Degree Concentrations: Art History; Studio Art

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is a traditional liberal arts degree program designed to expand students' art experiences within the larger context of the humanities. BA Studio Art or Art History majors complete the core curriculum, art foundations program courses and an array of studio and art history courses appropriate to their major. Additionally, BA Studio Art or Art History majors develop a minor in a related field of interest, and complete the intermediate level study of a foreign language. The Bachelor of Arts degree provides an excellent foundation for careers in arts administration, gallery management, and art history, as well as preparation for advanced study in graduate programs.

Degree Concentrations: Ceramics; Drawing and Illustration; Graphic Design; Jewelry & Metalsmithing; Painting; Photography and Digital Imaging; Printmaking, Paper and Book Arts; and Sculpture .

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Art Major requires an exploration of various 2D and 3D media, art history courses, and a concentration in one studio discipline. In all their coursework, BFA students are exposed to, and assessed upon, their knowledge and integration of studio production, art history, art criticism and theory, and aesthetics. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree provides an excellent foundation for a career as a professional artist/designer as well as preparation for those pursuing graduate degrees

Degree Concentration: Graphic Communications Management (GCM)

The Graphic Communications Management major supports the human resource development needs of the graphic communications fields. This major offers students an opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that will prepare them for entry-level management positions. Students will develop planning and organizational skills as well as decision-making capabilities. Students will also refine technical abilities through the application of tools, materials, and processes used in various graphic media systems. Laboratory experiences will reinforce communications, math, science, and technical concepts while challenging students' problem-solving abilities.

 

Students pursuing the BA degree with a concentration in Art History study significant areas of western and non-western art, from ancient to contemporary.  The scholarly investigation and analysis of visual styles, cultural movements, and social evidence in the history of art sustains the greater understanding of civilization.  Careers for students with a degree in art history vary from museum, gallery and collection positions.  The BA degree also prepares students for advanced graduate study. 

Georgia Southern University’s Henderson Library contains one of the largest collections of art history books in South Georgia, surveying issues from prehistoric to contemporary art.  The Three Galleries and  Georgia Artist’s Collection provide real-life work experiences for students in the development and preservation of a noteworthy collection of art.  The opportunity to travel to major museums and historical sites is priceless.  Students are encouraged to participate in the many travel abroad and national trips offered annually.  Art history comes alive in the BFSDoA!

Visit the Art History webpage.

Ceramics students develop their individual expressive voice in clay while establishing familiarity and confidence with ceramic materials and techniques.  Through innovative assignments, students study a history of the medium while they secure a technical foundation in hand-built and wheel-thrown processes, glaze calculation, clay formulation, and multiple finishing and firing techniques.  The newly constructed Ceramics Studio is a comprehensive facility in which students can work both sculpturally and functionally.  Traditional gas, wood, salt, and raku kilns along with an experimental kiln yard offer unique firing opportunities that further enhance student experiences in the BFSDoA ceramics program.

An on-site photography studio and research center further students’ portfolio preparation and research in the discipline.  Opportunities in the student organization Club Mud provide career skills for the ceramic artist in sales, commissions, public workshops and involvement in professional organizations such as the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts.

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Working with both contemporary technology and traditional media, students’ pictorial concepts are realized in conventional drawings, alternative mixed media works on paper, and viable illustrations.  From figure drawing to sequential imaging, the Drawing/Illustration student develops their own unique expression in drawing as well as the conceptual decision making skills necessary to visually convey an intellectual idea.

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The Graphic Design program provides students with the ability to conceptualize and understand the professional practices of the design world beyond school.  Technological proficiency is taught in the Macintosh platform computer labs— equipped with state of the art computers, software and peripherals—while a traditional drafting room provides the studio space for hand-skill development.  Conceptual strategy, knowledge organization, business structure, and social consciousness are taught alongside the superior design skills students need to succeed in today’s competitive design market.  Through coursework, internship opportunities and an active AIGA chapter students are exposed to the practical dilemmas, issues, and responsibilities of designers working in the field.  Through the Design Center, graphic design majors work collaboratively with public relations majors to create real world advertising campaigns for industry and non-profit clients.

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Students in the Jewelry and Metalsmithing concentration use both traditional and nontraditional materials to create works that take the form of personal adornment and unique sculptural objects.  Jewelry/Metals students learn the basic skills of fabrication, casting, forming, and surface embellishment, such as enameling.  The goal of the Jewelry and Metalsmithing program is to develop artists with a full understanding of historical and contemporary metal processes who reveal this knowledge in their personal work.  The Jewelry Guild is the BFSDoA student organization that offers opportunities for commissions, specialty workshops, visiting artists and exhibitions of student work.

Visit the Jewelry & Metalsmithing webpage.

The curriculum in Painting is composed of courses that introduce traditional and contemporary painting techniques in oil and water-based media, stressing an emphasis on the mastery of formal elements such as composition, color mixing, and paint surface.  Following this initiation into the complexity of the painting process, students are encouraged to experiment with or against painting conventions to develop their individual expression.  Advanced coursework establishes contemporary ideas and the physical potential of paint as an expressive and pictorial medium.  Known as the ‘painting wing’ of the Arts Building, studio classrooms include an oversized level one studio and multiple advanced studios with individual spaces. 

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Photography students explore the technical fundamentals of the photographic medium within the context of fine art.  Classroom instruction encourages students to discover their individual style while evaluating the conceptual integrity and power of the photographic image.  Well-equipped studios provide professional equipment for both traditional silver-based processing and digital imaging.  Digital labs include multi-media capabilities, providing students with the opportunity to create motion and time based digital images.  As photography is a rapidly evolving discipline, our goal is to provide a broad-based technical education that allows students to grasp the creative potential of darkroom photography and digital imaging required to succeed as fine art photographers.

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The Print, Paper and Book Arts program provides students with the opportunity to produce hand-pulled print editions, eastern and western style papermaking, and contemporary artist’s books.  While developing a personal direction, students gain competence in all printmaking, papermaking and book arts areas. The union of these three studio competencies provides diversity for the print, paper and book artist.

In a nontoxic environment, the studio supports traditional and innovative printmaking processes in all forms as well as digital output.  Students process recycled and indigenous fibers into pulp in a Hollander beater and by eastern tradition to form signature sheets and sculptural forms.  Instruction in book arts ranges from binding to alternative structures suitable for the content of the artist’s book.  The student organization The Print & Paper Society supports professional endeavors for the student in Print, Paper and Book Arts such as participation in Southern Graphics Council conferences, exhibitions, and portfolio exchanges. 

Visit the Print, Paper & Book Arts webpage.

Embracing its interdisciplinary nature, an object-based approach to creating sculpture explores issues ofspace, material, and design.  An bustling creative environment, the sculpture studio features metal production—including casting, fabrication and forging, welding—as well as clay, plaster, wood and wax-working activities.  The onsite foundry is supported by a unique overhead hoisting system to assist students in executing large-scale projects.  Georgia’s temperate climate extends the studio to the outdoor sculpture yard most of the year.

Public art projects such as the downtown-to-campus Sculpture Walk provides students with professional experience and public exposure while providing the local and regional community an opportunity to experience sculpture daily.  Graduates command a balance of technical skills coupled with conceptual practices that prepare them for professional opportunities in the field of contemporary sculpture. 

Visit the Sculpture webpage.

The art foundations program includes comprehensive training in drawing, design and art history.  The basic skills of perception, creative manipulation, artistic self assessment and historical referencing developed in these introductory courses prepare students as they are exposed to various media and conceptual challenges in their upper division coursework. 

Students improve their ability to evaluate art through participation in critiques, as both the critic and the artist being reviewed.  Whether analyzing one’s own work or a masterpiece, the critical thinking skills developed in the critique process are essential in building the confidence that encourages personal creative growth and risk-taking as students push themselves to new levels of success.

Proficiency in the professional practices of each discipline is paramount in the success of a student’s career.  Each BFA and BA concentration offers a course in professional practices specific to the discipline.  As a capstone experience, an in-depth study of a student’s chosen concentration culminates in an exhibition, portfolio review, or research thesis.

STUDIO FOUNDATION PROGRAM
Drawing I                        
Drawing II           
Two-Dimensional Design
Three-Dimensional Design
Art History I
Art History II