Courses
The following are general descriptions of courses offered by the Department of Visual Art. VISA0101 (or VISA0110) is a prerequisite for all the courses listed, unless a waiver is obtained through a portfolio review. All courses have strictly limited enrollment and require written permission in order to register.
VISA0100 Studio Foundation Design
This is a prerequsite for all visual art courses, except for VA11 (see next entry). It is not solely meant as a technical course. Rather, it is also intended as an experience which cultivates the capacity for visual thinking in the individual.
VISA0110 Advanced Studio Foundation
Admission to this class is granted only after a portfolio review.
VISA0120 Foundation Media: Sound & image
This foundation studio course focuses on the production and theory of screen-based digital media artwork and introduces the computer as a medium and a tool for art. The principles and techniques web design, and sound and image production are addressed in readings, screenings, and a number of specific projects.
VISA0130 3-D Foundation
This is an extensive study in form and structure intended to develop spatial understanding and the fundamentals of 3-dimensional design and construction. Students will explore the structural, compositional and conceptual implications of basic materials, such as wood, metal, plaster and found objects. Projects are designed as a means for investigating a variety of sculptural processes.
VISA1110 Drawing I
Drawing from nature, still life, the model, and the imagination in a variety of media.
VISA1120 Drawing II
Drawing from nature, the model, and the imagination are stressed. Great emphasis is placed on creative work and classroom participation.
VISA1210 Printmaking
Big Woodcut
Silkscreening
Lithography
VISA1240 The Art of the Book
This course will investigate the book as an art form, and provide the student with the background and means necessary for the complete creation of a book.
VISA1310 Painting I
This studio course is based on painting principals relating to traditional and contemporary issues.
VisA1320Painting II
The advanced class covers information beyond the introductory level and individual criticism is emphasized.
VISA1410 Sculpture I
This introductory studio course addresses basic sculptural methods, i.e., additive, subtractive, casting, and assemblage, and materials, i.e., wood, metal, plaster, and found objects. Students develop sculptural solutions to a given set of problems. Contemporary issues raised in critiques and readings. No prior experience in sculpture is required.
VisA1420 Sculpture II
Examination of sculptural problems beyond the introductory level.
VisA1510 Photography I
An introductory course in black and white photography, emphasizing production and theory with emphasis on pictures that tell stories. Students execute a portfolio of original photography images, and examine and analyze the function, purpose and effectiveness, of those images, through a series of writings. Through execution of visual problems and writings students examine the content and function of contemporary analog/film images.
VisA1520 Photography II
Introduction to digital photography, refines technical skills, and seeks to develop individual photographic vision.
VisA1710 Digital Imaging I
Semester I will focus on the theme of Site and Sound. This studio course provides a broad overview of contemporary sonic art practice, facilitates the development of site-based sonic artwork, and encourages a critical approach to sound and audio practice. Work will be developed for and from specific sites with special emphasis placed on modes of listening and the physical characteristics of sound itself. Prerequisite: VISA 0120.
VISA1720 Digital Imaging II
This semester will focus on the theme of Physical Computing. This studio course is an intensive introduction to electronic devices for use in artmaking and includes hands-on experience working with sensors, motors, switches, gears, lights, simple circuits, microprocessors and hardware-store devices to create kinetic and interactive works of art. Demonstrations, lectures and critical discussion of work will be given to develop concepts and technical skills. Prerequisite: VISA 0120.
VisA1800 Seminars in Production
These seminars will incorporate advanced level production in either film, video, or the arts, coupled with readings in theory and analysis as they pertain to each of these areas of practice.
1800A Accessorizing Painting: the Exalted Surface
1800 C Honors Seminar
VA1910 Independent Study Project (SEM I)