Academics » Academic Catalog » Academic Programs » Art and Art History

Art and Art History

Professors: Hahn, Koenig, Lindley (Chair), Rice

Courses in the art and art history department cultivate skills in the visual arts as well as an understanding of them as part of the liberal arts. Many art courses have no prerequisites and are open to all students. They also provide a background for those students who plan to continue their study of art at a graduate or professional school. To supplement classroom and studio experiences, Career and Professional Development and senior projects can provide internships and other opportunities for experiential learning such as arts management, commercial arts, museums, galleries, and the lives of professional artists.

Three programs are available for those who major in a visual arts field: a major in Studio Art, a major in Art History, and a combined major in Studio Art and Art History.

Potential Art Majors and Minors

All students considering a major or minor in studio art should contact the Art Department Chair as soon as possible in order to be enrolled in the required courses. A student may not have more than one major within the Art and Art History Department.

AP, Dual Enrollment, Transfer, and Study Abroad Credits

Majors
Students who major in Studio Art, Art History, or Studio Art and Art History can use a total of only three units of transfer, dual enrollment, AP, and credits from study abroad combined to count toward their major, with approval of the department. Only two units from study abroad can be used toward the major.

Minors
Students who minor in Studio Art or Art History can use a total of only two units of transfer, dual enrollment, AP, and credits from study abroad combined to count toward their minor, with approval of the department. Only one unit from study abroad can be used toward the minor.

Senior Individualized Project (SIP)

All SIPs must be advanced-level work. Students must seek out a SIP advisor in the department prior to the fall of their senior year. A faculty member will agree to supervise the student only if the quality of the proposal and the student's preparation meet department expectations.

A Senior Individualized Project in art for a non-major is possible only if the student has taken the relevant courses in the department and receives approval for the proposed project.

Studio Art SIP Guidelines
SIPs in Studio Art are usually one unit, typically executed in the senior winter. Students should have considerable experience, including at least one intermediate/advanced course in the medium or area of the SIP. Sculpture students must take at least two sculpture courses in addition to the required unit. All Studio Art majors must enroll in ARTX450 (Advanced Studio) in the fall before the SIP; this may also be required for non-majors who plan to do studio art SIPs. Beyond the production of work, the SIP consists of an oral defense and reflective SIP document (a narrative description of the project from nascent stage to completion with the addition of other support materials and images).  The student may also have an optional exhibition and public presentation.

Art History SIP Guidelines
SIPs in Art History are usually one unit and may be either a research project or an internship.

The research SIP (summer, fall, or winter quarter) is a paper of 40 to 50 pages on a topic in which the student has sufficient background to do advanced research. The topuic must be approved in consultation witht he SIP advisor. Students are required to write an annotated bibliography and outline the quarter before the SIP (summer deadline for fall quarter SIPs, fall quarter deadline for winter quarter SIPs) and to arrqange a regular meeting with their supervisor during the SIP quarter.

The internship SIP is normally conducted during the summer between the junior and senior year. Most typically, students will intern with the museum or gallery. The expectation is that the internship will be a substantial experience, with most students working for approximately 20-30 hours a week. The SIP internship documentation (detailed daily journal, descriptions of the institution and personnel, 15-page research paper, reflective essay) is completed during the quarter of registration, either the summer or a subsequent quarter.

Requirements for the Studio Art Major

Number of Units
Ten units are required. A SIP is not counted as part of the ten units.

Required Courses: Six Units
To be completed by the end of the sophomore year:
ARTX 100 Introduction to Visual Fundamentals
ARTX 105 Basic Drawing
ARTX 134 Sculpture: Object Investigation or ARTX 234 Sculpture: Structure and Space
ARTX 145 Introduction to History of Art II (try to take before study abroad if going to Europe) or ARTX 150 Introduction to History of Art III

To be completed by the fall of the senior year:
ARTX 224 Art Since 1945 or ARTX 340 Ways of Seeing
ARTX 450 Advanced Studio (Advanced Studio has a pre-requisite of at least one intermediate level studio art course)

Electives: Four Units
The remaining four units are to be selected from all studio art courses and should include at least one 300-level studio art course.

It is highly recommended that a minimum of two classes in an area of focus (including one second-level or intermediate course) should be completed by the end of the junior year. Areas of focus include painting, photography, documentary, video, sculpture, and ceramics. Students interested in doing a SIP in sculpture must take at least three sculpture courses before the SIP quarter.

 

Requirements for the Studio Art Minor

Number of Units
Six units are required.

Required Courses: two units (one from each group)
Group A
ARTX 100 Introduction to Visual Fundamentals
ARTX 105 Basic Drawing

Group B
ARTX 150 Introduction to History of Art III
ARTX 224 Art Since 1945

Elective Courses: Four units
Four additional studio art courses may be selected from the studio art offerings, including at least one 200 or 300-level course (300-level if recommended).

Requirements for the Art History Major

Number of Units
Ten units are required. One unit may be the SIP, which in art history is usually a research project or museum internship.

Required Courses: Four units

To be completed by the end of the sophomore year:
ARTX 100 Introduction to Visual Fundamentals or ARTX 105 Basic Drawing
ARTX 145 Introduction to History of Art II
ARTX 150 Introduction to History of Art III

To be completed by the end of the junior year:
ARTX 340 Ways of Seeing

Additional Required Courses: Three units (one from groups A, B, and C)

Group A
ARTX 208 Introduction to Greek Art and Archaeology
ARTX 209 Introduction to Roman Art and Archaeology

Group B
ARTX 223 The Long 19th-Century Art
ARTX 224 Art Since 1945

Group C
ARTX 227 Seeing and Perceiving in the Modern Museum
ARTX 290 Art and Gender

Elective Courses: Three units
Three additional art history units are required; additional units may include a one-unit SIP, ARTX 215 A History of Photography, ARTX 226 Ceramics: World Pottery, ARTX/RELG/SEMN 205 Religious Art/Material Culture, or any other Art History course.

Requirements for the Art History Minor

Number of Units
Six units are required.

Required Courses: Three units (one from each group)

Group A
ARTX 145 Introduction to History of Art II
ARTX 150 Introduction to History of Art III

Group B
ARTX 208 Introduction to Greek Art and Archaeology
ARTX 209 Introduction to Roman Art and Archaeology

Group C
ARTX 223 The Long 19th Century
ARTX 224 Art Since 1945
ARTX 227 Seeing and Perceiving in the Modern Museum
ARTX 290 Art and Gender

Elective Courses: Three units
Three additional art history courses are required, selected from the other art history offerings.

Requirements for the Studio Art and Art History Major

Number of Units
Ten units are required. One unit may be the SIP, which may be a research project, museum internship, or gallery exhibition.

Required Courses: Four units

To be completed by the end of the sophomore year:
ARTX 100 Introduction to Visual Fundamentals
ARTX 105 Basic Drawing
ARTX 145 Introduction to History of Art II (try to take before Study Abroad if going to Europe)
ARTX 150 Introduction to History of Art III or ARTX224 Art Since 1945

Electives
Three art history courses and three studio art courses should make up the remaining six units and may include a one-unit SIP.

Art History courses

ARTX145Introduction to History of Art IIThis course examines major monuments and movements from 14th through 17th century Europe and Asia, focusing on painting, sculpture, textiles, prints, and architecture. We will take a comparative, topics-based approach to examine how artists working in different cultural contexts expressed and responded to the world around them.
ARTX150Intro to History of Art IIIArtistic revolutions from the 18th through the 20th centuries in the East and West caused radical visual and institutional transformation. This course surveys the development of modern art from a global perspective, tracing the influence of East and West upon one another from the Rococo to the Neoclassical, from Romanticism to Realism, to Cubism, Expressionism, and Postmodernism. We will examine how artists interpret the world around them and how these interpretations change over time.
ARTX/SEMN/RELG205Religious Art/Material CultureThis course explores the relationship between religion and art. The arts, whether in the form of painting, sculpture, architecture or kitsch, are often vehicles for religious devotion and expression. At the same time, devotion to a divine figure has inspired some of the world's most beautiful pieces of art. Religion and art form a symbiotic relationship which can simultaneously be in tension and/or cohesive. Looking at various primary and secondary sources from a variety of religious traditions, we explore this tension and cohesion, which can be a window into larger societal and cultural issues. Given that we live in a mechanical age, special attention will be paid to the material production of religious kitsch and the place of religious art in the market. This course is a Shared Passages Sophomore Seminar.Prerequisite: Sophomores Only
ARTX/CLAS208Introduction to Greek Art and ArchaeologyThis introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Greek archaeology examines the art and architecture of the Greek world from a contextual perspective. The course traces Greek material culture from Bronze Age origins through Hellenistic transformations. (This is a designated Greek literature or culture course in Classics.)
ARTX/CLAS209Introduction to Roman Art and ArchaeologyThis introduction to the multidisciplinary field of Roman archaeology examines the art and architecture of the Roman world from a contextual perspective. The course traces Roman material culture from Iron Age and Etruscan origins through Early Christian transformations. (This is a designated Roman literature or culture course in Classics.)
ARTX215A History of PhotographyPhotography was invented at two different geographic locations more or less simultaneously, which coincided with the rise of the modern political state and the industrial revolution in Western Europe. This course is a survey of that medium, and its cultural implications, from the beginning in France and England in the early 19th century, through the modern era of the 20th century, to touch upon conceptual, postmodern, and contemporary trends.
ARTX221Renaissance Art IIn late medieval Italy, new approaches to depicting the natural world by Giotto and others led to the 15th-century Renaissance, whose artists and architects both revived classical forms and created innovations such as one-point perspective. The cultural context as well as style and meaning of works by artists, primarily in Florence, will be closely examined, ending with Leonardo.
ARTX222Renaissance Art IIA strong papacy and its patronage in 16th-century Rome brought Michelangelo, Raphael, and many others from Florence and other cities to work there. They established an idealized classical style that was soon transformed into elegant, anti-classical Mannerism in much of Italy. At the same time, Venetian painters developed a distinctive style, less classical but more sensual.
ARTX223The Long 19th Century ArtEric Hobswam coined the period of time from the French Revolution to the end of WWI as "The Long 19th Century." This course takes a selective, topics-based approach to exploring this period of rapid change in the visual arts. We will explore how the creation and distribution of art from both the metropole and the periphery led to a visual revolution, creating many of the conditions for the modern visual world we exist in today.
ARTX224Art Since 1945Painting, sculpture, architecture, and photography from approximately 1945 to the present day. The emphasis will be on examining the visual arts of this period from both a formal and socio-historical standpoint, using primary texts such as artist manifestos and the writings of critics to help guide an understanding of the visual. In the process, we will seek to better understand how the terms "modern," "postmodern," and "global," were expressed, evaluated, defined and shaped in the visual arts during the latter half of the 20th century.
ARTX227Seeing and Perceiving in the Modern Art MuseumThe modern art museum is not just a repository of the past, but an institution with the ability to shape and create meaning. Its version of history can be simultaneously inclusionary and exclusionary, simply by the manner in which it displays its artists, artworks, and art movements. This course explores the role of the museum from the 19th century to the present, considering a diverse range of issues, including the transition from the private interior to the public space; the politics of exhibiting and viewing; and the shaping of personal, national, and global identities through the museum site.
ARTX260Baroque ArtIn 17th-century Europe, exploration and scientific discovery expanded the world. Similarly, beginning in Rome, artists such as Caravaggio and Bernini both expanded and modified Renaissance innovations. Artists from all over Europe flocked to Rome, and Flemish, Spanish, French, and even some Dutch painters were transformed there, but political, religious, and cultural differences modified the styles they practiced when they returned, and those of other painters who had never left.
ARTX290Art and GenderThis course explores the role of gender, through the work of women artists and the critical discourse surrounding the construction of gender in art and art-historical writing.
ARTX340Ways of Seeing: Methods in Visual AnalysisThis course begins with a basic but fundamental question: how do we describe what we see? We will explore how philosophers, artists, and critics have grappled with this issue throughout history, seeking to understand the critical issues that can arise when communicating vision in verbal form. Because the practice of art history rests upon translating the expressive content of the visual world into words, a significant component of this class will focus on methodology, writing, and the critical analysis of classic theoretical texts that have formed the approach and structure of the discipline. Art and art history majors should plan to take this course during the spring of their sophomore or junior year. Offered Spring.Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARTX593Senior Individualized ProjectEach program or department sets its own requirements for Senior Individualized Projects done in that department, including the range of acceptable projects, the required background of students doing projects, the format of the SIP, and the expected scope and depth of projects. See the Kalamazoo Curriculum (Curriculum Details and Policies) section of the Academic Catalog for more details.Prerequisite: Permission of department and SIP supervisor required.

Studio Art courses

ARTX100Intro to Visual FundamentalsThis course explores the basic elements (line, shape, repetition) and principles (figure/ground relationships, emphasis) of visual art and design. Basic color theory is also covered. Critical discussion accompanies a sequence of hands-on studio exercises and projects, which include work in collage, drawing, painting, and digital imaging.
ARTX105Basic DrawingA study of drawing fundamentals, with emphasis on line, value, and shape organization as instruments of precision and expression. Students planning to major or minor in art should take this course by the spring quarter of the sophomore year.
ARTX110Digital ArtThe course provides the student with a working knowledge of, and skills associated with, computer-based art production. We will be using Macintosh computers with Adobe software (both raster- and vector-based programs). Early the student will create work that consists primarily of images and text, but later will move to time-based and/or conceptual forms. To help contextualize this kind of artistic production, participants will spend some time looking at a brief history of digital art as well as its relationship to artwork in general.
ARTX115Digital PhotographyThe objective of this studio art course is to provide the student working knowledge of, and experience with, the fundamental creative tools used in fine art photographic practice. We will use digital cameras, optimize with Photoshop, and make archival pigment prints in the Center for New Media. Participants learn to analyze and discuss their work in critiques-discussion will be centered on technical, formal, and conceptual characteristics. We will also discuss subject matter and content-and the difference between the two. In this critical "reading" of images, like that of a text, we will explore the basics of visual literacy.
ARTX125Ceramics: Wheel ThrowingIn this course, students explore clay through the use of the potters' wheel, their hands and class discussion. Course content is focused on the role of function in relation to utilitarian wares for sharing and serving food. Individual students will reflect on their personal experiences with food in an attempt to better understand the potential and specific use of pottery forms. Students will also be encouraged to consider new ideas and challenge themselves in regards to form, function and technique, as they develop technical abilities and a broader understanding of the possibilities of clay and pottery forms.
ARTX128Painting: Traditional PracticesThis course is designed for students that have little or no training in art or who have an interest in traditional painting techniques. In this course students will explore some of the traditional techniques of oil painting that have been used from the Renaissance into the modernist period, and they will work directly from life whenever possible and will have the opportunity to work from still life, landscape and the human figure. The course will emphasize painting techniques and working methods that stress critical judgment, mark making, space, color, light and composition from direct observation.
ARTX134Sculpture: Object InvestigationThis hands-on studio course investigates how objects are created, used, transformed and/or combined to make art. Student projects will be fabricated from found objects, wood, paper, and "non-traditional" materials. Concept-driven assignments ask students to create work that addresses the presence, history, meaning, materiality and form of objects. Assignments also incorporate fundamentals of three-dimensional design. Discussion and critiques focus on issues prominent in contemporary art. Students will also complete a series of Woodshop Practicums that introduce the woodshop and tools. Practicums take place during evening/weekend woodshop hours. Students majoring in art are encouraged to take this course in their freshman or sophomore year and prior to Structure and Space, if they intend to pursue sculpture at the advanced level. This course is accessible to non-majors at any point in their career.
ARTX200TV ProductionDesigned for students with significant involvement in producing Kalamazoo College TV productions and production studio work. Students must meet a minimum 30-hour commitment within one term to receive 1/4 unit of credit. Various activities may include: studio equipment operator, producer, director, writer, and talent. There is no limit on how many times a student may repeat the course, but a student may only receive credit for one unit. Cannot be use for the Art History, Studio Art, or Art and Art History majors or minors.
ARTX203Figure DrawingFigure drawing focuses on drawing issues related to working from the nude model while emphasizing proportion, foreshortening, and planar structures of the figure. Students will work from very short poses to extended poses, creating drawings with approaches uniquely designed for drawing the figure. This course continues the process begun in basic drawing of building a solid foundation in drawing skills through observation. Students aim to develop sensitivity to the structure, anatomy and expressive qualities of the human form. Homework is assigned for each class period and there is an evening drawing session on Wednesday nights for the purposes of completing assignments.Prerequisite: ARTX-105
ARTX/SEMN204Drawing Today: Uncommon VisionsDrawing Today introduces current themes in drawing and provides an innovative approach to basic skill development required to produce images in a contemporary context. Students will read and discuss issues related to art and visual culture from around the world. Class time will be divided between discussion of important issues in contemporary art and hands on drawing instruction. Homework will include daily readings and weekly drawing projects that will allow students the opportunity to reflect upon theory and their assumptions of what drawing is and who it is that produces it. This course is a Shared Passages Sophomore Seminar.Prerequisite: Sophomores Only
ARTX/SEMN206Ceramics: World PotteryWorld Pottery is a hands-on studio course with a significant research component. This course is intended as a pre- or post-study abroad seminar. Class time will be used to introduce students to a variety of clay bodies and clay-forming techniques from historical and regional perspectives. Creative assignments ask students to consider and critique the role of cultural exchange and image appropriation within historical ceramics and in their own creative work. Projects will also investigate the roles of different types of pottery within contemporary American society, as a point of reference and departure. Each student will propose, execute and present a research project related to their study abroad site. Lectures, critiques, and discussions will focus on individual and societal assumptions about pottery. This course is a Shared Passages Sophomore Seminar.Prerequisite: ARTX 125, ARTX 220, or permission. Sophomores Only
ARTX/SEMN214Framing DifferenceThis course will combine research and studio components, split more or less evenly. The research topic, broadly painted, will be fine art documentary practices, grounded with an entry-level hands-on studio component (using both film and digital photography). There are two motivations for this course: to give students creative control of photographic tools (technical, formal, conceptual) prior to their leaving for study away, but also to explore the issues and ethics of photographic documentary practice. While the broad research topic is documentary practice (theory/tradition), this course will place particular emphasis on the ethics of photographing outside of one's own group. This course is a Shared Passages Sophomore Seminar.Prerequisite: Sophomores Only.
ARTX220Ceramics: Clay in CommunityIntroduction to and development of hand building techniques, including modeling, slab construction, and coil building. Assignments geared towards skill development, problem solving, and issues relevant to sculptural ceramics. Glaze technology, kiln firing, and clay making are also taught. Service-learning sections use art as a vehicle for work within the Kalamazoo Community. Students in the course participate in planning and workshops with a variety of community partners. Past partners include Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, Ministry with Community, the Michigan Commission for the Blind, and Woodward School. Readings and discussions address issues and debates about public art and social responsibility of the artist.
ARTX228Painting: Contemporary PracticesThis course is designed for students who have had some previous studio art experience in painting, drawing, or design. Some knowledge of drawing and composition will be expected of students enrolling in this course. Students will learn about modern and contemporary issues in art and will be asked to produce work that investigates some of these themes. Students' primary medium will be acrylic paint, but they will also be encouraged to experiment with mixed media and alternative materials. In addition to technical experimentation students will address complex conceptual issues. Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of styles and approaches to painting.Prerequisite: ARTX-100 or ARTX-105 or ARTX-128
ARTX230Analog PhotographyThis course provides the student working knowledge of, and experience with, the fundamental creative tools used in fine art photographic practice-using traditional (analog) processing and printing techniques. In addition to producing chemically based photographs, participants learn to analyze and discuss their work in critiques. To inspire and contextualize we will view historical examples from the Daguerreotype to contemporary practice. Assignments will be directed (to make the most of the inherent aspects of traditional analog materials) but will be open to interpretation. Students interested in pursuing photography at the advanced level are encouraged to take Digital Photography prior to Analog Photography, if possible.
ARTX233PrintmakingAn introduction to and development of basic techniques in intaglio and relief processes. Linoleum cut, wood cut, etching, and soft ground techniques will be some of the print methods explored.Prerequisite: ARTX-100 or ARTX-105
ARTX234Sculpture: Structure & SpaceContemporary sculpture encompasses a wide variety of ideas, forms and materials. In this mixed-media course, students will explore some prominent considerations and themes in sculpture that relate specifically to structure and space through the use of linear and planar materials like wood, wire, paper, fabric and additional non-traditional materials. Content of the course addresses the role of structure and space in sculptural objects, installations, contemporary art in general and, most importantly, in the development of students' personal work. A series of concept-driven assignments will focus on this goal- asking students to create work that addresses physical, visual and metaphorical balance (or imbalance), materials, architecture, and environment. Readings, presentations and exercises aim to also develop students' application of critical thinking skills and their knowledge of fundamentals of three-dimensional design. Technical skills are developed through each students personal exploration of materials, rather than demonstrations, with the exception of some basic woodworking and construction skills included in woodshop praticums. Woodshop practicums are required and take place during evening and weekend woodshop hours. Some sections also include an introduction to metal fabrication. This course is recommended for art majors and non-majors at the sophomore level and above and may be of particular interest to those pursuing studio art, physics, engineering, architecture, sociology and philosophy. Students interested in pursuing sculpture at the advanced level should also take Object Investigation, which uses wood and found objects to investigate the creation, interpretation and use of objects (prior to enrolling in Structure and Space, if possible).
ARTX240WatercolorAn exploration of basic watercolor techniques to help assist students in developing the necessary skills to work independently in this medium. Technical experiments, wash painting, and wet-into-wet techniques teach students to control the medium and layer color. Students learn to work for an extended period of time on one piece, eventually developing their own subject matter and content.Prerequisite: ARTX-100 or ARTX-105
ARTX250Introduction to Documentary Video ProductionDesigned to introduce students to the basics of documentary storytelling and production. Students will individually produce, write, shoot and edit several video projects that are intended to develop their narrative and technical skills. They will also watch various documentary films and critique them as to style, content, and narrative structures. Ethical issues pertaining to the films' subjects and approaches will also be examined. While technical skills on camera and editor operation will be taught, emphasis is on the development of ideas, artistic approach, and storytelling.
ARTX301Advanced Documentary Video ProductionDesigned for students to do advanced documentary storytelling and production, the class will meet in a seminar setting at least once per week. Students will individually produce, write, shoot and edit several short documentaries that are intended to develop their narrative and technical skills. In addition, they watch various documentary films and critique them as to style, content, and narrative structures. Ethical issues pertaining to the films' subjects and approaches will also be examined.Prerequisite: ARTX-250 and 1 of the following: ARTX-110, ARTX/SEMN-214, ARTX-116, ARTX-230, ENGL-107, or ANSO-103
ARTX316Intermediate PhotographyPhotography taught as a creative and expressive medium from a fine art perspective. In this course, the student will expand their knowledge, skills, and experience in the medium by focusing on an individual project for the duration of the term. The student can use either analog or digital tools to create this small body of work. Critiques will be held and a written component will be due as well (structured reflection and artist statement). A camera with manual exposure capabilities is required.Prerequisite: ARTX-115, ARTX-116, ARTX-214, or SEMN-214 and ARTX-230
ARTX320Intermediate Ceramics: State of ClayThe intermediate levels of Ceramics: Hand Building and Ceramics: Wheel Throwing are taught as one joint course in the same time slot. Concept-based and technical assignments are designed to be accessible and applicable for both sets of students. Assignments help students question what it means to choose clay as a medium while developing a more advanced body of work. Lectures and discussions focus on the expanding role and definition of ceramics within contemporary art, with an emphasis on the development of American ceramics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Basic clay, glaze and firing technology are covered through a series of technical labs. Offered Spring (odd years)Prerequisite: ARTX-220 or ARTX-125 (Both are preferred)
ARTX327Sculpture: Mold ProcessesA ceramics and sculpture course focusing on the many techniques of mold-making as a means to create and reproduce forms. Assignments and discussions geared towards the use of multiples and repeated forms in art. Materials include wax, clay, plaster, and non-traditional materials.Prerequisite: Take ARTX-125, ARTX-134, ARTX-135, ARTX-234, or ARTX-220 (old ARTX-120).
ARTX328Intermediate PaintingThis course builds upon the conceptual approach to painting that began in Painting: Contemporary Practices and will emphasize individual direction and innovation. Most assignments will begin with an introduction to a broad contemporary theme in the visual arts and will ask students to respond to some aspect of the topic by generating artwork. The last three weeks will be given over to a series of works that address one of the topics covered earlier in the quarter or a topic that a student has a particular interest in investigating.Prerequisite: ARTX-228
ARTX335Intermediate SculptureIntroduction of a variety of fabrication techniques; practices may include, but are not limited to, some woodworking and metal welding. Assignments geared towards simultaneous development of technical skill and critical thinking. Discussion and critiques focus on issues prominent in contemporary art.Prerequisite: Take 2 courses from ARTX-134 ARTX-135 ARTX-234 and ARTX-327
ARTX416Advanced PhotographyPhotography taught as a creative and expressive medium from a fine art perspective. In this course, the student will continue to expand their knowledge, skills, and experience in the medium by focusing on an individual project for the duration of the term. The student can use either analog or digital tools to create this small body of work. Critiques will be held and a written component will be due as well (structured reflection and artist statement). A camera with manual exposure capabilities is required.Prerequisite: ARTX-316 (old ARTX-216)
ARTX420Advanced CeramicsIntroduction to and development of hand building techniques, including modeling, slab construction, and coil building. Assignments geared towards skill development, problem solving, and issues relevant to sculptural ceramics. Glaze technology, kiln firing, and clay making are also taught.Prerequisite: ARTX-320 (old-ARTX-220 and 225)
ARTX428Advanced PaintingThe objective of this course is to help students develop direction in their art and to produce a coherent body of work. Students will be considered independently working artists responsible for developing the content and methodology that they feel fits their own personal objectives as artists. Placing their own work in the context of current trends and art history will help students produce artwork that is both personally satisfying and artistically significant. This course is intended for students who are considering graduate school or a career in studio art.Prerequisite: ARTX-328
ARTX435Advanced SculptureStudents may register for Advanced Sculpture in their junior or senior year, once they have completed at least 3 other sculpture courses. Each student designs his/her own project assignments/goals that build on concepts and skills developed in earlier courses/SIP, in consultation with the faculty. Emphasis will be placed on portfolio development and learning to function as an independent artist. Advanced students are expected to attend meetings for an introductory or intermediate course in sculpture throughout the term where they participate in critiques and help mentor lower-level students.Prerequisite: Permission
ARTX450Advanced StudioThis course gathers experienced studio art students together, regardless of preferred media, for a rigorous study of contemporary practice and theory. One day per week will be dedicated to multi-disciplinary critiques, where both assigned exercises and, later, larger projects will be discussed, while the remaining day each week will be used as a seminar to study contemporary work and theory via readings, videos, and presentations.Prerequisite: Senior art majors with at least one 300-level studio art course; non-majors with permission.
ARTX/SEMN496S.P.A.C.E. Socially-Engaged Practices in ArtA senior-level service-learning course that explores the relationship between art and activism, social justice, community and/or civic engagement. Students from both art AND non-art disciplines/majors will work together in small groups similar to mini "think tanks" to develop ideas for interdisciplinary artworks and/or events that could be created with community partners like Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes and Education for the Arts, among others. Project design is primarily theoretical--groups will draft (as their final product) a formal proposal and/or project grant based on their project concept. Among the questions students will investigate during the term are: How can art facilitate our experiences in public and private spaces? Who has access to a space? How do we share space and interact within it? Class and project workspace is housed off-campus in the Park Trades Center. Professional skills such as responsible partnering, grant seeking/writing, and project design will also be covered. This course is a Shared Passages Senior Seminar.Prerequisite: Seniors Only