Art

About the Art Department

Artists help maintain and develop the cultural life of a society by means of their unique expression of the basic truths of existence. The experience and practice of visual art creates awareness of these basic truths and especially of the creative aspects of life, which is vital in the formation of the complete human being. The Art Program therefore seeks to develop the critical aesthetic faculties within the student and to nurture the aspects of the human spirit. Students from other academic disciplines gain breadth and insight from courses in studio art and art history, which share common ground with the other humanistic disciplines and creative arts and which complement the sciences.

The Department views the experience and practice of the visual arts, particularly at the undergraduate level, as an interdisciplinary pursuit. Within the Art major, the five areas offered are art history, ceramics, painting, printmaking and sculpture. The art student is involved in the artistic and scholarly environment of the Haggerty Art Center, with stimulation provided by the presence of graduate students and on-campus and Dallas/Fort Worth area exhibitions and collections, as well as visiting artists and lecturers. All of these opportunities construct the real environment needed for growth in the arts.

The study of art as a major is divided into the art core and the area of emphasis. It is suggested that the student enrolls in the art core in the freshman year, which includes History of Art and Architecture I and II, Basic Drawing I and II, Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Design. In the sophomore year, the art student usually participates in the Rome Program.

The area of emphasis is designed to guide the student, either in the studio or art historical study, toward the full realization of his or her personal integrity and intellectual potential. The student may pursue the following areas: art history, ceramics, painting, printmaking and sculpture. The student may also pursue the secondary, or all-level certificate in the teaching of art through the education department.

By the junior year, the art major emphasizing studio work is intensely involved in a major studio and elective studio work while also taking one course each semester in the history of modern and contemporary art. A critique of the student’s work by the art faculty takes place in the second semester of the junior year. In the senior year, the studio major prepares for the senior exhibition and comprehensive examination through Senior Studio and Seminar. Reviews and critiques are a regular part of the year.

The pattern for the art major emphasizing art history is much the same through the sophomore year. The Rome semester is especially significant, for the student is able to experience works of art in their original context and to study the impact of the classical tradition on Western art. In the junior and senior years, the student takes a wide range of upper-level art history courses which integrate a knowledge of visual culture and architecture into a liberal arts education and life. These courses, along with Senior Research and Senior Thesis, introduce the student to critical analysis and research methods, thus preparing the student for the comprehensive examination and the final research paper presentation.

Whatever the area involved, the Department seeks to give the art major basic principles, not merely standard solutions, so that he or she has the training, judgment and flexibility to go on to successful graduate or professional work in art, art history, or other areas.

Basic Requirements/All Studio Areas

A total of 46 credits are required, including 14 art core credits consisting of Basic Drawing I & II, 2D & 3D Design, History of Art & Architecture I & II. Students are also required to take two beginning studios in their sophomore year, preferably one in a 2D and one in a 3D discipline. It is recommended that art majors take Aesthetics as an elective and seek appropriate electives in other departments. During the student’s junior and senior years they will concentrate on their chosen discipline. Seniors will also participate in two semesters of Senior Seminar (one credit per semester). Satisfactory completion of the Senior Exhibition and the Art History Comprehensive Examination is required.

Comprehensive Examination

In the second semester of the junior year the work of the student is reviewed by the entire art faculty. A second review occurs in the first senior semester, followed by a final review in the last semester prior to the presentation of the senior capstone project, a solo exhibition held on campus. It must contain work completed predominantly during the Senior Studio course. The exhibition--selected, designed and constructed by the student--is judged by the faculty in an oral examination. In the senior year all art majors must also pass an art history comprehensive exam.

Basic Requirements/Art History Area

The art history area of the art major requires 25 credits in art history, 19 of which are advanced hours: a one-credit senior seminar; two credits in Gallery Practicum; ten credits in studio (drawing and design); and six credits in advanced art electives. Advanced art history courses (including a methodologies/aesthetic course) typically begin in the junior year and culminate with the senior capstone project: a written thesis and oral presentation on some aspect of modern or contemporary art. The student must organize a faculty committee and participate in senior reviews and an oral examination, while also passing an art history comprehensive test.

Degrees in Art

Core Program (All Art Majors)

Bachelor of Arts in Art - Art History

Bachelor of Arts in Art - Ceramics

Bachelor of Arts in Art - Painting

Bachelor of Arts in Art - Printmaking

Bachelor of Arts in Art - Sculpture

Pre-Architecture

Teaching Certification in Art for the State of Texas

Art Concentrations

Art Course Information

Courses in Studio Art

Courses in Art History