The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoA) is committed to offering quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs that prepare students to become professional artists, designers, art educators and art historians. An accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, we offer a comprehensive curriculum encompassing the practical, theoretical, and historical aspects of the visual arts. The evolution of the individual artist is the core mission of the BFSDoA.
BFSDoA students are expected to think critically, to create visual works that communicate effectively, and be well versed in the professional practices and technology essential to a successful career in the arts. Today's competitive job market requires college graduates to write and speak well, creatively resolve multi-faceted problems, learn new information quickly, embrace technology and work well with others. As artists are participants in all aspects of contemporary society, it is essential their education challenges them with rigorous academic and studio programs to prepare them for the demands and expectations of their chosen profession. We encourage students to investigate ideas, examine history, and experiment with visual language and media in order to acquire their own individual creative voice–and the confidence to speak with that voice.
Students have 24/7 access to light-filled, spacious, and professionally equipped studios for around-the-clock creative production. The challenge to create a program of study that is anchored in traditional art media and flexible enough to embrace new media and technologies is recognized.
The BFSDoA provides comfortable learning laboratories that adhere to safety regulations knowing the physical environment of a studio is paramount to students' health and their capacity to learn. Class sizes of 15-20 students per studio course ensures faculty members can provide ability of one-on-one mentoring. Upper division art history seminar courses enrollment is similar to encourage discussion and debate.
Three facilities are in place to support the ambitious programming of the BFSDoA. The newly constructed Ceramics and Sculpture Studio is renowned as one of the finest fine arts instructional facilities in the southeast. Highlights include the capacity for large-scale metal casting in sculpture and the outdoor kiln yard for both traditional and experimental firing in ceramics.
The remainder of the BFSDoA instructional studios and classrooms are located in the Arts Building, a newly renovated facility specifically designed to meet the vision of the department in growth and quality of instructional facilities. Equipped with current technologies, the former 1930s K-12 demonstration school offers oversized classroom studios within classic architecture that invites cascading light throughout the building. An apex of creative activities, this facility features a media center for art history research, a 176-seat auditorium, and a generous quantity of graduate studios.
Our third site, the newly constructed Fine Arts Galleries and Theater Complex is a breathtaking venue for art exhibitions and arts events in its 5,000 square feet of galleries situated within a very active campus cultural center.
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