Art & Archaeology
Photo: Department of Art and Archaeology
The department introduces its students to fundamental problems in art history, and, like other liberal arts departments, it teaches critical habits of thought useful in any career. Majors who wish to go on to graduate work in art history, archaeology, museums or conservation will find themselves well prepared; some majors turn to the commercial sector and, with or without an advanced degree, work in galleries or auction houses. Recent graduates have also gone into medicine, law, and many other fields.
The department offers three programs for the prospective major, each with different requirements. Majors concentrating in art history elect Program 1 and take courses in five distribution areas (East Asian, Ancient Mediterranean, Medieval/Islamic, Renaissance/Baroque, and Modern and Contemporary—including American art and photography). Majors who wish to combine art history courses with studio art courses given by the Program in Visual Arts may elect Program 2 (or may elect Program 1 with a certificate in visual arts, an option that shifts the balance of required courses toward art history). Program 3 combines art-historical study with training in archaeology, including some practical experience in excavations.
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• What is art & archaeology?
• What can you learn from it?
• What is it like being an art & archaeology major?
• What are common misconceptions about art & archaeology majors?
• What kind of internships and international experiences have majors had?
• How will art & archaeology majors save the world?
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Program 3, the archaeology track, integrates scholarly preparation in archaeology with actual field experience. Program 3 majors typically work on a summer excavation project under the supervision of a professor who specializes in archaeology. Interdisciplinary in nature, program 3 may be of interest to students who enjoy both anthropology and art history since it provides a structured and engaging way to study ancient cultures.
We know NYC very well. We know the art scene, the hipster scene, concert scene and how to have a good Saturday night that's not necessarily down on the Street but out in a cool new venue or art space in Brooklyn, SoHo, or even Philadelphia.
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• What can you learn from it?
• What is it like being an art & archaeology major?
• What are common misconceptions about art & archaeology majors?
• What kind of internships and international experiences have majors had?
• How will art & archaeology majors save the world?
• Why would anyone want to date an art & archaeology major?
Art & archaeology involves the study and criticism of visual art, as well as the investigation of material artifacts from a wide range of cultures and periods. The department at Princeton also allows students interested in the production of art to pursue a major in not only the in-depth study, but also the creation, of visual art (program 2). The recently established program 3 in archaeology provides a great opportunity for students to integrate academic studies with field experience by working on a summer excavation project affiliated with Princeton.
Art & archaeology is more than just the study of images, however; it fosters an understanding of global cultures not just aesthetically, but in historical, anthropological, philosophical, political, psychological, and even gender-based terms. These diverse insights into civilizations of the past also help us form important ideas about the present and future.
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The study of art and archaeology is not just for future curators or academics. It is crucial in developing the ability to gather and evaluate documentary, textual, and pictorial evidence; form hypotheses; test data; and draw conclusions. Arguably no other department on campus provides such an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Whether your interests lie in more socio-historically grounded studies or in a theoretical or semiotic approach to art, you will be applying theories and concepts from philosophers, historians, and linguists, among others. The attention to detail that one develops through the study of art history is crucial to any field, and these analytical skills have led majors into diverse professional fields, including museum studies, architecture, arts administration, comparative literature, marketing, design, medicine, law, public policy, and business.
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Being an art and archaeology major is really amazing — the department provides access to some of the best opportunities and resources on campus. To begin with, the Marquand Library is a fantastic resource for majors (arguably one of the best art libraries in the world). Since the library is non-circulating, you'll always be able to find the books and journals you need right away. In addition to being an excellent resource, the art library has some of the most clean, comfortable, and convenient study spaces on campus. This is especially important during senior year when majors are assigned carrels in Marquand, rather than in the dingy basement of Firestone. Junior concentrators are also given tables on the second and third floors, as well as shelf space to store books for courses and independent work.
We also have the Princeton University Art Museum at our disposal and are able to utilize its contents for many of our courses as well as for our independent work. Most art history classes hold regular precepts in the art museum. Some even meet in the museum study room, where students are allowed to handle works of art in storage. This ensures that you are never confined to a lecture hall or classroom and engaging only with digital images. With an impressive collection of art covering every period from ancient Greek and Roman to impressionism, medieval to pop art, the museum caters to virtually every student's interests and provides enriching, hands-on opportunities for studies. Additionally, it is very easy to talk to a rare books specialist and have instant access to the University's extensive prints collection, either for research or for your own enjoyment.
As for the workload, the art department is relatively flexible and allows you to shape your course of study to fit your interests. You take courses in a variety of different areas, which ensures a broad exposure to different cultures, time periods, and mediums, as well as the opportunity to focus on a particular area of interest. In addition, ART concentrators certainly have time to pursue certificates in other programs, regardless of whether or not the program relates to the student's art historical focus.
The department is large enough that there is always a variety of offerings in terms of courses, professors, and opportunities. You will never find yourself looking through the course listings and not finding a course that fits with your specific interests. All majors take the junior seminar (ART 400), which covers art historical methodologies and prepares us very well for our independent work. All of the advisers, faculty, and administrators in the department, as well as the staff members of Marquand Library, Visual Resources, and Princeton University Art Museum are extremely friendly and ready to assist you with your work however they can.
The independent work requirements are flexible — we're allowed to write about any aspect of art history that interests us. The fall JP coincides with the junior seminar. Your ART 400 professor also acts as your fall JP adviser, and in this way, students will always see their adviser on a weekly basis. Some majors choose to explore the same subjects in their spring JPs, while others choose completely new topics.
Senior theses are generally between 60 and 80 pages. Examples of past topics include an iconographic study of churches along an Italian pilgrimage route, an archaeological examination of black bronze from China, and an analysis of the interaction of financial markets in the 1960s pop art market. When it comes time to choosing a thesis adviser, majors have the benefit of being in one of the smallest departments on campus (measured by the number of majors, not professors). The fantastic student-to-professor ratio usually allows students to have their first pick for an adviser, rather than competing for a particular adviser.
Program 2, the visual arts track, follows a slightly different path, culminating not in a written thesis, but in a fully developed body of studio work to be presented in April and critiqued by advisers and faculty. Program 2 concentrators have access to the wonderful facilities and staff of the Lewis Center for the Arts, and program 2 is the closest you can come at Princeton to being a studio art major. Juniors and seniors are given studio space on the fourth floor of the building and a budget to buy materials for their projects. The resources of the Lewis Center are unparalleled and, though the course offerings are more limited than those of an art school, they are nevertheless strong and enriching. We have a print shop, black-and-white and digital photography labs, drawing and painting rooms, a sculpture and wood shop, and a ceramics studio. If you can envision it, Princeton has the resources to make it happen.
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People commonly assume that art history is a very simple subject that involves staring at pictures in a dark classroom followed by rote memorization. In reality, art history is a challenging yet highly rewarding field of study that offers a unique lens through which to view many aspects of the human experience. Majors become especially proficient in evaluating different types of evidence, finding answers to questions that are not readily available, developing original arguments, and communicating clearly and persuasively — all skills that are applicable to a wide variety of professional settings. Most art history courses at Princeton require some amount of memorization, but they will never involve pure regurgitation of artists, titles and dates.
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Many majors go abroad for a semester or summer. As is the case with most departments at Princeton, you'll need to plan ahead if you want to study abroad during the school year to ensure that you successfully meet departmental and independent work requirements. However, professors and advisers in the art department are generally flexible and encourage international travel.
Many students choose to attend summer art courses. It helps to have some background in the language spoken in the country in which you are studying, but plenty of programs (not necessarily through Princeton but with other universities) will allow you to pursue language training as well as fine arts studies. Additionally, students interested in archaeology can find excavation opportunities through professors in the department or other programs abroad and in the U.S.
In addition, the department regularly offers seminars with international travel components. In recent years, students have traveled to Greece and Italy to study Mediterranean art and to Mexico to study ancient Mayan art. All major expenses associated with the trips are covered by the department. Concentrators can also apply for generous funding through the department to travel abroad for senior thesis research.
As for internships and careers, art and archaeology concentrators pursue a variety of different paths. Many of the programs offered through the International Internship Program (IIP) are perfect for art and archaeology majors. Students in the department have found summer internships with museums, auction houses, and art dealers around the world. Examples from recent years include Christie's, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Similar opportunities are found closer to home across the United States, and close to Princeton in New York. Many majors have also decided to pursue careers outside the art world. Examples include investment banking and consulting at top banks and firms. Art history majors are rarely at a disadvantage when applying to finance jobs in which they are "competing" against economics majors. On the contrary, most employers look favorably on a major in which students are expected to develop such close attention to detail and different analytical tactics than an economics or politics major might have developed. Additionally, students have combined their art concentration with the undergraduate pre-med requirements and gone on to medical school.
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We can teach the world to appreciate that which is truly beautiful. Art history helps to preserve the knowledge and memory of both past and present cultures. While other majors study cultures on the level of human interactions, majors in art and archaeology at Princeton study those cultures in the context of the works of art and objects most highly valued. Fostering an understanding of the past and intercultural exchange, as the study of art and archaeology does, can only make the world a better place.
Ask yourselves: would the world be worth saving without Art?
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Due to the remarkable breadth of the field, and the knowledge it demands, art and archaeology majors are well-versed in a plethora of academic disciplines and make excellent conversationalists. Our sensitivity to the visual world makes us particularly observant, which in turn gives us the vitality to activate and animate the world around us. Extensive traveling experience (funded by Princeton!) and the command of many languages make ART majors quite the catch. Our ability to discourse at the drop of a hat on any art object, however obscure, makes majors an enviable museum or gallery date. Beyond our incisive intelligence and academic versatility, art historians are savvy, chic, notoriously well-dressed, and tend to be as beautiful as the art they study.
Visual arts majors are rare! Anyone can say their boyfriend or girlfriend is an econ major...a politics major...an English major...but a PRINCETON ART MAJOR! Now that's hot...