Course Catalog 2007-2008
Associate Professor Ronald Abram, Chair
Associate Professor Ronald Abram; Assistant Professors Christopher Barnard, Micaela de Vivero, Alexander C. Mouton, Carrie Olson; Visual Resource Specialist Jacqueline Pelasky; Ceramic/Sculpture Technician Stanley Wrzysczynski; Academic Secretary TBA
The Art department offers two different degree programs in Studio Art, a bachelor of arts (B.A.) and a bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.). All Studio Art (ARTS) majors are expected to complete two studio courses (110/170 and one course in a three-dimensional area) and one art history course (ARTH 151) as soon as possible after the major is declared. Students who plan to major in Studio Art are strongly advised to seek an advisor/mentor within the Art department at the time of their decision to major. Students who decide to major in Studio Art are required to present a portfolio to their advisor in the department to assist in the planning of their art curriculum. Candidates for the B.A. in Studio Art are expected to notify the Office of Academic Support of the change or addition of advisors. Students should expect to work three clock hours per week outside of class for each credit hour of a course.
1. Twelve courses. Ten courses in Studio Art including Arts 170 (110) and one foundation course in a three-dimensional area. Two semesters of Visual Arts Practicum 401 must be completed during the senior year. The other six studio courses must be chosen from three distinct studio areas with at least two completed at the 300 level. The final two courses must be Art History 151 and 284.
2. A limit of two courses towards the major may be taken from institutions other than Denison. This includes off-campus programs.
3. Senior Project: Seniors are required to take the Visual Arts Practicum (Art 401) during each semester of the Senior year in conjunction with either a 300-level course or an independent study in an area of studio concentration. All 300-level courses are repeatable.
4. Senior Exhibition: (B.A. and B.F.A.) Participation in a Senior Exhibition is also a departmental requirement.
5. Studio majors (B.A. and B.F.A.) are required to participate in the Art Department Senior Symposium as described below.
Students desiring a B.F.A. degree should discuss their intentions with a member of the Studio Art faculty as soon as possible. Students must submit a portfolio for review by hanging a show in the Student Gallery of Cleveland Hall in the second week of the second semester of the sophomore year. Upon acceptance of the portfolio and admittance into the B.F.A. program, the department will notify the Registrar. B.F.A. students are also subject to periodic review of their Studio work by the Art faculty.
1. Seventeen courses: Fourteen courses in Studio Art including Arts 170 (110) and one foundation course in a three-dimensional area. During the senior year all the B.F.A. students must register for two semesters of Arts 401, Visual Arts Practicum. The other ten studio courses must be from at least three distinct studio areas with at least two 300-level courses. The last three courses must be chosen from Art History and must include Art History 151 and 284.
2. BFA students follow the college-wide General Education course requirements.
3. A limit of two courses towards the major may be taken from institutions other than Denison. This includes off-campus programs.
4. Senior Project: Seniors are required to take the Visual Arts Practicum (ARTS 401) during each semester of the Senior year in conjunction with a 300-level course or independent study in an area of studio concentration. All 300-level courses are repeatable.
5. Senior Exhibition: (B.A. and B.F.A.) Participation in a Senior Exhibition is also a departmental requirement.
6. Studio majors (B.A. and B.F.A.) are required to participate in the Art Department Senior Symposium as described below.
A minimum of six courses (five in Studio and one in Art History) should be taken as follows: ARTS 110/170, one course in a three-dimensional area, three elective Studio courses (one elective must be a 200-level Studio course), and one of the following Art History courses: ARTH 151, ARTH 170, ARTH 175, ARTH 282, ARTH 283, or ARTH 284. A limit of two courses toward the minor may be taken from institutions other than Denison. This includes off-campus programs.
All juniors in Studio Art and Art History are required to make a formal 5-minute presentation of current work or research, along with a statement about why the work is important to them and why they have taken it in a specific direction. The presentation is made to the faculty and to the student's peers as a "mini-symposium" once during the Fall semester of the Junior year. There is also a single Art Department Senior Symposium at which both Art History and Studio Art seniors make a formal presentation on their work/research to an invited audience. This symposium is held in the Denison Museum on the afternoon of the opening of the Senior Exhibition each Spring semester.
Introduction to Drawing (ARTS-110). A studio course in the fundamentals of drawing in several media. Problems in still life, rendering, and perspective will be covered, along with historical and contemporary approaches to drawing. (Not offered 2007-2008) Abram, Staff. 4
Introduction to Painting (ARTS-115). Historical and contemporary approaches to painting technique will be covered in readings and discussion and by working with painting materials. Staff. 4
Introduction to Photography (ARTS-117). The photographic philosophy and digital process will be approached from historical and contemporary viewpoints with problems in light, form, texture and composition. Mouton. 4
Introduction to Ceramics (ARTS-121). A broad introduction to all ceramics potential. Clay working in sculptural as well as vessel-oriented directions. Slide presentations and discussions with references made to ceramic history as well as to contemporary ceramic art. Students are introduced to a variety of hand building techniques and are encouraged to pursue their individual creative potential. Olson, Staff. 4
Introduction to Printmaking (ARTS-131). As a foundation course, emphasis will be on historical and contemporary concepts in art through the media of printmaking. The course will provide exposure to printmaking processes with direct involvement in one of the following: intaglio, screen printing and relief. Tools, materials and techniques will be fully covered regarding the featured printmaking process. Art issues such as format and content of visual images will be stressed as well as technical procedures for implementing the print. Abram. 4
Introduction to Sculpture (ARTS-141). This course is an introductory course into sculpture. It will concentrate on developing sculptural thinking and working habits, the safe use of basic tools, understanding ways of seeing and the translation of experience into an arts practice. Vivero, Staff. 4
Special Topics in Studio Art (ARTS-165). Special topic courses with a focus on particular aspects of studio art at the introductory level. Staff. 4
Introduction to Drawing for Majors (ARTS-170). Abram. 4
Introduction to Ceramics for Majors (ARTS-171). Olson, Staff. 4
Introduction to Sculpture for Majors (ARTS-172). de Vivero, Staff. 4
Introduction to Painting for Majors (ARTS-175). Staff. 4
Introduction to Photography for Majors (ARTS-177). Mouton. 4
Introductory Topics in Art (ARTS-199). A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. Staff. 1-4
Intermediate Drawing (ARTS-210). Continued experience in drawing with emphasis on contemporary techniques. Prime objective is increased capacity for responsive seeing and a deeper understanding of drawing as a total medium. Prerequisite: 110 or consent. (Not offered 2007-2008) Abram, Staff. 4
Life Drawing (ARTS-211). Study from the human figure in charcoal and other media with emphasis on structure in line, value and color. Prerequisite: 110 or consent. Abram. 4
Life Drawing (ARTS-212). Study from the human figure in charcoal and other media with emphasis on structure in line, value and color. Prerequisite: 110 or consent. Abram. 4
Intermediate Painting (ARTS-215). Continued painting experience with emphasis on developing individual concepts. Prerequisite: 115 or consent. Staff. 4
Intermediate Painting (ARTS-216). Continued painting experience with emphasis on developing individual concepts. Prerequisite: 115 or consent. Staff. 4
Intermediate Photography (ARTS-217). A continuation of ARTS 117. Attention will be placed on generating, evolving and completing a cohesive body of digital photographic work. Prerequisite: 117 or consent. (Not offered 2007-2008) Mouton. 4
Intermediate Ceramics (ARTS-221). Along with further exploration of clay as a sculptural material, introduction of basic wheel-forming skills and functional vessel forms. Different firing and glazing methods including electric, gas, raku, and salt kiln experience. Primary emphasis on students' individual conceptual development. Prerequisite: 121 or consent. Olson, Staff. 4
Intermediate Ceramics (ARTS-222). Along with further exploration of clay as a sculptural material, introduction of basic wheel-forming skills and functional vessel forms. Different firing and glazing methods including electric, gas, raku and salt kiln experience. Primary emphasis on students' individual conceptual development. Prerequisite: 121 or consent. Olson, Staff. 4
Digital Photography and Artists' Bookmaking (ARTS-227). This course will explore digital photography as it aids in the creation of artists' books. As part of the course we will be working with Photoshop 7, concentrating on scanning negatives, printing fine arts digital prints, and outputting negatives from the desktop. Running parallel to these technical investigations, we will discuss the history of artists' books and the relation photography has to them, and the critical issues surrounding digital imaging. A fair amount of time will also be devoted to the craft of bookbinding according to the nature of the projects participants choose for the books they make. Mouton. 4
Intermediate Printmaking (ARTS-231). Students may work with any printmaking processes in which they have had experience or with the consent of instructor. Processes available to Printmaking II students include: relief, lithography, intaglio or screen printing. Emphasis will be on continued technical and conceptual development. Prerequisite: 131 or consent. (Not offered 2007-2008) Abram. 4
Intermediate Printmaking (ARTS-232). Students may work with any printmaking processes in which they have had experience or with the consent of instructor. Processes available to Printmaking II students include: relief, lithography, intaglio or screen printing. Emphasis will be on continued technical and conceptual development. Prerequisite: 131 or consent. (Not offered 2007-2008) Abram. 4
Intermediate Sculpture (ARTS-241). This course focuses on the search for art practices. The students have to develop projects starting out with specific themes that are discussed by the group, but the end product is personal depending on the individual conceptual and aesthetic development. (Not offered 2007-2008) de Vivero, Staff. 4
Intermediate Sculpture (ARTS-242). Emphasis on individual creativity and conceptual development coupled with good craftsmanship and further technical knowledge. Media: plastics, cement, metal, wood. Prerequisite: 141 or consent. Safety glasses required. (Not offered 2007-2008) de Vivero, Staff. 4
New Media: Internet Art (ARTS-245). This course will focus on the artistic generation of meaning through the technology of new media. Within the art curriculum the challenge will be to work with this technically advanced medium for the purpose of personal expression. Instruction will be in the form of lectures, tutorials and demos and there will be a lab for introducing theory and works of electronic art/music for discussion and inspiration. Questions concerning our relation to and with digital media and the nature of the electronic arts and their potential to be interactive will be probed throughout the semester. Mouton. 4
Book Structures: Image and Text (ARTS-247). This course will invite collaboration between diverse visual arts and the humanities through an investigation of the ways images and text can be brought together in book format. The course will cover the craft of bookbinding and the conceptual theoretical issues of the relation between visual art and literature. Mouton. 4
Special Topics in Studio Art (ARTS-264). Staff. 4
Special Topics in Studio Art (ARTS-265). Staff. 4
Performance Art (ARTS-267). This studio art course will focus on processes of creating and executing actions that may have an artistic content. In this course the participants will generate actions that will be performed. Prior to the execution of artistic actions the participants will be exposed to a wide range of artistic performances from different backgrounds, ritualistic actions in different cultures from ancient to contemporary. We will be working on the approach to art practices from the production of meaning and the relationship between art and life. The main objective is to use actions as a way of discovering arts practices. This course fulfills the Oral Communication general education requirement and a Fine Arts Division requirement. Vivero. 4
Intermediate Topics in Art (ARTS-299). A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. Staff. 1-4
Advanced Drawing (ARTS-310). Continued drawing experience with emphasis on developing individual skills, concepts and expression. Prerequisite: 210 or consent. Abram, Staff. 4
Advanced Painting (ARTS-315). Continued painting experience. Prerequisite: 215. Staff. 4
Advanced Painting (ARTS-316). Continued painting experience. Prerequisite: 215. Staff. 4
Advanced Photography (ARTS-317). Students also are directed into a critical analysis of photography from a theoretical, technical and historical perspective and are introduced to the medium format camera. Prerequisite: 117, 217 or consent. Mouton. 4
Advanced Ceramics (ARTS-321). This course requires a working knowledge of the ceramic process. Students work in depth, developing a personal approach to the medium, acquiring greater competency in terms of concept and technique. Prerequisite: 121, 221 or consent. (Not offered 2007-2008) Olson, Staff. 4
Advanced Ceramics (ARTS-322). This course requires a working knowledge of the ceramic process. Students work in depth, developing a personal approach to the medium, acquiring greater competency in terms of concept and technique. Prerequisite: 121, 221 or consent. (Not offered 2007-2008) Olson, Staff. 4
Advanced Printmaking (ARTS-331). Students may work with any printmaking process in which they have had experience or with the consent of instructor. Processes available to Printmaking III students include: relief, lithography, intaglio or screen printing. Experimentation and innovation, both conceptually and technically, will be stressed for the advanced student. Prerequisite: 231-232. Abram. 4
Advanced Printmaking (ARTS-332). Students may work with any printmaking process in which they have had experience or with the consent of instructor. Processes available to Printmaking III students include: relief, lithography, intaglio or screen printing. Experimentation and innovation, both conceptually and technically, will be stressed for the advanced student. Prerequisite: 231-232. Abram. 4
Advanced Sculpture (ARTS-341). Prerequisite: 241-242. (Not offered 2007-2008) de Vivero, Staff. 4
Advanced Sculpture (ARTS-342). Prerequisite: 241-242. (Not offered 2007-2008) de Vivero, Staff. 4
Directed Study (ARTS-361). For the student of marked creative ability who wishes to pursue advanced subjects not otherwise listed, such as design, graphics, or history and criticism. Staff. 1-4
Directed Study (ARTS-362). For the student of marked creative ability who wishes to pursue advanced subjects not otherwise listed, such as design, graphics, or history and criticism. Staff. 1-4
Independent Study (ARTS-363). Staff. 1-4
Independent Study (ARTS-364). Staff. 1-4
Advanced Special Topics (ARTS-365). Staff. 4
Advanced Topics in Art (ARTS-399). A general category used only in the evaluation of transfer credit. Staff. 1-4
Senior Art History Project (ARTS-400). Studio, B.A., B.F.A. Staff. 3
Visual Arts Practicum (ARTS-401). Theory and creative practice in selected areas of the visual arts. Majors are required to enroll in the Visual Arts Practicum twice in their senior year in conjunction with a 300-level course in their area of specialization. This class is for Studio Art majors only or by permission of instructor. Abram, Mouton, Olson, Vivero. 4
Senior Research (ARTS-451). Staff. 4
Senior Research (ARTS-452). Staff. 4