Academic Programs

The recently established Digital Media Laboratory in Mulberry House fosters creativity and collaboration among Denison's fine arts students with its powerful Macintosh computers, a wealth of peripheral equipment and innovative multimedia software.

The Department of Art at Denison offers courses for two degrees in Studio Art: the bachelor of arts (B.A.) and the bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.). Students who apply for admission to the B.F.A. program must submit a portfolio for evaluation to the art department in February of their sophomore year at Denison.

The program in studio discipline is designed to identify and develop critical awareness, in accordance with the general aim of a liberal education. This program provides students with the opportunity for instruction and practice in the visual arts as preparation for graduate studies and professional pursuits in this field.

The Art Department's current temporary locations during the construction period of the new state-of-the-art Bryant Center of Art at Cleveland Hall will be located throughout Denison's uphill campus. Drawing and Painting will be taught in the Knapp Amphitheater; non-toxic Printmaking taught in the lower level of the library; Sculpture and Ceramics in SAE House; and New Media, Darkroom Photography and Bookmaking in Mulberry House. Faculty offices and studios, senior studios and additional studios for sculpture and printmaking are housed in Chamberlin Lodge.

The department has an extensive visual resources collection including both digital images and slides for use in art history classes

The Denison Museum houses large Burmese and Chinese collections, Cuna Indian Art, prints, drawings and paintings from the Renaissance to the Contemporary period. These collections, as well as the exhibitions in the Gallery, frequently are used for study. Programs encourage exploration of the collection and the rotating exhibitions by teachers, students and staff.

Students prepare plaster for sculpting in a studio in historic Cleveland Hall

The studio major is designed for students seeking to refine skills for artists and provides a visual means of creative expression and critical evaluation to prepare for advanced studies and professional careers. For a B.F.A. degree with a studio concentration, the following must be completed:

• Eleven studio art courses
• Three art history courses
• Two Visual Arts Practicum (Senior Project)
• Fifteen hours of dance, theatre, music or cinema
• Four general education courses, including one each from the following:
  • Science
  • Social Science
  • Humanities
• Participation in Junior Day
• Participation in the Senior Exhibition
• Participation in the Senior Symposium.

For the B.A. degree in studio arts, the following must be completed:

• Eight studio art courses
• Two art history courses
• Visual Arts Practicum (Senior Project)
• Participation in Junior Day
• Participation in the Senior Exhibition
• Participation in the Senior Symposium.

For a studio art minor, the following must be completed:

• Drawing I
• One course in a three-dimensional area
• Three elective studio courses
• One art history course.

The Denison museum in the college's modern Burke Hall serves as home to several special collections owned by the university, as well as rotating exhibitions of student and faculty works.

Art Department graduates use intellectual abilities and communication skills to pursue careers in education, media, publishing, fashion or business. In addition, some continue into careers in graphic design, museum and conservation work and professional development as working artists.

A renovated Cleveland Hall will be home to Denison's art classrooms and studios.

Members of the art department faculty are accomplished artists and knowledgeable historians as well as dedicated teachers.

Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Department Ronald Abram joined the faculty at Denison in 1995. He earned a B.F.A. from the University of Central Florida and an M.F.A. from the Tyler School of Art of Temple University. His recent work combines the traditional media of drawing and printmaking with other forms of artistic endeavor. As an artist and curator, he addresses the relationship of popular culture, community and personal expression. He has exhibited his work in numerous solo/group exhibitions here and abroad.

Studio art coursework offers students valuable instruction and experience using various media and techniques.

Assistant Professor Christopher Barnard joined the faculty at Denison in 2007. He earned his B.A. at Yale University and his M.F.A. from the University of Southern California. His first exhibition at Denison was "The Great Divide," a collection of paintings that address the artist's ongoing engagement in landscapes that incorporate issues of American power, presence and expansion.

Visiting Assistant Professor Ben Jones joined the Denison faculty in 2007. He earned a B.F.A. in Sculpture with Distinction from The Ohio State University in 2004 and an M.F.A. in Sculpture from Virginia Comonwealth University in 2006. He has received numerous honors and awards for his work and has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S., including the Corcoran Art Auction Gala in Washington, D.C., Arlington (Va.) Arts Center, and Skylab in Columbus.

Assistant Professor Alexander Mouton joined the faculty at Denison in 2002. He earned a B.A. in Film Studies and an M.F.A. in Photography from Indiana University. His artists' books are in collections such as the M.O.M.A. in New York City, and he has exhibited his photographic installations here and abroad.

Assistant Professor Carrie Olson joined the faculty at Denison in 2004. She earned a B.F.A. in Ceramics from Massachusetts College of Art and a M.F.A. in Ceramics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has exhibited her work in the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and the Colorado University Art Museum.

Assistant Professor Micaela de Vivero joined the the faculty at Denison in 2004. Vivero earned her B.A. in Fine Arts from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador and her M.F.A. in sculpture from Alfred University. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the United States, Ireland and Equador.