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PROGRAM 2 AND THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
The Program in Visual Arts allows interested undergraduates to explore, under professional guidance, the modes of thought and practice of visual mediums and to develop their creative faculties in connection with a general program of humanistic education. Most courses are by application only, and typically some spaces are available for students who are not necessarily interested in pursuing a concentration in Program 2 in the Department of Art and Archaeology or a certificate in Visual Arts.
Instruction is offered in ceramics, digital photography, drawing, film and video production, film history and criticism, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and a seminar in contemporary art. Courses are taught by members of the Program staff and visiting lecturers. All courses in the Program are letter graded and may be taken in fulfillment of the distribution requirement in LA (Literature and the Arts).
Since the Visual Arts Program is not a department, a straight B.A. major in Visual Arts is not currently possible, however a plan of upper-class concentration in the Visual Arts is offered by the Department of Art and Archaeology in cooperation with the Program. In addition, members of the faculty are ready to advise qualified students in developing a suitable plan of study for a certificate in Visual Arts. All independent work in the Program is carried out under the critical supervision of faculty advisors. All Program 2 and Certificate candidates are expected to take the contemporary art seminar.
PROGRAM 2 REQUIREMENTS
Program 2. History of Art and the Visual Arts. A student wishing to enroll in Program 2 should have completed two courses in art and archaeology and two courses in the visual arts by the end of the sophomore year. Students normally apply to Program 2 in the spring of the sophomore year. In early April the student submits to the Program in Visual Arts an application and a portfolio of work and, upon favorable recommendation by the director, is admitted to Program 2. In special circumstances applications are accepted as early as the fall of the sophomore year or as late as the beginning of the spring term of the junior year.
Course Requirements. The Program 2 major requires a total of 12 courses from art and archaeology and visual arts; of these at least four should be from art and archaeology and at least six should be from visual arts. The art and archaeology courses must satisfy three of the five distribution areas (see list under Program 1 requirements) and must include a course that deals with some aspect of modernism (i.e. Art 212, 213, 214, 343, 344, or 371). The visual arts courses must include three 200-level courses in at least two different media, Visual Arts 392, and two further 300- or 400-level courses. Visual Arts 392 is normally taken in the fall of the junior year but in special cases (e.g. if the student plans to go abroad that term) can be taken in the fall of the sophomore year or, if absolutely necessary, the fall of the senior year.
Independent work. Junior Year: The Program 2 junior independent work has two equally-weighted components. The first is the art and archaeology junior seminar, which is taken in the fall term; the seminar grade is reported as the fall-term junior independent work grade. The second component is independent studio work that begins in the fall term and continues through the spring term; the spring-term grade for junior independent work represents an evaluation of the entire year's studio work. Senior Year. The senior independent work is a major studio project completed and exhibited by the end of the spring term.
Studio work. Junior Year: In the fall the student chooses two advisors from the visual arts faculty, one of whom must be a continuing faculty member. Weekly discussions with advisors and periodic open studios take place throughout the year. Senior Year. In the fall term of the senior year the student chooses advisors again, including one from the art and archaeology faculty. Again, discussions with advisors and open studios continue throughout the year as the student works on his or her senior project.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
A certificate in visual arts will be awarded to students who successfully complete a substantial program of studio work and other requirements, as summarized below, while majoring in another academic department. In early April, the student submits an application and a portfolio of work for evaluation and is admitted to the Certificate Program upon favorable recommendation by the director of the Program in Visual Arts. Students generally apply to the certificate program in early April of the sophomore year, or as late as the start of the spring term of the junior year. Normally, students must complete two of the required visual arts courses before enrollment.
Course Requirements
1. Students must take at least five visual arts courses, including two introductory courses in two studio disciplines and three advanced courses (300 level or above).
2. Students must take at least two art and archaeology courses, in two of the defined fields, (Far Eastern, Ancient Mediterranean, Medieval/Islamic, Renaissance/Baroque, Modern) including one of the following: Art 212, 213, 214, 343, 344, or 371).
3. Students must take the seminar in contemporary art (this course is currently given as Visual Arts 392, Issues in Contemporary Art). It is recommended that this course be taken in the fall of the junior year, but in special cases (e.g. if the student plans to go abroad that term) can be taken in the fall of the senior year.
4. In the junior year, independent work is a major studio project completed and exhibited at the beginning of the senior fall semester. This independent studio work is done in consultation with the student's visual arts advisers. The project begins in the fall term and continues through the spring term; the spring term grade for junior independent work represents an evaluation of the entire year's studio work.
5. In the winter of the senior year student undertake a major independent studio project in consultation with the student's visual arts advisers. Students present this work at a senior exhibition at the end of the year. The grade for junior independent work represents an evaluation of the entire year's studio work..
6. Independent work done under (c) and (d) above will normally be in addition to the junior and senior independent work requirements of the student's major department. In certain instances it may be possible for this work to meet part of the home department's requirements, but the home department will determine this on a case-by-case basis.
CREDIT COURSES
201/202 INTRODUCTORY DRAWING (ALSO ARCHITECTURE 201/202) Fall, Spring
This course approaches drawing as a way of thinking and seeing. Students will be introduced to a range of drawing issues, as well as a variety of media, including charcoal, graphite, ink and oil stick. Subject matter includes still life, the figure, landscape and architecture. Representation, abstraction and working from imagination will be explored. A structured independent project will be completed at the end of the semester.
203/204 INTRODUCTORY PAINTING (ALSO ARCHITECTURE 327/328) Fall, Spring
An introduction to the materials and methods of painting. The areas to be covered are specifically color and its interaction, the use of form and scale, painting from a model, painting objects with a concern for their mass and its interaction with light.
211/212 INTRODUCTORY PHOTOGRAPHY Fall, Spring
An introduction to the processes of photography through a series of problems directed toward the handling of light-sensitive material, camera, and printing. Weekly laboratory sessions will explore the critical issues of the medium in relation to both student work and the work of guest photographers.
221/222 INTRODUCTORY SCULPTURE Fall, Spring
A studio introduction to sculpture, particularly the study of form, space, and the influence of a wide variety of materials and processes on the visual properties of sculpture leading to the development of an understanding of contemporary sculpture and a basic technical facility in a variety of materials and processes.
231/232 CERAMICS Fall, Spring
An introductory level course designed for students interested in learning the fundamentals of working with clay. A wide variety of hand building and wheel throwing techniques will be taught, enabling students to make utilitarian vessels as well as sculptural forms. Students will learn about glazing and colored engobe application methods and how to operate electric and gas kilns. Studio work will be complemented by readings, field trips and slide presentations.
242 FILM GENRES Fall, Spring
A historical examination of a film genre --e.g. comedy, documentary, detective film (also called film noir). The object of the course will be the understanding of the uniquely cinematic aspects of each genre, studied against the backdrop of parallel literary genres (e.g. comedy from Aristophanes to Beckett; documentary fiction and essays; 19th- and 20th-century detective fiction). One genre will be the topic of the course each year.
261/262 INTRODUCTORY VIDEO AND FILM PRODUCTION Fall, Spring
A film/video course introducing the techniques of shooting and editing digital video. Works of film/video art will be analyzed in class to explore the development of, and innovations in, cinematic language. Production will be oriented toward film/video as a visual art, including narrative, documentary, and experimental genres. Several short video projects will be produced during the semester.
303/304 INTERMEDIATE PAINTING Fall, Spring
This course is designed to allow the student to explore more deeply the process and meaning of painting. Structured assignments will be given, and students are encouraged to develop an independent direction. Contemporary critical theory will be integrated into the course.
309 THE HANDPRINTED IMAGE: INTAGLIO AND LITHOGRAPHy Spring
An introduction to the fundamental techniques of zinc plate intaglio and stone and aluminum plate lithography. Assignments will vary from specific processes and imagery to individualized investigation and experimentation.
312 INTRODUCTORY COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY Fall, Spring
An introduction to the theory, processes, and applications of color photography as an artistic medium, exploring camera technique, color film, and darkroom printing methods. A series of directed assignments introduces students to the formal issues presented by color as an element of the medium, as well as continuing students' progress toward analyzing visual content in the broader project of photographic image-making.
313 INTERMEDIATE PHOTOGRAPHY Fall
Serving as a continuation of VIS 211 or 212, this course seeks to increase the usefulness of the photographic process to the student through a careful examination of photo chemistry, print-making methods, and most likely an introduction to view camera. In seminar, the connections between traditions of art, philosophy, science and photography will continue to be important. Appropriate technical texts are selected to fit the class project.
315 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Fall, Spring
An advanced seminar and lab which explores the aesthetic and theoretical implications of digital technology in relation to photography. The emphasis is on making the photographic print in the digital work space. Class will consist of both independent and collaborative projects.
342 THE CINEMA FROM WORLD WAR II UNTIL THE PRESENT Spring
The course will study the history of sound, and color film produced since World War II. Emphasis on Italian neorealism, French New Wave, American avant-garde, and the accomplishments of such major film makers as Bergman, Hitchcock, Bresson, and Antonioni. Modernism in film will be a central consideration.
343 MAJOR FILMMAKERS Fall, Spring
This seminar will treat in depth the work of two or three filmmakers of major importance. Specific subjects will vary each time the course is offered.
344 SPECIAL TOPICS IN FILM HISTORY Fall
This seminar will deal in some detail with an aspect of film history, focusing on an important movement or exploring a significant issue. Specific topics will vary each time the course is offered. Prerequisites will vary.
361/362 INTERMEDIATE VIDEO PRODUCTION Fall, Spring
A second level film/video workshop focusing on digital media production. Short works of film/video art will be analyzed in class as a guide to the issues of aesthetic choice, editing structure, and challenging one's audience. Students will complete two short videos and a longer final project. Students must view one film each week outside of class time.
392 ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY ART Fall
A required seminar for Art and Archaeology Program 2 majors and Program in Visual Arts certificate students emphasizing contemporary art practices and ideas. The course addresses current issues in painting, drawing, sculpture, film, video, photography, and ceramics. It includes a visiting artist lecture series, critiques of students' work, and excursions to galleries, museums and artists' studios.
403/404 ADVANCED PAINTING Fall
A studio course focused on advanced problems in painting practice, including pictorial structure in abstraction and representation, color in relationship to space and light, working process and materials. This course, although structured, encourages development of independent work. Group critiques will be conducted. Students will gain awareness of historical models as well as contemporary art, as we build and analyze the relationship between student' work and contemporary painting culture.
411 ADVANCED PROBLEMS IN PHOTOGRAPHY Spring
Student-initiated problems in photography will be explored in close working relationship with the instructor. Emphasis will be on the level of integration of practice and critical thought.
421 ADVANCED SCULPTURE Not Offered This Year
A studio course in which formal problems are raised and explored through a range of materials. The central focus is on analysis and exploration of the nature of sculptural space.
442 FILM THEORY Not Offered This Year
An examination of the central texts and abiding issues of the theory of cinema. Properties of the shot as a unit of film construction and its relationship to the space of reality will be analyzed. Different kinds of film structures and their theoretical underpinnings will be studied.
444 CINEMA AND THE RELATED ARTS Not Offered This Year
A seminar examining the ways in which filmmakers have used one of the other arts as part of the self-definition of cinema as an autonomous art. One or two such interactions will be the focus of the course. Different arts will be discussed and will vary by semester (e.g., painting, architecture, poetry, narrative fiction).
461/462 ADVANCED VIDEO PRODUCTION Spring
A third-level film/video course to further develop video production skills. There is no fixed theme, genre or length for the work students produce-students have the option of spending the semester either creating a single long work or a series of short pieces. There will also be a short weekly shooting exercise and students must view one film each week outside of class time.
471/472 SPECIAL TOPICS IN VISUAL ARTS Spring
Advanced work in special areas of the various visual media or in areas where the traditional media intersect (for example, typography, video, photo-printmaking). Specific topics will change from year to year, and prerequisites will vary.