Art and Design

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Art and Design

Rob McColl, M.F.A., Chair

The art and design department provides a creative environment for Saint Mary’s students with opportunities to cultivate aesthetic diversify and enrich cultural awareness. The department offers one major with two distinct tracks: Art with Art Studio emphasis, and Art with Graphic Design emphasis. The Art Studio track focuses on those who wish to pursue a traditional hands-on course of study like painting, printmaking, ceramics, or sculpture. The Graphic Design track prepares students pursuing a career in visual and web design. Each track offers the opportunity to ‘cross over’ to the other track and broaden the skill set of each.

The department also offers a number of courses that are required for majors in theatre, English, and media communications. Our courses play an integral role in the Integrated General Education Program (IGEP) and the liberal arts commitment of Saint Mary’s University.

General Department Goals 

Art and Design majors will:

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of design fundamentals and vocabulary, and incorporate these visual communication skills in their daily lives;

• Recognize major figures and movements in art and design history, and draw connections between historic and contemporary trends;

• Demonstrate and articulate an understanding of issues related to the visual arts;

• Identify and discuss major uses of the visual arts in our society: communication of information, transmission of religious/spiritual values, social/political action, utilitarian design, personal expression, and environmental enhancement;

• Think creatively and critically; and

• Analyze a work of art, using correct terminology and proper art criticism criteria.

The art and design department manages two galleries on campus for the enrichment of all students and the local community. The department presents four professional art exhibits and two student exhibits each year in the Center Gallery, located in the Toner Student Center. The Student Gallery on the second floor of the art and design department is used by various classes for presentation of their work. This gallery is also the site of the Mid-Major review.

To ensure students possess a basic set of drawing and design skills, they are required to present a sample of their work in an exhibit during their sophomore year, evaluated by faculty of the department. This Mid-Major review session also serves as an opportunity for students to reassess how to best apply their art and design skills as well as chart a strategic course for graduation and beyond.

Before graduation students participate in a senior capstone exhibit in the LDH Gallery. This show is evaluated by the art and design faculty to judge if it is at the professional level required for a Bachelor of Arts with a major in art.

The department has a thriving Art Club that enhances student involvement in the arts by offering workshops, field trips to museums and galleries, and increases campus awareness of the arts.

Art Departmental Honors

Departmental honors are reserved for students who perform academically and creatively at the top level of all graduates from the department. Minimal criteria are a 3.700 department and major field GPA, a 3.300 cumulative GPA, and the presentation of work in the Senior Exhibition judged to be of superior quality by a committee of departmental faculty.

Programs

• Art Major - Art Studio track, B.A.
• Art Major - Graphic Design track, B.A.

• Art Minor
• Graphic Design

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