepts of the divine have become tangible in art and architecture.  To better understand the multilayered functioning of devotional objects and spaces associated with religious doctrines such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shintoism, the class will explore foundations in iconography and then compare different religious objects and spaces through concepts such as gender, state power, the body, nature, ritual, the grotesque, and death.  To account for the shifting meaning of religious icons over time, the class also reflects on how the significance of religious objects changes in the space of a museum.  Ultimately, this course allows us to contemplate the multifaceted ways religious beliefs have been visualized and how these manifestations exemplify systems of cultural exchange in Asia.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Building on Art 130, this studio course seeks to enlarge the student's visual vocabulary and inventive capacities in drawing. Projects are more complex and require a sustained effort. Students develop more individual content and explore a wider range of drawing styles and materials. Overall theme of the course varies each semester. Group discussions, critiques, slide lectures, and field trips are included. Two three-hour periods per week. May be taken up to three times for credit. Prerequisite(s): ART 130

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students build upon and expand the basic technical skills acquired in Sculpture I, and work to develop more sophisticated, individually-designed projects in a variety of media, incuding wood, metal, and wax, among others. $150 materials fee charged. Prerequisite(s): ART 235

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is a continuation of ART 236, focusing on individually generated projects. There is an introduction of new techniques appropriate for content such as monoprint, collograph, screenprint, photo-printmaking and computer-based processes. Field trips, and arranged meetings.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course is for students with a passion for clay! Designed to engage and build on students' previous ceramic experiences, advancing their knowledge, techniques and concepts of contemporary ceramic art. Course content will be both assignment based and self-directed whether created on the wheel or through handbuilding. Through thoughtful discussion, critical examination and evaluation of concepts and ideas the class encourages students to develop a better understanding of their relationship to the rich tradition of ceramics and ceramic sculpture. Students will develop an understanding of glaze and clay materials while also taking on responsibilities for electric, gas and raku kiln firings. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. May be taken without an introductory class with instructor's review and approval. Can be taken for credit multiple times. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required. Prerequisite(s): ART 131 or approval of instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

From ancient Mesopotamia to modern Europe, people attacked, mutilated and smashed images with motivations influenced by religion, politics and other ideological agendas. This course will explore the dynamics of such iconoclastic attacks on images by examining case studies from ancient, medieval and early modern contexts in the Near East, Mediterranean world and Europe. How and why have images been perceived as a threat by monarchs, invading armies or religious zealots? What were the intended outcomes of image destruction? By focusing on these main questions, this course will explore the function and power of images in pre-modern and early modern societies.

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. Students must enroll in a 2-credit independent study course in the spring semester of their senior year to do additional preparation for the successful completion of their capstone requirement, which culminates in a public oral presentation. Prerequisite(s): Art History seniors only.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This studio 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. Two three-hour periods per week. (4 credits)

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This introductory course will provide a supportive studio environment for the exploration of diverse approaches to the ceramic field, ranging from investigation of utilitarian object making to sculptural practice. Techniques and applications for both handbuilding and wheel throwing will be presented. Emphasis is placed on development and understanding of strong three-dimensional forms as well as the relationship with surface decoration. Content-based assignments allow for individual expression through creative problem solving. The course goal is to present students with a historical perspective and the understanding of contemporary ceramics, building an appreciation for the spirit of the handmade object as well as preparing students for upper level self-directed work. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques and gallery/museum visits will supplement studio work. Learning will be assessed primarily through portfolio production and review, along with class participation. Three two-hour periods per week. $100 materials fee is required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course examines the art, architecture, and visual culture of Japan, spanning a broad temporal frame from the ancient Neolithic era to our own contemporary moment.  We will discuss a diverse array of art and architecture from ancient Jomon pottery, Shinto shrines, and print media to Buddhist sculpture, painting practices during World War II, anime (cartoons) and manga (comics). In addition to learning methods of formal visual analysis, students will gain insight into how these works articulated complex artistic, social, economic, political, and religious trends. Through this course, students will develop skills to reflect critically on the production of narratives of Japanese culture, while considering concepts such as tradition, hybridity, value, authority, authenticity, sexuality, commodity flows, nationalism, and militarism. This is a stand-alone course which does not require ART 170 - Art of the East I: China as a prerequisite.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

We will explore the tools and processes available in the sculpture studio, including the woodworking and metal shops. The class progresses from basic sculptural techniques to more student-driven, conceptual assignements. The course includes readings, student critiques and a museum visit. $150 materials fee charged. Prerequisite(s): ART 130 is recommended.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course explores the art and architecture of the Ancient Near East from the earliest agricultural societies in the 10th millennium BCE to the arrival of Islam in the 7th century CE. Within this historical framework the lectures and class discussions will focus on culturally specific concepts of design, representation and aesthetics in ancient Mesopotamia, Iran, Anatolia and Syro-Palestine, and explore their uses in politics, imperialism, burial practices, private rituals and state cults. The lectures will explore topics such as the development of narrative representation, monumental public art, portraiture, small-scale glyptic arts and the design, and production of personal ornaments such as jewelry.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

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

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Building on the tools and techniques learned in the Photography I course, Photography II highlights the material aspect of photography in contemporary art and is designed for self-driven students wanting to pursue a photography-based art project. Alternative processes, professional lighting, and advanced printed and digital display techniques will be explored at length. Students will work toward the production of fine-art photography portfolios and create work for a group exhibition. Class time will consist of material demonstrations, presentations, critiques, field trips, and lab time. $75 materials fee charged for course to cover printing and darkroom costs. 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. Prerequisite(s): ART 233

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 provides an introduction to the diversity of twentieth century visual culture of the United States, within the historical, social, and cultural contexts in which it is created. It will analyze the intersection and the social dynamics of race and ethnicity, along with gender and class, and how these shaped the experience of American artists and their audiences at various historical moments during the last century. Studying the work of Native American, African-American, Asian-American, and Latino-American artists in response to the mainstream US art and culture, will provide students with broad and complext understanding of concepts of race, ethnicity, class, and gender as reflected in artistic production of this marginalized artists and art groups. Prerequisite(s): At least one course in Art History, WGSS or AMST or permission of the instructor.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

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

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

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