Allegheny College: Art

The department firmly believes that art is fundamental to liberal arts education and that the opportunities provided for the study of artistic forms and concepts reflect the College's commitment to creativity.

The department's major programs are designed to develop a broad intellectual grounding in the traditions of the

visual arts through an understanding of studio and art history, coupled with knowledge from other disciplines. Students learn to discriminate between the processes of production, interpretation and evaluation, and to think creatively about all aspects of artistic problem solving. Through the examination and creation of original works of art, students learn to contextualize works of art and understand the relationship between praxis, theory, and history.

Courses in Studio Art, Art & Technology, and Art History are offered to meet the needs of majors and minors as well as students taking art courses as electives in the Humanities. Our curriculum is designed to be hierarchical in structure. Studio Art and Art & Technology have breadth in their foundation courses, depth in their media focus re- quirement and lead students to accept increasing responsibility for the concepts, imagery and media with which they work. Through courses such as the Junior Seminar, Advanced Studio Projects and the Senior Comp, students learn to write about, speak about, research, produce, exhibit and document their work. Students in art history take courses ranging from surveys to specialized courses in historical eras and seminars on methodology. They acquire a knowledge of formal and conceptual analyses of the art object, learn to apply the research principles and critical methodologies of the discipline to specific areas of historical study, and investigate the cultural contexts of world art throughout his- tory.

The modern Bowman, Megahan, and Penelec Art Galleries provide a major exhibition facility for northwestern Pennsylvania, offering a lively and varied exhibition program with an accent on contemporary art. Field trips to the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, or the Carnegie Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh each provide contact with major art collections. Other resources include a College collection of paintings, prints, drawings and photographs.

Majors

Students who major in the Art Department select an emphasis in Studio Art, Art History, or Art & Technology. All emphases must have the approval of the department and lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Art majors are required to have a GPA of at least 2.0 in art at graduation. All art courses taken at Allegheny on a letter grade basis are included in the calculation with the exception of repeated courses for which only the most recent grade counts. The Junior Seminar and the Senior Project must be taken on the letter grade basis (except Art 601, which must be taken Credit/No Credit). No more than two art courses may be taken Credit/No Credit.

Major Emphasis in Studio Art

The Studio Art major emphasis requires the completion of 48-64 semester hours including:

Foundation Courses:
Art 151 Drawing I,
Art 155 The Creative Process or Art 156 Art and the Environment,
Art 261 Sculpture I,
Art 281 Painting I,
Art 171 Photography I or Art 285 Computer Art I

Art History Courses:
Art 110 Survey of Art History I,
Art 111 Survey of Art History II,
Art 247 Art of the 20th Century or Art 249 Art Since 1945

Media Sequence:
A two-course media sequence from the following (Foundation courses may not be included in the sequence):
Art 165, 265 (ceramics),
Art 285, 385, or 386 (computer art),
Art 251, 255, 351 (drawing),
Art 381, 583 (painting),
Art 171, 271, 583 (photography; 583 may be used only if Art 171 serves as a foundation course),
Art 275, 276, 375 (printmaking; any two of these),
Art 361, 583 (sculpture)

Upper Level Requirements:
Art 580 Junior Seminar (must be taken on the letter grade basis), and
Art 600 Senior Project (must be taken on the letter grade basis)

Recommended Courses:
Art 583 Advanced Studio Projects is strongly recommended, as are additional electives selected from Studio and Art History courses, and FS ART 201: Visual Culture (counts only as an elective).

Major Emphasis in Art History

The Art History emphasis requires the completion of at least 42 semester hours, including the following courses:

Any Studio Art course,
Art 110, 111,
Four 200-level Art History courses (two before 1600, two after 1600),
One 300 or 400-level course,
Art 582 (or other junior seminar as appropriate),
Art 600 (must be taken on the Credit/No Credit basis),
Art 610 (must be taken on the letter grade basis)

Note that 200-level Art History courses are offered in a rotating sequence. Students planning to continue their study of the history of art are strongly advised to strengthen their emphasis with proficiency in French or German at the intermediate level. They are also encouraged to supplement their studies with courses in the history and literature of their period of emphasis.

Major Emphasis in Art and Technology

The Art and Technology emphasis is designed to support students interested in exploring the connections between photography, video and computer art and requires the completion of 48-64 semester hours including:

Foundation courses:
Art 155 Introduction to Studio Art: The Creative Process or Art 156 Introduction to Studio Art: Art and the Environment,
Art 285 Computer Art I,
Art 171 Photography I,
Com Arts 290 Audio-Visual Production

Art History courses:
Art 110 Survey of Art History I,
Art 111 Survey of Art History II,
Art 247 Art of the 20th Century or Art 249 Art Since 1945

Media Sequences:
A two course sequence from the following (foundation courses may not be included in the sequence);
Art 385 Interactive Computer Art and Art 386 Web Art,
Art 271 Photography II and Art 583 with work in Photography,
Com Arts 300 Electronic Field Production: Structuring Realities, and Art 583 with work in Video Art

Upper Level Requirements:
Art 580 Junior Seminar (must be taken on a letter grade basis), and
Art 600 Senior Project (must be taken on a letter grade basis)

Electives:
Four credits required to be selected from: Art 151, 165, 261, 275, 276, and 281.
FS Art 201 Visual Culture

The Minor

Students planning a minor in Art choose an emphasis in either Studio Art or Art History.

Studio Minor
The Studio minor requires completion of a minimum of 24 semester hours including Art 155 or 156; 151, 165 or 261; 247 or 249; and 583, and a two course sequence from one of the following media: drawing (Art 151, 251, 255), painting (Art 281, 381), printmaking (Art 275, 276, or 375), photography (Art 171, 271), sculpture (Art 261, 361), computer art (Art 285, 385 or 386), or ceramics (Art 165, 265). The sixth elective course in the minor must be a studio art course.

Art History Minor
The Art History minor requires completion of at least 24 semester hours including: one Studio Art course; Art 110; 111; one 200-level course; one course at the 300- or 400-level; and Art 582 (or other junior seminar as appropriate).

Special Minors
The Art Department offers courses in support of the following special minors: Art and the Environment, American Studies, and Medieval and Renaissance Studies. For specific requirements, check the College’s Web Art History Minor pages: http://webpub.alleg.edu/group/ interdis/minors.html.

Art History Courses

Note: Art History courses encourage familiarity with area museums; and a museum trip is required of students enrolled in Art History courses.

An introductory survey of Western art from the Renaissance to the early 20th century.

An investigation into the myriad relationships between text and image in modern and postmodern art. Students study the uses of words and images in book illustration, graphic design, collage, comic strips and comic books, graphic novels, and contemporary art forms. Topics include art in theservice of mass media, the effect of popular culture on the fine art (and vice versa), and the development of new kinds of narrative forms in modernist and post-modernist art. Student assign-ments involve in-class discussion, short papers, oral presentations, and group projects. This course is an elective and does not count toward the art department course requirements.

A survey of the art and architecture of Greece andRome from ca. 1500 bce to ca. 300 ce. The social,political, and religious bases of the arts of these ancient cultures is examined together with the cultural cross-currents from eastern societiessuch as Egypt, Assyria and Persia that contribute stylistically to their development.

A topical survey of European art from 1000-1400. Students explore art and architecture of a time when visionary ideals and christian religious inspiration helped artists depict unearthly realities. Topics include apocalyptic illustrationbeginning around the year 1000, the pilgrimage cults of saints and relics, the rise of the great cathedrals, and the development of Gothic style insecular and sacred arts through the year 1400.

A survey of art and architecture from its earliest manifestations through the mid-20th century, focusing on our relationship to nature and the built environment. The course will emphasize works of art, literature, theology, philosophy and natural history that provide a context for our ideological understanding of our environment. Possible topics will include Earth, Temple, God and Goddess; City and Country in the Classical World; The City of God vs. The Garden of Eden; Chinese Landscape; Landscape Painting in the West; Our Built Environment.

A survey of art and architecture in Asia, includ- ing Indochina, India, China, Korea, and Japan. Lectures and readings concern such topics as the influence of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam on Southeast Asian and Indian art and architecture; the significance of Confucianism and Taosim in Chinese painting; the concept of feng shui as a central precept of Chinese architecture; the impact of European colonialism on Chinese and Japanese culture; the relationship of Japanese and Korean art to Chinese models; & the evolution of Japanese samurai culture in the Momoyama and Edo periods.

Lectures and readings in the history of painting, and architecture in Italy from 1400 to 1600. Emphaplaced on the social and political dynamics of idecultural rebirth during the 15th and 16th centuries.

A survey of the major artists of northern Europe from 1400 to 1600. The course will emphasize the stylistic and innovations of northern art as an outgrowth of lattendencies in the context of social, political andchanges during the 15th and 16th centuries.

A survey of German Art from the Middle Ages to theEmphasis will be placed on the social, political, contexts which contributed to the creation of the Special use will be made of the galleries, museumsannual Kunstmesse in Cologne to teach the course aintroduce some aspects of the art market. Taught in Colone, Germany.

A topical survey of European art from Neo-ClassiciImpressionism (1750-1880). Students will study thof early modernism through lectures and readings. include the life and death of history painting; thlandscape painting; social and political issues inarts; the role of gender in the arts; and the growbetween mass culture and avant-gardist art.

A survey of American painting, sculpture, and architecture from colonial times to 1940. Emphasis is placed on the strong, yet ambiguous relationship of American art to European culture and the growth of an American consciousness in the arts.

A topical survey of European and American art fromImpressionism to Surrealism (1880-1945). Studentsthe different visions of modernism through lectureTopics will include urbanization and its effect onsubject matter; Fin-de-Siecle views of modernist stechnical experimentation in modernist painting anutopian concepts in modernist art movements; and aart experiences in modernism.

A topical survey of European and American art since the end of World War II. Students study thediversity of contemporary art movements and eventsthrough lectures and readings. Topics include thechanging conceptions of avant-gardism; the declineof modernism in contemporary society; the role of gender, race, and class in the evolution of post- modernist art; and the interplay between popular culture and the fine arts in post-modernism. Prerequisites: Any art history course or permission of instructor.

A seminar examining women as subjects, patrons and producers of art in the Renaissance period (1350-1550). Art works are analyzed in context of the Christian tradition, the revival of classicism, and the changing religious and social values of those years. Traditional art-historicalmethodologies as well as feminist critical insights are used. Prerequisite: Any 200-level ArtHistory course or permission of the instructor.

A seminar examining the concept of revolution as an integral part of modern art movements. Studentscritically examine the notion of the avant-garde through a study of the historical context of modernist movements, including artists' statments,criticism, literature, music, film, and theory. These cultural elements are also placed within a larger social and political framework in order to analyze and assess all the aspects of revolution- ary tendencies in modernist discourse. Topics vary, inclduing art as radical politics, the impact of technology on the arts, the concept of anti-art, the experimentation with new art forms, and the blurring of boundaries between high art and popular culture.

An internship for students with adequate preparatihistory which will enable them to become familiar operations of an art museum, including day-to-day administration, preparation of special exhibits, ainteraction with the professional art world. In adduties assigned by the museum, the student will keand write a research paper. Special projects can bas appropriate to student capabilities and the musschedule. The intern will be evaluated by the Museand the supervising faculty member. Prerequiste: Approval of the faculty advisor and Museum Director. Credit: One to four semester hours.

An internship that enables students to become familiar with the operations of an historical museum, including day-to-day administration, preparation of special exhibits, and interaction with the professional museum world. In addition to duties assigned by the museum, the student keeps a journal and writes a research paper. Special projects can be developed as appropriate to student capabilities and the museum's schedule.The intern is evaluated by the Museum Director and the supervising faculty member. Credit: One to four semester hours. Prerequisite: Approval of the faculty advisor and Museum Director.

Junior Seminar. Seminar discussions and written assignments on problems and methods in the historyof art in preparation for the development of senior research topics. Required of all majors and minors in Art History. Must be taken on the letter grade basis.

Preparation of a proposal, thesis, and preliminary bibliography for the Senior Project. Credit/No Credit grade only. Credit: Two semester hours. Prerequisite: Art 582 or permission of instructor.

Completion of a research project in art history approved by the department. Prerequisite: Art 600. Must be taken on the letter grade basis.

An introductory survey of Western art from pre-history to the end of the Middle Ages, including significant non-Western artistic traditions in India, China and the Americas before 1500.

Studio Courses

An introductory course in drawing, including a variety of mediums and projects to develop discernment in observation, skill in execution, and an understanding of drawing as an art form.

An introduction to studio art that includes studio projects in two and three dimensions, readings, and discussions which unite the process of making art with an exploration of some ideas and imaginative sources which contribute to the world of the visual artist.

An introduction to studio art which explores the rbetween art and the environment, including the rolin an environmental era. We will focus on severalincluding the natural environment, our urban-indusenvironment, the architectural environment, and howithin thheir context. Projects will include bothdimensional explorations, as well as social sculptinstallation, and environmentally sited works.

An introduction to hand-formed ceramics and to pinching, coiling, slab, and other off-the-wheel techniques. Basic ceramic chemistry and kiln firing practices are also covered. An additional fee for materials is charged.

An exploration of photography as a form of artistic and visual communication. Pictorial design, photographic content, and basic camera and darkroom techniques will be covered with an emphasis on black- and-white photography. The course requires a 35 mm camera with an adjustable aperture and shutter speeds.

Development of an understanding of the human figure and of the graphic ability to express it effectively. Prerequisite: Art 151 or permission of instructor.

A further development of the work in Art 151 with a greater emphasis on drawing as the art form. Prerequisite: Art 151 or permission of instructor.

A beginning level course covering traditional as well as contemporary forms of sculptural expression. Considerations of form, space, and scale, as well as the significance of materials and process are explored. Projects involve clay modeling, wood construction, carving, and mixed media. Prerequisite: Any 100-level studio art course or permission of instructor.

A continuation of the study of ceramics beyond the basic course. Problems aimed toward the development of more individual approaches and solutions. An additional fee for materials is charged. Prerequisite: Art 165.

The development of photographic projects in color, digital, or advanced black-and-white photography. Emphasis on photographic concepts and practice as artistic and visual communication. Prerequisite: Art 171.

An introduction to printmaking as an art form concentrating on relief and etching techniques. Linocut, line etching, aquatint, and color techniques will be explored through studio projects.

An introduction to printmaking as an art form with emphasis on the drawing, processing and printing of lithographs. Studio projects will stress the creation of effective lithographic images.

A study of the fundamentals of painting in oils oracrylics. The preparation of supports and grounds,indirect and direct methods of painting, color organization, composition and artistic expression are presented through studio projects. Historicalbackground on painting in the 20th century is introduced. A field trip to an area art museum isrequired. Prerequisite: One studio course from art 151, 155, 156 or permission of instructor.

An introduction to the digital computer as a medium for artistic expression through studio projects and a study of the history of computer art. Macintosh computers are used together with Adobe Photoshop for image manipulation and acquisition with slide or flatbed scanners, and for printing of high-quality color images. Adobe Premiere is used for video capture. Time-based and interactive work is created with Macromedia Director. Emphasis is placed throughout on the development of well composed and expressive work. A group project to create a Web-based class portfolio concludes the course. Prerequisite: One studio course from Art 151, 155, 156 or permission of instructor.

Further development toward understanding the human figure and the graphic ability to express it effectively. May be taken for 2 or 4 credits. Prerequisite: Art 251.

A continuation of problems explored in Art 261 with concentration on the development of individual ideas and processes. Prerequisite: Art 261.

Advanced studio work in ceramics. Prerequisites: Art 165, 265. Additional fee for materials is charged.

Advanced problems in printmaking. An additional fee for materials is charged. Prerequisite: Art 275 or 276.

Development of expressive ideas in oils, acrylics, and water color. Special attention is given to art movements in the 20th century, the concepts that characterize them, and the artists who are involved. Prerequisite: Art 281.

An advanced study of computer art. Emphasis is placed on the creation of multimedia works of art that incorporate interactive interfaces that allow viewers to navigate the content of the art work in a non-linear manner. Media may include text, still imagery, animation, sound, and video. Interactivity studied includes standard mouse and keyboard inputs and extends to sensors for detecting viewer presence, location, or actions in free space. Prerequisite: Art 285.

An advanced study of computer art. The design and creation of works of art to be sited on the WWW using HTML, text, imagery, sound, video, and interactivity is combined with a study of the history of the development of Web art and its chief practitioners. Prerequisite: Art 285.

An internship in illustration for publications for the French Creek Project. This internship is ideal for the student who has an interest in drawing for publications, in combining interests in science, art, and the environment, and in learning about the relationship between illustrator and client. The internship 1) acquaints the student with the French Creek project and the services it provides; 2) demonstrates the connection between drawing for oneself and drawing for others; and 3) involves the student in creating illustrations appropriate in both concept and technique for publication. The intern meets regularly with the project director and the internship faculty liaison to review drawings, discuss what is needed for the variety of issues addressed in the publication, and to review and reflect upon the results of these experiences. Performance is evaluated by the faculty liaison in consultation with the project director. Must be taken for credit, and may be repeated. Credit: Two to four semester hours. Prerequisites: Art 151, 251, or 155, and the approval of the supervising faculty member.

This internship is designed to introduce and exemplify art’s capacity for allowing and encouraging connection to community as well as art’s ability to augment personal development in both students and teachers. This internship is ideal for the student who has an interest in teaching art, in corporating art into a general classroom curriculum, or in art therapy. The internship will: 1) acquaint the student with the concept of a community youth center and the services it provides; 2) facilitate the connection between the making of one’s own art and the teaching of art; 3) involve the intern in the planning and implementation of appropriate art experiences; and 4) require that the intern read and research traditional and current trends in art education. The intern will meet regularly with the agency director for discussion and supervision as well as weekly conferences with the internship instructor to review assigned readings, discuss the design of classroom experiences, and then review and reflect upon the results of those experiences. Performance will be evaluated by the on-site supervisor in consultation with internship faculty. In addition, the supervising faculty will evaluate the student’s written work consisting of a journal integrating the on-site experiences with the assigned readings and a research paper. Must be taken for credit and may be repeated. Prerequisites: Art 151, 155 or 156 and 261.

Preparation for advanced, independent work in studio art for art majors only. In addition to independent studio work, this seminar includes readings in contemporary art and covers proposal writing, the role of history in the art-making process, and how to write an artist’s statement. It is designed to help prepare art majors for the Senior Project. Required of all studio majors in the junior year. Must be taken on the letter grade basis. Prerequisites: Two studio art courses and one art history course.

Advanced projects and group discussions. This class is designed to help students develop more independent studio work. Highly recommended as a follow-up to Art 580 for majors preparing for the Senior Project. Required of all minors in studio art. Also recommended that students complete the media sequence before enrolling. Must be taken on the letter grade basis. Prerequisites: Two studio art courses and one art history course.

For upperclass students who are qualified to do work outside the scope of regularly scheduled courses.