Ceramics Curriculum
200 level Ceramics Introduction
The emphasis of this class is to introduce the process of ceramics, techniques and structures, materials and further visual skill Individual decision making and an increasing refined design sense will be encouraged in this course. Different clay bodies and their applications to the ceramic process will be introduced and developed. Lectures, demonstrations, discussions and critiques will be a part of the course.
Art 200 ceramics is the beginning courses in ceramics. It is designed to give the student a basic understanding of the thought process of the visual experiment, the technical aspects associated with using clay as a media, and to develop an awareness and appreciation for the visual arts, specifically the three dimensional form of clay.
The considerations that make our surroundings visually exciting and meaningful are equally important with the considerations of an artist in making a work of art. We will discuss how to understand and interpret these considerations into creative thought and the synonymous three-dimensional form.
300 level Ceramics Intermediate:
The emphasis of this class is to introduce the hand-building technology of ceramics and ceramics sculpture, structure and techniques, materials and further visual skill as an artist. This class is also for those who have used the potter's wheel and for those who are still working on basic skill building. The course will cover methods of basic throwing skill. Glazing and decorating will be demonstrated and discussed. Different clay bodies and their application to the ceramics process will be introduced and developed as well. Technical assignments will be followed by applied assignments. Individual decisions making and an increasing design sense is encouraged in this course. Lecture and demonstrations will precede all assignments, and discussions and critiques will follow each assignment.
This course will help students to communicate and to understand creative thoughts and process as well as building technical and structural aspect. One of the primary course goals of this class is to learn and challenge one's self to think creatively, to bring and understand visual ideas as a method of personal communication, to be able to verbally explain the validity of new ideas as well as the importance of the ideas. Also learning to understand the firing principles and the safety systems associated with the kilns is integral to the ceramic process.
400 level Advance Ceramics:
The emphasis of this class is designed for students who have experience and would like to push their skill towards more advanced and professional level. The main focus will be on developing individual style through demonstrations and formal critiques. Understanding clay is an expressive material and language with both information of contemporary art and theory relevant to ceramics/clay/functional and sculptural making as well as conceptual aspect, traditional techniques and history issues. Personal development of techniques and creativity will be discussed through demonstrations, slides lectures, professional ceramics visiting artist program, artist’s studio visits, national and international conferences and symposiums, special workshops, business resources for the craft field in a professional level, connecting and preparing for a personal and professional experience and career in ceramics arts.
This course will help students to communicate and to understand creative thoughts and process as well as building technical and structural aspect. One of the primary course goals of this class is to learn and challenge one's self to think creatively, to bring and understand visual ideas as a method of personal communication, to be able to verbally explain the validity of new ideas as well as the importance of the ideas. Also learning to understand the firing principles and the safety systems associated with the kilns is integral to the ceramic process.
600 Level Advance Ceramics
The emphasis of this class is designed for students who have experience and advance skills, and would like to push and towards the professional level. The main focus will be on developing individual style through demonstrations and formal critiques. Understanding clay is an expressive material and language with both information of contemporary art and theory relevant to ceramics/clay/sculpture making as well as conceptual aspect, traditional techniques and history issues. Personal development of techniques and creativity will be discussed through demonstrations, slides lectures, professional ceramics visiting artist program, artist’s studio visits, national and international conferences and symposiums, special workshops, business resources for the craft field in a professional level, connecting and preparing for a personal and professional experience and career in ceramics art.
Staking courses in ceramics should be able to think creatively, to be able to communicate one’s thoughts and languages through the three-dimensional forms, to have the necessary technical skill to develop, to be able to make the conversation on the validity and the importance of the mental idea and through the ceramic process resulting in the synonymous tangible object, and to be able to verbally explain and discuss the completed work. To perform all of this, and to do it well, takes a great deal of persistence.
This course will help students to communicate and to understand creative thoughts and process as well as building technical and structural aspect. One of the primary course goals of this class is to learn and challenge one's self to think creatively, to bring and understand visual ideas as a method of personal communication, to be able to verbally explain the validity of new ideas as well as the importance of the ideas. Also learning to understand the firing principles and the safety systems associated with the kilns is integral to the process.
Drawing Curriculum:
Drawing Course Content:
Drawing cultivates foundational skills through advanced observational, conceptual, and experimental processes to enable students to explore ideas across media and disciplines. Drawing curriculum encompasses the full range of mark-making, from traditional practices to the latest technologies. Students will be challenged to explore all possibilities of what a drawing can be and which conceptual approaches, tools, and techniques best convey their ideas and intentions.
Drawing can be a direct, spontaneous, and immediate record made in real time or it can be a calculated, methodical, and precise work executed by a computer program. Drawing reveals thoughts, ideas, and relationships drawn from observation, interpretation, and imagination. Drawing cuts across cultures, histories, and national boundaries.
Courses in the theory and practice of basic drawing are using a systematic variety of media and subject matter. The student will examine drawing through the graphic/visual elements of line, plane, tone, shape, form, volume, rendering, and perspective. The course includes an introduction to light and shadow. Beginning problems will be structured to guide the student; the instructor will assist in this experience through individual attention. Instruction leads to direct the student and encourage subjective self-expression.
ART Introduction to Drawing
This course is an introduction to the basic elements of drawing such as line, tone, color, texture, composition and space. Objects and still life are the main focus of subject matter. Drawing materials include charcoal, graphite, ink, and pastels. Assignments involve largely working from observation and dealing with proportion, perspective, color theory, light and shade. Critique skills are also introduced.
ART Introduction to Figure Drawing
This course is an introduction to drawing the human form. The nude model will be used extensively. Both observational and intuitive, short and involved exercises will be employed. Issues of proportion, basic anatomy, portraiture and composition as it relates to the figure are covered. It is expected that students continue refining their use of materials and critique skills introduced in the previous course.
ART Intermediate Drawing I
This is an intermediate drawing course extending the foundation level The concerns of the previous two courses, skills and concepts introduced are further refined. Subject matter will continue to include the still life, figure and spatial issues. New drawing materials are introduced simultaneously with the use of mixed media techniques. Students are expected to extend their critique skills to include aspects of visual communication.
ART Intermediate Drawing II
This second intermediate level course further fines skills and the use of materials through a series of challenging projects. These projects involve working with ideas, themes, texts and practical concerns. Subject matter and drawing media vary according to each project. The critiques and group discussions refer to critical articles and address form and content as well as methods of visual communication.
ART Intermediate Drawing III
This third intermediate course furthers the approaches introduced in Drawing II working with even more elaborate open ended projects. These may challenge the parameters of “drawing” as we know it and embrace the interdisciplinary realm. Students are expected to begin connecting their studio practice with theoretical aspects in this course and in the subsequent advanced levels. More focused critiques involve dialogue and debate, reading texts and writing papers.
ART Advanced Drawing I
This advanced drawing course consists exclusively of student initiated projects and id a Capstone course for drawing majors. Students are expected to be fluent in visual literacy and critique skills. Also, they are expected to write extensively about their studio practice by keeping a journal and writing response paper. A project proposal initiates the student work and a final artist statement summarizes the work accomplished. The aim of the course is to foster artistic development towards a clearer understanding of students’ focus and personal expression, leading into the following advanced course.
ART Advanced Drawing II
This advanced drawing course is the final Capstone for drawing majors. Students will have a personal language of drawing and artistic idiom. Awareness of theoretical concerns and contemporary context of their own work is expected. Each student creates a body of work to be displayed in a final graduation exhibition accompanied by an articulate artist statement. In doing so, aspects of professionalism and career development will be addressed. An in-depth personal artist philosophy is also required.
Three Dimensional Design Curriculum
This Three Dimensional Design course seeks to expand student’s understanding of design theory as it relates to the 3 dimensional world. Working materials will be vary in paper, bristol board, corregated board, fome core, and any possibilities of variety. We will explore concepts of modularity, sequence and series, relief, contour, structure, symmetry and related and artistic art forms. This course will examine the function of space, volume, mass, plane, and line. Sculptural issues that also will be explored through the solution of design problems. The main emphasis of this course is the development of critical thinking skills as students apply to three dimensional art forms and to help and gain a deeper understanding of visual art.
Flower Arrangement and Design Curriculum
Floral arranging is much more than simply putting a bunch of flowers into a vase and filling it with water. Learning the basics of floral arranging will help you put together a simple vase of flowers so that it looks elegant. In this course students will learn the elements and principles of design, how to use flowers and foliage available to you, and the mechanics of arranging flowers in vases and in floral foam arrangements, and as hand-held bouquets.
High Style Flower Arrangements Course: Students learn to make arrangements that are unique and contemporary, designed to be eye-catching and trendsetting. They learn many flower arranging applications for uses such as decorating halls, creating wedding bouquets, making one-of-a-kind prom corsages and designing table arrangements for any occasion.
Fundamentals of Floral Design: Introductory floral design classes teach students basic design principles, such as balance, proportion and harmony, while familiarizing them with the material and tools of floral design. Topics include using color, depth and lines to make trend-setting designs, from creating simple centerpieces to exquisite wedding flower arrangements.
Floral Design and Theory Course: This course teaches floral design as a career. It discusses the history of floral design, from basic principles to advanced topics, such as using unity, balance, color and harmony. Lessons also cover the importance of using the right containers and tools when creating floral designs.
Ikebana Flower Arrangement: Ikebana, or the art of Japanese flower arrangement, shares traditional techniques of Japanese design with Japanese architecture, landscaping, calligraphy, and other traditional arts. This course is designed to broaden knowledge and familiarity of Ikebana through the traditional experience of flower arrangement, as well as, to cultivate a fundamental understanding of Japanese culture. Students will have an measure to learn the culture and the meaning of the art in a contemporary setting.
Permanent Flower Design: Artificial flowers are sometimes used in place of live flowers, especially for people with pollen allergies or for those who don't want to replace flowers frequently. This floral design course provides practical applications for designs and allows for hands-on experience creating arrangements with artificial and preserved natural plant materials.
Wedding Floral Design: Wedding floral design classes provide students with experience in creating wedding-style boutonnieres, hairpieces, corsages and bridal bouquets, church arrangements, outdoor arrangements and centerpieces. Students learn how to create fresh, artistic designs for wedding ceremonies and receptions by studying traditional designs. They focus on creating bridal floral arrangements with colors and schemes that enhance the bridal party and surroundings. They also learn how to incorporate the desires of the couple or a wedding's theme into the floral arrangements. These floral design courses encourage students to develop their own ideas and provide hands-on experience in floral design.
Special Occasion Floral Design: Floral designs are used on many special occasions, including weddings and funerals. Special occasion floral design classes go over the dozens of designs used in these circumstances. Students learn traditional and modern designs, common trends and standard flowers used in different situations. They also learn how color and flower type can play a role in expressing different sentiments.
Holiday Floral Design: Holiday-specific floral design courses teach students how to create floral designs for holidays, like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Independence Day. Students learn how to modify everyday designs for holidays. In addition to flowers, these designs incorporate pine cones, needles and other unique materials that are linked to common holidays. Through the course, students gain practical experience putting floral creations together.
Funeral Floral Design Course: This specialty course deals with flower arrangements for funerals. Students learn to create basket, easel and casket arrangements, while keeping the history of the deceased, specific trends and desired color schemes in mind.
Design Styles Course: In this course, students will explore some of the basic styles in floral design. Topics include western line, formal linear, vegetative, landscape, abstract ideas and new wave styles.
Sculpture Curriculum
ART 210: Sculpture I
Through experimentation with a variety of technical processes, projects, and material exploration, students work to develop a sophisticated dialog between material, concept, process and outcome. Students will work with wood, plaster, wire and variety of other materials depending on individual design and choice, and project direction. Wood construction, functional object-making, carving, armature building, and body casting, are all part of the Sculpture I curriculum. The Sculpture I class, through presentation, research, discussion, and directed projects, will explore sculptural work that ranges between site-based work to object making, and beyond. Professional installation and lighting techniques will be discussed and expected from students during critique. Through classroom interaction and critique, focus will also be placed on the refinement of both written and verbal articulation of ideas regarding each and individuals’ work.
ART 310 and ART 325: Sculpture II and III
Intermediate-level Sculpture courses expand upon the exploration of materials, concepts, process, and outcomes rooted in the Sculpture discipline as introduced in Sculpture I. Sculpture II & III classes introduce students to an expanded array of technical processes such as mold-making, welding, plasma cutting, carving, 3D modeling, rammed earth building, forging, sewing, specialized wood construction techniques, a greater knowledge of small scale power tools, etc… depending on the class and semester. Conceptually, intermediate level Sculpture courses challenge students to creatively integrate technical processes with intention. Students are challenged with projects that push them to explore unfamiliar ways of thinking and making. Through this series of challenges, students will both explore new ideas and creative ways of making while also refining their own unique voice. Group discussions, formal critiques, and individual meetings with the professor are in an essential part of the classroom culture. Professional practice is fostered through individual artist presentations, professional presentation of artwork for critiques, the production of an image portfolio, and the development of an artist statement.
ART410 and ART435: Sculpture IV and V
The advanced sculpture classes will be used to concentrate on the development a unified body of work that will prepare them for graduation and the continuation of their artwork beyond the academic environment. It will be proposal-based projects. With faculty support, students will be making art, researching ideas and influences, and writing about their work of art. At this level in the Sculpture concentration students have been introduced to many technical approaches and ideas about art-making and have a strong artistic foundation and training. Students will work on the idea that have been presented with, researched, experimented with, and complete their own unique voice, perspective, and bridge the communication. Students should be able to articulate, through written and verbal means, ideas about their own work, process, and how their work fits with in what has been done historically and what is going on now in the contemporary art world.
Aesthetics and Criticism
This seminar will explore the relation between critical theory and contemporary art. The course will focus on some of the key thinkers, ideas, and schools of thought informing debates around contemporary art and aesthetics. The seminar will both situate theoretical ideas within a larger intellectual context and historical framework, while also providing the opportunity to explore these ideas through visual works of art. Primary and secondary texts pertaining to the course material will further extend a student’s understanding of the ideas, individuals, groups, and movements informing aesthetic questions today. Emphasis will be placed on the methodology of forming aesthetic judgments that further the contemporary dialogues in works of art. The course will further the development of verbal, written, and critical thinking skills for this purpose.
Student will read and discuss historical and contemporary criticism and aesthetics. Through lectures, guided discussions, direct field observations, written responses, and selected readings, participants will examine how contemporary aesthetic and critical theory reflect the experiences that we have of art. The direct experience of galleries, exhibits, museums, and presentations by professionals in related fields will be incorporated into the course – to the extent that these are available throughout the semester – in order to study how usefulness, meaning, and pleasure are embodied in and derived from objects, events, and presentations made by artists. We will examine how aesthetic systems and journalistic criticism engage works of art and help us understand visual experiences. We will look at visual experience in our own culture and other cultures.
In addition to readings, class discussion, and field observations, participants write two short research papers and one longer paper, take an active role in discussion, and make class presentations. The longer assignment will provide an opportunity to consider the potential theoretical frameworks pertinent to their creative work. It involves a critical investigation into the aesthetic and philosophical issues of art, as well as examining professional issues and practices of viewing, researching, and reading works of visual culture.
This course fits into the academic program by teaching information and the acquisition of skills needed to evaluate works of art and discuss them in relation to particular and more generalized contemporary, historical, and cross-cultural contexts. In conjunction with studio experience, readings, and other seminars, it is designed to ensure that the participant graduates with an ability to understand and present to others an expertise in understanding the value and significance of visual experience and visual communication.
Major Learning Objectives
Students will learn how to research works of visual culture and be able to state their responses to them in relation to the formal, contextual, and historical elements of visual works. Students will learn to use the writing process and the process of presentations to others as a means to explore and conceptualize their responses to visual works and the social values and exchanges provided in them. One of the primary goals is to express their responses to visual works, through the development of writing skills, and to do this in relation to the on-going dialogue of the visual arts and in relation to the contemporary contexts of visual arts.
These learning objectives should support the participant’s future abilities to function as an independent artist, add to the breadth of their intellectual knowledge to understand the aesthetic and the cultural context of their current and future work, increase their ability to formulate and articulate artistic philosophies and goals, and enhance their knowledge of art histories. It should also increase their ability to understand, discuss, write about, and present in public forums contemporary issues, including what constitutes art and how art is judged now and was judged in the past, to understand the profound significance of visual experience, and to understand a range of aesthetic viewpoints and critical voices.
Course Outcomes
The course is designed to provide specific, practical, critical skills through which to enjoy, discuss, and understand visual experience. There are four specific learning outcomes of the course, which will be evaluated by the verbal, written, and visual presentations of class assignments. First, that each student understand visual experience in terms of contemporary and historical parameters in our culture, including the contexts of Modernism and Postmodernism. Second, that each student be able to describe the elements of visual experience they respond to and the responses that these elements elicit. Third, that each student be able to professionally present and discuss their original and independent research and ideas on visual culture with the class, questioning themselves and each other critically, setting a foundation on which they can develop professional habits of seeing how their own ideas interact with those of others, as informed viewers and participants of works of visual culture in our own and other communities. Fourth, that each student observes and begins to understand how visual works and aesthetics of different cultures interact with one’s own culture currently and in the past.
200 level Ceramics Introduction
The emphasis of this class is to introduce the process of ceramics, techniques and structures, materials and further visual skill Individual decision making and an increasing refined design sense will be encouraged in this course. Different clay bodies and their applications to the ceramic process will be introduced and developed. Lectures, demonstrations, discussions and critiques will be a part of the course.
Art 200 ceramics is the beginning courses in ceramics. It is designed to give the student a basic understanding of the thought process of the visual experiment, the technical aspects associated with using clay as a media, and to develop an awareness and appreciation for the visual arts, specifically the three dimensional form of clay.
The considerations that make our surroundings visually exciting and meaningful are equally important with the considerations of an artist in making a work of art. We will discuss how to understand and interpret these considerations into creative thought and the synonymous three-dimensional form.
300 level Ceramics Intermediate:
The emphasis of this class is to introduce the hand-building technology of ceramics and ceramics sculpture, structure and techniques, materials and further visual skill as an artist. This class is also for those who have used the potter's wheel and for those who are still working on basic skill building. The course will cover methods of basic throwing skill. Glazing and decorating will be demonstrated and discussed. Different clay bodies and their application to the ceramics process will be introduced and developed as well. Technical assignments will be followed by applied assignments. Individual decisions making and an increasing design sense is encouraged in this course. Lecture and demonstrations will precede all assignments, and discussions and critiques will follow each assignment.
This course will help students to communicate and to understand creative thoughts and process as well as building technical and structural aspect. One of the primary course goals of this class is to learn and challenge one's self to think creatively, to bring and understand visual ideas as a method of personal communication, to be able to verbally explain the validity of new ideas as well as the importance of the ideas. Also learning to understand the firing principles and the safety systems associated with the kilns is integral to the ceramic process.
400 level Advance Ceramics:
The emphasis of this class is designed for students who have experience and would like to push their skill towards more advanced and professional level. The main focus will be on developing individual style through demonstrations and formal critiques. Understanding clay is an expressive material and language with both information of contemporary art and theory relevant to ceramics/clay/functional and sculptural making as well as conceptual aspect, traditional techniques and history issues. Personal development of techniques and creativity will be discussed through demonstrations, slides lectures, professional ceramics visiting artist program, artist’s studio visits, national and international conferences and symposiums, special workshops, business resources for the craft field in a professional level, connecting and preparing for a personal and professional experience and career in ceramics arts.
This course will help students to communicate and to understand creative thoughts and process as well as building technical and structural aspect. One of the primary course goals of this class is to learn and challenge one's self to think creatively, to bring and understand visual ideas as a method of personal communication, to be able to verbally explain the validity of new ideas as well as the importance of the ideas. Also learning to understand the firing principles and the safety systems associated with the kilns is integral to the ceramic process.
600 Level Advance Ceramics
The emphasis of this class is designed for students who have experience and advance skills, and would like to push and towards the professional level. The main focus will be on developing individual style through demonstrations and formal critiques. Understanding clay is an expressive material and language with both information of contemporary art and theory relevant to ceramics/clay/sculpture making as well as conceptual aspect, traditional techniques and history issues. Personal development of techniques and creativity will be discussed through demonstrations, slides lectures, professional ceramics visiting artist program, artist’s studio visits, national and international conferences and symposiums, special workshops, business resources for the craft field in a professional level, connecting and preparing for a personal and professional experience and career in ceramics art.
Staking courses in ceramics should be able to think creatively, to be able to communicate one’s thoughts and languages through the three-dimensional forms, to have the necessary technical skill to develop, to be able to make the conversation on the validity and the importance of the mental idea and through the ceramic process resulting in the synonymous tangible object, and to be able to verbally explain and discuss the completed work. To perform all of this, and to do it well, takes a great deal of persistence.
This course will help students to communicate and to understand creative thoughts and process as well as building technical and structural aspect. One of the primary course goals of this class is to learn and challenge one's self to think creatively, to bring and understand visual ideas as a method of personal communication, to be able to verbally explain the validity of new ideas as well as the importance of the ideas. Also learning to understand the firing principles and the safety systems associated with the kilns is integral to the process.
Drawing Curriculum:
Drawing Course Content:
- The principles of seeing and visualization.
- Principles of the picture plane.
- Picture space and basic geometric shapes (still life drawing).
- Principles of line and line quality, contour drawing and hand-eye coordination.
- Proportional analysis, spatial relationships, and overlapping planes (still life drawing).
- The principles of light and shadow (still life drawing).
- Developing value, texture and surface quality (still life drawing).
- Principles of one-point perspective
- Principles of two-point perspective
- Developing form and composition
- Drawing for communication
- Creating abstract and non-objective imagery
- Exploration of self-direction and subjective expression
- An introduction to the anatomy of vertebrates (still life drawing)
Drawing cultivates foundational skills through advanced observational, conceptual, and experimental processes to enable students to explore ideas across media and disciplines. Drawing curriculum encompasses the full range of mark-making, from traditional practices to the latest technologies. Students will be challenged to explore all possibilities of what a drawing can be and which conceptual approaches, tools, and techniques best convey their ideas and intentions.
Drawing can be a direct, spontaneous, and immediate record made in real time or it can be a calculated, methodical, and precise work executed by a computer program. Drawing reveals thoughts, ideas, and relationships drawn from observation, interpretation, and imagination. Drawing cuts across cultures, histories, and national boundaries.
Courses in the theory and practice of basic drawing are using a systematic variety of media and subject matter. The student will examine drawing through the graphic/visual elements of line, plane, tone, shape, form, volume, rendering, and perspective. The course includes an introduction to light and shadow. Beginning problems will be structured to guide the student; the instructor will assist in this experience through individual attention. Instruction leads to direct the student and encourage subjective self-expression.
ART Introduction to Drawing
This course is an introduction to the basic elements of drawing such as line, tone, color, texture, composition and space. Objects and still life are the main focus of subject matter. Drawing materials include charcoal, graphite, ink, and pastels. Assignments involve largely working from observation and dealing with proportion, perspective, color theory, light and shade. Critique skills are also introduced.
ART Introduction to Figure Drawing
This course is an introduction to drawing the human form. The nude model will be used extensively. Both observational and intuitive, short and involved exercises will be employed. Issues of proportion, basic anatomy, portraiture and composition as it relates to the figure are covered. It is expected that students continue refining their use of materials and critique skills introduced in the previous course.
ART Intermediate Drawing I
This is an intermediate drawing course extending the foundation level The concerns of the previous two courses, skills and concepts introduced are further refined. Subject matter will continue to include the still life, figure and spatial issues. New drawing materials are introduced simultaneously with the use of mixed media techniques. Students are expected to extend their critique skills to include aspects of visual communication.
ART Intermediate Drawing II
This second intermediate level course further fines skills and the use of materials through a series of challenging projects. These projects involve working with ideas, themes, texts and practical concerns. Subject matter and drawing media vary according to each project. The critiques and group discussions refer to critical articles and address form and content as well as methods of visual communication.
ART Intermediate Drawing III
This third intermediate course furthers the approaches introduced in Drawing II working with even more elaborate open ended projects. These may challenge the parameters of “drawing” as we know it and embrace the interdisciplinary realm. Students are expected to begin connecting their studio practice with theoretical aspects in this course and in the subsequent advanced levels. More focused critiques involve dialogue and debate, reading texts and writing papers.
ART Advanced Drawing I
This advanced drawing course consists exclusively of student initiated projects and id a Capstone course for drawing majors. Students are expected to be fluent in visual literacy and critique skills. Also, they are expected to write extensively about their studio practice by keeping a journal and writing response paper. A project proposal initiates the student work and a final artist statement summarizes the work accomplished. The aim of the course is to foster artistic development towards a clearer understanding of students’ focus and personal expression, leading into the following advanced course.
ART Advanced Drawing II
This advanced drawing course is the final Capstone for drawing majors. Students will have a personal language of drawing and artistic idiom. Awareness of theoretical concerns and contemporary context of their own work is expected. Each student creates a body of work to be displayed in a final graduation exhibition accompanied by an articulate artist statement. In doing so, aspects of professionalism and career development will be addressed. An in-depth personal artist philosophy is also required.
Three Dimensional Design Curriculum
This Three Dimensional Design course seeks to expand student’s understanding of design theory as it relates to the 3 dimensional world. Working materials will be vary in paper, bristol board, corregated board, fome core, and any possibilities of variety. We will explore concepts of modularity, sequence and series, relief, contour, structure, symmetry and related and artistic art forms. This course will examine the function of space, volume, mass, plane, and line. Sculptural issues that also will be explored through the solution of design problems. The main emphasis of this course is the development of critical thinking skills as students apply to three dimensional art forms and to help and gain a deeper understanding of visual art.
Flower Arrangement and Design Curriculum
Floral arranging is much more than simply putting a bunch of flowers into a vase and filling it with water. Learning the basics of floral arranging will help you put together a simple vase of flowers so that it looks elegant. In this course students will learn the elements and principles of design, how to use flowers and foliage available to you, and the mechanics of arranging flowers in vases and in floral foam arrangements, and as hand-held bouquets.
High Style Flower Arrangements Course: Students learn to make arrangements that are unique and contemporary, designed to be eye-catching and trendsetting. They learn many flower arranging applications for uses such as decorating halls, creating wedding bouquets, making one-of-a-kind prom corsages and designing table arrangements for any occasion.
Fundamentals of Floral Design: Introductory floral design classes teach students basic design principles, such as balance, proportion and harmony, while familiarizing them with the material and tools of floral design. Topics include using color, depth and lines to make trend-setting designs, from creating simple centerpieces to exquisite wedding flower arrangements.
Floral Design and Theory Course: This course teaches floral design as a career. It discusses the history of floral design, from basic principles to advanced topics, such as using unity, balance, color and harmony. Lessons also cover the importance of using the right containers and tools when creating floral designs.
Ikebana Flower Arrangement: Ikebana, or the art of Japanese flower arrangement, shares traditional techniques of Japanese design with Japanese architecture, landscaping, calligraphy, and other traditional arts. This course is designed to broaden knowledge and familiarity of Ikebana through the traditional experience of flower arrangement, as well as, to cultivate a fundamental understanding of Japanese culture. Students will have an measure to learn the culture and the meaning of the art in a contemporary setting.
Permanent Flower Design: Artificial flowers are sometimes used in place of live flowers, especially for people with pollen allergies or for those who don't want to replace flowers frequently. This floral design course provides practical applications for designs and allows for hands-on experience creating arrangements with artificial and preserved natural plant materials.
Wedding Floral Design: Wedding floral design classes provide students with experience in creating wedding-style boutonnieres, hairpieces, corsages and bridal bouquets, church arrangements, outdoor arrangements and centerpieces. Students learn how to create fresh, artistic designs for wedding ceremonies and receptions by studying traditional designs. They focus on creating bridal floral arrangements with colors and schemes that enhance the bridal party and surroundings. They also learn how to incorporate the desires of the couple or a wedding's theme into the floral arrangements. These floral design courses encourage students to develop their own ideas and provide hands-on experience in floral design.
Special Occasion Floral Design: Floral designs are used on many special occasions, including weddings and funerals. Special occasion floral design classes go over the dozens of designs used in these circumstances. Students learn traditional and modern designs, common trends and standard flowers used in different situations. They also learn how color and flower type can play a role in expressing different sentiments.
Holiday Floral Design: Holiday-specific floral design courses teach students how to create floral designs for holidays, like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Independence Day. Students learn how to modify everyday designs for holidays. In addition to flowers, these designs incorporate pine cones, needles and other unique materials that are linked to common holidays. Through the course, students gain practical experience putting floral creations together.
Funeral Floral Design Course: This specialty course deals with flower arrangements for funerals. Students learn to create basket, easel and casket arrangements, while keeping the history of the deceased, specific trends and desired color schemes in mind.
Design Styles Course: In this course, students will explore some of the basic styles in floral design. Topics include western line, formal linear, vegetative, landscape, abstract ideas and new wave styles.
Sculpture Curriculum
ART 210: Sculpture I
Through experimentation with a variety of technical processes, projects, and material exploration, students work to develop a sophisticated dialog between material, concept, process and outcome. Students will work with wood, plaster, wire and variety of other materials depending on individual design and choice, and project direction. Wood construction, functional object-making, carving, armature building, and body casting, are all part of the Sculpture I curriculum. The Sculpture I class, through presentation, research, discussion, and directed projects, will explore sculptural work that ranges between site-based work to object making, and beyond. Professional installation and lighting techniques will be discussed and expected from students during critique. Through classroom interaction and critique, focus will also be placed on the refinement of both written and verbal articulation of ideas regarding each and individuals’ work.
ART 310 and ART 325: Sculpture II and III
Intermediate-level Sculpture courses expand upon the exploration of materials, concepts, process, and outcomes rooted in the Sculpture discipline as introduced in Sculpture I. Sculpture II & III classes introduce students to an expanded array of technical processes such as mold-making, welding, plasma cutting, carving, 3D modeling, rammed earth building, forging, sewing, specialized wood construction techniques, a greater knowledge of small scale power tools, etc… depending on the class and semester. Conceptually, intermediate level Sculpture courses challenge students to creatively integrate technical processes with intention. Students are challenged with projects that push them to explore unfamiliar ways of thinking and making. Through this series of challenges, students will both explore new ideas and creative ways of making while also refining their own unique voice. Group discussions, formal critiques, and individual meetings with the professor are in an essential part of the classroom culture. Professional practice is fostered through individual artist presentations, professional presentation of artwork for critiques, the production of an image portfolio, and the development of an artist statement.
ART410 and ART435: Sculpture IV and V
The advanced sculpture classes will be used to concentrate on the development a unified body of work that will prepare them for graduation and the continuation of their artwork beyond the academic environment. It will be proposal-based projects. With faculty support, students will be making art, researching ideas and influences, and writing about their work of art. At this level in the Sculpture concentration students have been introduced to many technical approaches and ideas about art-making and have a strong artistic foundation and training. Students will work on the idea that have been presented with, researched, experimented with, and complete their own unique voice, perspective, and bridge the communication. Students should be able to articulate, through written and verbal means, ideas about their own work, process, and how their work fits with in what has been done historically and what is going on now in the contemporary art world.
Aesthetics and Criticism
This seminar will explore the relation between critical theory and contemporary art. The course will focus on some of the key thinkers, ideas, and schools of thought informing debates around contemporary art and aesthetics. The seminar will both situate theoretical ideas within a larger intellectual context and historical framework, while also providing the opportunity to explore these ideas through visual works of art. Primary and secondary texts pertaining to the course material will further extend a student’s understanding of the ideas, individuals, groups, and movements informing aesthetic questions today. Emphasis will be placed on the methodology of forming aesthetic judgments that further the contemporary dialogues in works of art. The course will further the development of verbal, written, and critical thinking skills for this purpose.
Student will read and discuss historical and contemporary criticism and aesthetics. Through lectures, guided discussions, direct field observations, written responses, and selected readings, participants will examine how contemporary aesthetic and critical theory reflect the experiences that we have of art. The direct experience of galleries, exhibits, museums, and presentations by professionals in related fields will be incorporated into the course – to the extent that these are available throughout the semester – in order to study how usefulness, meaning, and pleasure are embodied in and derived from objects, events, and presentations made by artists. We will examine how aesthetic systems and journalistic criticism engage works of art and help us understand visual experiences. We will look at visual experience in our own culture and other cultures.
In addition to readings, class discussion, and field observations, participants write two short research papers and one longer paper, take an active role in discussion, and make class presentations. The longer assignment will provide an opportunity to consider the potential theoretical frameworks pertinent to their creative work. It involves a critical investigation into the aesthetic and philosophical issues of art, as well as examining professional issues and practices of viewing, researching, and reading works of visual culture.
This course fits into the academic program by teaching information and the acquisition of skills needed to evaluate works of art and discuss them in relation to particular and more generalized contemporary, historical, and cross-cultural contexts. In conjunction with studio experience, readings, and other seminars, it is designed to ensure that the participant graduates with an ability to understand and present to others an expertise in understanding the value and significance of visual experience and visual communication.
Major Learning Objectives
Students will learn how to research works of visual culture and be able to state their responses to them in relation to the formal, contextual, and historical elements of visual works. Students will learn to use the writing process and the process of presentations to others as a means to explore and conceptualize their responses to visual works and the social values and exchanges provided in them. One of the primary goals is to express their responses to visual works, through the development of writing skills, and to do this in relation to the on-going dialogue of the visual arts and in relation to the contemporary contexts of visual arts.
These learning objectives should support the participant’s future abilities to function as an independent artist, add to the breadth of their intellectual knowledge to understand the aesthetic and the cultural context of their current and future work, increase their ability to formulate and articulate artistic philosophies and goals, and enhance their knowledge of art histories. It should also increase their ability to understand, discuss, write about, and present in public forums contemporary issues, including what constitutes art and how art is judged now and was judged in the past, to understand the profound significance of visual experience, and to understand a range of aesthetic viewpoints and critical voices.
Course Outcomes
The course is designed to provide specific, practical, critical skills through which to enjoy, discuss, and understand visual experience. There are four specific learning outcomes of the course, which will be evaluated by the verbal, written, and visual presentations of class assignments. First, that each student understand visual experience in terms of contemporary and historical parameters in our culture, including the contexts of Modernism and Postmodernism. Second, that each student be able to describe the elements of visual experience they respond to and the responses that these elements elicit. Third, that each student be able to professionally present and discuss their original and independent research and ideas on visual culture with the class, questioning themselves and each other critically, setting a foundation on which they can develop professional habits of seeing how their own ideas interact with those of others, as informed viewers and participants of works of visual culture in our own and other communities. Fourth, that each student observes and begins to understand how visual works and aesthetics of different cultures interact with one’s own culture currently and in the past.