The faculty provides support throughout each phase of the program, beginning with the foundation of the Sophomore Fine Arts core through the more independent themes of the upper level classes. The culmination of this personal development is a cohesive body of work presented as the senior thesis. Students may choose to focus on one media for their thesis or combine media and disciplines that best support their interests and ideas.
Fine arts majors complete a sophomore fine arts core curriculum that consists of drawing, painting and sculpture. Rising juniors choose an emphasis in either 2D or 3D media. Throughout the program, students are encouraged to work in all media. Ample electives and a flexible curriculum allows for interdisciplinary exploration and experimentation.
The 2D emphasis is defined by a strong commitment to the historical and contemporary traditions of painting, drawing and printmaking. The flexible curriculum encourages students to work in all media encouraging interdisciplinary involvement and experimentation, to assure that students emerge with a firm grounding in each discipline.
The 3D emphasis is defined by the multidisciplinary possibilities inherent in working with a number of three-dimensional media. Technical and conceptual courses in ceramics, ferrous and small metals, mixed media, performance and installation provide students the opportunity to experiment with materials and methods of manipulating space, mass, line, plane and time in sculptural form.
In addition to the individual studios, students have access to drawing and painting studios, the printmaking shop, metal shops and ceramics studio.
