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Bachelor Degree in Art

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Studio Art Program Requirements

These requirements are from an excerpt from the University Academic Catalog, which outlines the requirements for a student to earn the distinction of being a Castleton University graduate. The complete catalog is available online.

Art is offered as a degree program leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Art. The Art Program at Castleton, while being a strongly humanistic course of study in which students develop skills in creative and critical thinking along with aesthetic and historical appreciation, is structured to provide art majors the opportunity to prepare for careers in Studio Art, Art History, Graphic Design, Art Education, or Photography.

Departmental trips to New York City galleries and museums bring students in contact with original historic and contemporary works of art. Many galleries and museums, such as the Hood Museum, the Williams College Museum, the Clark Museum, Mass MOCA, the Middlebury College Museum, and the Fleming Museum are within easy reach of the campus. The Art Students League, a campus club, sponsors visiting artists, film series, studio visits, and collaborative projects as well as trips.

Graduates of the art program have worked in graphic design studios and started graphic design and other art production businesses, worked in museums and galleries, entered Master of Fine Arts and other degree programs and, in conjunction with coursework in education, gained licensure and taught art in elementary and secondary schools in Vermont and other states.

Upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Studio Art, students will be able to:

1. Develop an effective studio practice

  • Set independent goals
  • Manage time efficiently
  • Solve problems through research and experimentation
  • Persevere to bring work to fruition

2. Create visually expressive artwork

  • Apply the fundamentals of design
  • Apply technical skills
  • Demonstrate competency with a range of media
  • Demonstrate proficiency with at least one medium

3. Integrate conceptual knowledge into artwork

  • Identify historical and contemporary art styles
  • Articulate art historical connections to their own work
  • Articulate conceptual connections to contemporary cultural issues

4. Critically analyze artwork

  • Use appropriate formal vocabulary
  • Think critically about formal and conceptual choices
  • Articulate criticism through writing and speaking

5. Present artwork according to professional standards

  • Design and install exhibition(s)
  • Create digital portfolio(s)
  • Write artist's statement(s)
  • Apply for exhibitions, artist's residencies, internships, and/or graduate programs

BA in Art with a Concentration in Studio Art

Complete the foundational Art courses by the second year (12 cr):

Code Course Credits

ART 1011

Drawing I

An investigation of drawing media and techniques with emphasis on rendering from empirical observation. Proportion, anatomy, volume structure and perspective may be investigated. Experience in drawing the human figure and still life.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement.

Fee A studio fee may be required.

Every semester

 3

ART 1020

Introduction to Studio Arts

A studio course designed to introduce the concepts, motivations and theory of making art. Experimentation with various media in the studio environment. Consideration of conceptual and linguistic processes that affect perception.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement.

Fee A studio fee may be required.

Every semester

 3

ARH 2011

Survey of Western Art I

History of Western Art as expressed through architecture, sculpture and painting; Prehistoric to Renaissance art.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetics general education requirement.

Every Semester

 3

ARH 2012

Survey of Western Art II

History of Western Art as expressed through architecture, sculpture and painting; Renaissance to the present.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement.

Spring

 3

And take the following Studio Art courses (21 cr)

Code Course Credits

ARH 1020

Critical Periods of Western Art

A discussion of major issues concerning artists from antiquity to the present.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetics general education requirement.

Spring

 3

ART 1011

Drawing I

An investigation of drawing media and techniques with emphasis on rendering from empirical observation. Proportion, anatomy, volume structure and perspective may be investigated. Experience in drawing the human figure and still life.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement.

Fee A studio fee may be required.

Every semester

 3

ART 2211

Painting I

Beginning strategies for painting in oils or acrylic. Emphasis is on process and investigation of various spatial structures in both representational and nonrepresentational modes. Material and historical concerns are integral parts of this directed investigation. Goals are the development of a formal vocabulary, visual sensitivity and manipulative skills. Recommended for non-majors.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement.

Fee A studio fee may be required.

Every semester

 3

ART 2251

Sculpture I

Instruction in the theoretical and practical observation of form, space and its dimensional concepts. Abstract interpretation and working directly from the model.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement.

Fee A studio fee may be required.

 3

ART 2311

Printmaking I

An introduction to relief printing and intaglio processes. Emphasis is on experimentation and exploration of the print as a vehicle of artistic expression. The relationship of printmaking to developing ideas for painting and sculpture is considered.

This course fulfills an Arts and Aesthetic general education requirement..

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

ART 3131

Professional Studio Arts I

A studio/critique course for those seriously involved in any visual art medium. Goals of the course include the development of visual, verbal and conceptual skills necessary for long-range involvement in art. Fulfills program requirements for art majors only. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: Junior status. Graded only.

Every semester

 3

ART 4133

Professional Studio Arts II

A studio/critique course for those seriously involved in any visual art medium. Goals of the course include the development of visual, verbal and conceptual skills necessary for long-range involvement in art. Fulfills program requirements for art majors only. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: Senior status.

Every semester

 3

And complete 3 courses in one of these disciplines (9 cr):

Drawing

Code Course Credits

ART 2012

Drawing II

A studio course emphasizing perceptual and conceptual processes in drawing. Analysis and composition based on observation of natural form, man-made form and the figure. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: ART 1011 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

ART 3011

Drawing III

Advanced theory and practice of drawing. Examination of ideas and techniques in all drawing media through studio, lecture, critique. Focus is on individual development. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: ART 2012 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

ART 4011

Drawing IV

Drawing as an art form with emphasis on disciplined draftsmanship and the development of the students' ability to work at a conceptually advanced level. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: ART 3011 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

Painting

Code Course Credits

ART 2212

Painting II

Theory and practice of painting. Studio experience, critiques and historical reference provide a visual and conceptual basis for further investigation in painting. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: ART 2211 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have Studio fees

Every semester

 3

ART 3113

Painting III

A studio course emphasizing the development of intellectual and technical facility through research and experimentation in painting. Objectives of the course include developing a working process to build personal imagery and relating that imagery to historical, formal and technical ideas. Students are encouraged to investigate contemporary thought in art, literature, philosophy, science and other fields. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: ART 2212 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

ART 4114

Painting IV

Studio experience with an emphasis on excellence in painting and the development of the students' ability to work at a conceptually advanced level. Students may take a second semester for credit.

Prerequisite: ART 3113 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

Printmaking

Code Course Credits

ART 2312

Printmaking II

Relief, intaglio, monotype, and experimental processes may be explored. Drypoint, engraving, etching and aquatint may be addressed. Emphasis is on conception as well as technique.

Prerequisite: ART 2311 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

ART 3313

Printmaking III

An advanced studio for those with a working knowledge of printmaking processes. Emphasis is on the extension and refinement of individual expression and technique.

Prerequisite: ART 2312 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

ART 4314

Printmaking IV

The refinement of technical skills and the use of printmaking as a vehicle for personal expression are emphasized. Conceptual, aesthetic and critical issues will be considered.

Prerequisite: ART 3313 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

Sculpture

Code Course Credits

ART 2252

Sculpture II

Further instruction in the principles of sculptural form using a variety of materials and techniques.

Prerequisite: ART 2251 or consent of instructor.

Fee A studio fee may be required

Every semester

 3

ART 3253

Sculpture III

A studio course stressing further exploration of the sculptural process. Students may work in abstract, figurative experimental modes. Emphasis is on individual development and the attainment of a person direction.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Fee A studio fee may be required.

Every semester

 3

ART 4254

Sculpture IV

A studio experience in three dimensional form emphasizing the development of advanced conceptual ability as well as expressive and technical skills. Contemporary art practice, theory and criticism will be considered.

Prerequisite: ART 3253 or consent of instructor.

Fee May have studio fees.

Every semester

 3

And in the fourth year:

Code Course Credits

ART 4920

Senior Exhibition/Presentation

Senior art majors who chose painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design or sculpture as their field of concentration are required to mount an exhibition of their work. Majors who elect art history as their chosen field are required to make a public presentation based on their intermediate and advanced coursework in art history. Exhibitions and presentations will be evaluated by art faculty.

Prerequisite: Fulfillment of all other requirements for art majors.

 1

(Credits required for the major: 43)

And complete a Minor (preferably in Art History)

And complete the University's Gen Ed requirements

View the General Education Requirements.

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