Course Descriptions

Note: All studio courses require significant work hours outside of class sessions.  Some studio courses have lab fees.

Studio Art Foundations

ART 102 Design
A study of design is the unifying foundation for the visual arts. Two- and some three-dimensional projects demonstrate theory and application of basic design elements and principles.

ART 107 Drawing
Introduction to foundational drawing from direct observation, memory, and reference. Traditional and experimental media and methods are explored to develop technical and formal skills in support of individual expression.

Studio Art

ART 100, 300 Topics
Selected courses dealing with special topics, offered occasionally in the department.

ART 105 Introduction to Architectural Drawing
This course develops basic skills involved in perceiving and representing the material environment through the study of sketching and drawing skills.

ART 106 Chinese Calligraphy and Painting I
Introduction and practice of Chinese calligraphic painting and writing.

ART 118 Painting I
Introduction to observational and experimental approaches and techniques in acrylic or oil painting. Color theory, composition, painting methods, and individual expression are emphasized.

ART 122 Plein Air Sketching I
Introduction to traditional sketching media and approaches for drawing en plein air, outside and on location. Portable, all-weather materials and processes, and perceptual techniques are emphasized to create a sketchbook of drawings from direct observation.

ART 132 Photography I
This course introduces the technical skills, creative applications, and vocabulary of black-and-white film photography. Technical lectures and demonstrations cover 35mm camera operation, film processing, and black-and-white darkroom printing. Class lectures, readings, field trips, and research introduce students to the canon of photographic history, including a broad range of genres, historical contexts, and artistic practices. Students need a 35mm single lens reflex camera.

ART 180 Introduction to Community-Based Photography
This course introduces the technical skills and creative applications of black-and-white photography with coursework that integrates partnership and service. Art 180 combines art and social research concepts to help students understand how the arts foster community building and engagement. Class lectures, demonstrations, assignments, and service will introduce students to documentary work that will be presented as portfolio to a nonprofit partner. Students need a 35mm single lens reflex camera.

ART 210 Drawing for Design in Architecture
Introduction to and exploration of the conceptual function of drawing in architecture. Exploration of the history of drawing in architecture, critical review of drawing conventions and systems, and examination of drawing processes as modes of perception and cognition. (Prereq.: ART 105 or instructor permission)

ART 215 Web Design I
This course provides an introduction to designing for the internet. Students will learn basic skills for interactive design and will become familiar with Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Fireworks.

ART 221 Sculpture I
An introduction to sculpture and three-dimensional design through the explorationof the inherent properties of various materials and processes.

ART 223 Printmaking
An introduction to traditional and experimental media and methods of printing. Intaglio, relief, and mono/unique methods are explored.

ART 225 Graphic Design I
This course provides an introduction to the practice of graphic design. Design principles are explored in creating and organizing through visual communication. The focus of this class will be building the foundation in design
programs such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, and discovering the visual language necessary to develop as creative problem solvers.

ART 233 Collaborative Printmaking: A Press-Free Approach
This online course is designed to engage creative, imaginative, and technical processes to produce prints without a press and to interpret works of art. Students learn water-based printmaking techniques while exploring several kinds of collaboration. Students critically analyze works of art produced by themselves and their peers, and through this analysis they will articulate different theories of aesthetics.

ART 247 Life Drawing
Introduction to traditional and experimental methods and techniques for drawing the human figure through direct observation of the live nude model. Perceptual proportions, planes, and individual expression of the human form in space are emphasized.

ART 250 Ceramics I
An introduction to the making of pottery with an emphasis on handbuilding and throwing techniques combined with theory, concept, and form.

ART 257 Watercolor Painting I
Introduction to foundational techniques, and observational and experimental approaches to watercolor painting. Exploration of color theory, composition, and individual expression are emphasized. Includes some painting outside on location.

ART/THR 265 Computer Drafting for the Stage and Architecture
(See Theater Arts section for course description.)

ART 280 Hand Papermaking and Book Arts I
Introduction to hand papermaking, box building, and bookmaking; emphasizes the interplay of text, image, and form in the contemporary artist’s book.

ART 305 Junior Exhibition and Review (.0 course)
Junior Exhibition and Review showcases the junior art major’s emerging style and content in a group exhibit to focus exploration in support of the upcoming senior exhibition. A committee of art department faculty and staff conduct a formal review of the exhibition. Junior art majors prepare and present an artist statement at the review. (Prereq.: Completion of 16 credits)

ART 306 Chinese Calligraphy and Painting II
Advanced practice of Chinese calligraphic painting and writing. (Prereq.: ART 106)

ART 315 Web Design II
This course explores interactive design through the use of animation, sound, and video in website development. Students will use software such as Flash and Fireworks as primary applications. (Prereq.: ART 215 or instructor permission)

ART 320 Typography
Study of the history, development, structures, and application of traditional and contemporary typography; exploration of letterforms using digital, hand-set type, and hand lettering. (Prereq.: Any ART course)

ART 322 Plein Air Sketching II
Advanced study of drawing en plein air emphasizes creating a sketchbook outside on location to explore advanced observational technique, significant experiential engagement, complex composition, and emerging personal style using portable allweather materials and processes. (Prereq.: ART 122)

ART 330 Graphic Design II
This studio course explores and develops concepts used in solving design problems through visual communication. Students will explore the various tools necessary in this discipline, such as typography, layout, color, information design, branding, packaging, and illustration. (Prereq.: ART 225 or instructor permission)

ART 332 Photography II
Advanced study that focuses on refining the skills and visual vocabulary introduced in ART 132. Emphasis on portfolio development using advanced black-and-white materials. Semester projects encourage individual creativity and examination of critical issues in contemporary photography. Students must provide their own 35mm camera.

ART 340 Digital Imaging
Exploration of visual communications in the electronic environments using various software programs to create digital images, animation, and digital games.

ART 351 Ceramics II
Advanced work in ceramics explores clay, glaze, and firing technology with a continued emphasis on throwing and handbuilding techniques combined with theory, concept, and form. (Prereq.: ART 250)

ART 355 Painting II
Advanced study in acrylic or oil painting emphasizes individual expression and emerging style through advanced color theory, series development, and exploration of individual subject matter, approach, and method. (Prereq.: ART 118)

ART 357 Watercolor Painting II
Advanced study in watercolor painting emphasizes individual expression and emerging style through advanced color theory, series development, and exploration of individual subject matter, approach, and method. (Prereq.: ART 257)

ART 368 Printmaking II
Continued exploration of intaglio, relief, and mono/unique methods. Use of larger formats, multiple plates, and an emphasis on color are encouraged. (Prereq.: ART 223)

ART 380 Hand Papermaking and Book Arts II
Advanced exploration in hand papermaking and book arts, emphasizing individual research and expression. (Prereq.: ART 280)

ART 405 Senior Exhibition and Faculty Review (.0 course)
Senior Exhibition and Faculty Review is a practical approach, exemplifying best visual arts practice and showcasing the senior art major’s body of work through a solo or two-person exhibit. A committee of two art department faculty and one outside department faculty/staff of choice conducts a formal review of the exhibition. (Prereq.: ART 305 or permission of Art Department chair)

ART 478 Sculpture II
Advanced work in sculpture and three-dimensional design. (Prereq.: ART 221)

Internships and Independent Study Courses

ART 199 Internship in Studio Art

ART 299 Directed Study in Studio Art

ART 399 Internship in Studio Art

ART 499 Independent Study/Research in Studio Art

Art and Architectural History

ART 240 Art History Survey
A survey of world art from prehistoric to modern times.(Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100. WEC: alternate years)

Note: The following courses are offered intermittently, usually two or three sections per year.

ART 231 Pre-Columbian, Colonial and Contemporary Mexican Art
Develops an understanding and appreciation of Mexican art from the Pre-Columbian, colonial, and contemporary periods, including Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfredo Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco. Numerous
excursions to museums as well as archaeological and historical sites. (Prereq.: SPA 212. Taught in Mexico, see program listings in International Programs)

ART 243 History of Architecture to 1750
History of architecture and city planning from antiquity to 1750, as illustrated by Western and non-Western examples.

ART 244 History of Architecture after 1750
History of architecture and city planning since 1750, as illustrated by Western and non-Western examples.

ART 249/349 The Designed Environment
This course addresses the designed environment, investigating architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. Class sessions consist almost exclusively of extensive walking tours and site visits to prominent examples of
design excellence. (Prereq.: None for ART 249; ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111, and an ART, HIS, or urban studies course for ART 349)

ART 290 Tribal Arts and Culture
An exploration of the rich heritage of visual arts from indigenous communities of North America, surveying the dynamic nature of Native American art spanning from pre-European contact into the present while exploring the political nature of that trajectory as it encounters cultural change, Western aesthetics, and Western concepts of art. Students will meet Native artists, visit a variety of Native American art galleries and exhibitions, and learn about the cultural, social, and political context surrounding a Native American art.

ART 352 Women and Art
A study of the creative role of women in the visual arts, including the fine arts, the traditional arts, and the arts of Native American women. (Prereq.: ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111)

ART 382 Scandinavian Arts
The visual arts in Scandinavia from the Stone Age to the present, including architecture, folk arts, painting, sculpture, and design.

ART 385 Prehistoric and Ancient Art
The art of the Ice Age through the Roman period to the fourth century A.D.

ART 386 Medieval Art
Early Christian through late Gothic and proto-Renaissance painting, sculpture, and architecture in Europe. (Prereq.: ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111)

ART 387 Renaissance and Baroque Art
European painting, sculpture, and architecture, from the 14th through the 18th centuries. (Prereq.: ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111)

ART 388 Modern Art
Painting, sculpture, and architecture from Neoclassicism through the present. (Prereq.: ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111)

ART 389 American Art
A study of early colonial through contemporary American art, architecture, and folk arts.

Internships and Independent Study Courses

ART 199 Internship in Art History

ART 299 Directed Study in Art History

ART 399 Internship in Art History

ART 499 Independent Study/Research in Art History