Studio Art
Areas of Study
Studio courses engage traditional and new methods of art-making in the process of creating original work. Our studio art majors have developed careers as professional artists, illustrators, photographers and arts administrators. Majors and minors have also found their critical thinking skills highly transferable to fields such as architecture, law, medicine, finance and retail. The areas of study include:
- Digital Media
- Drawing
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
Requirements
The studio art major requires a minimum of 10, a maximum of 14 courses. These include:
- Fundamentals of Drawing
- 3D Fundamentals
- One additional drawing course
- 2 Sequential Courses in one media:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Digital Media
- Two Art History Courses
- VAHI 210: Contemporary Art (required)
- One additional Art History Course
- Studio Concentration Seminar
Remaining courses are selected from the areas of Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Digital Media, plus Special Topics courses.
Studio art majors are required to participate in the Majors and Minors Review, a department wide critique scheduled once per semester.
During the senior year studio majors are required to take the Studio Concentration Seminar which focuses on the development of an individual body of work. Students are provided with a workspace in Millard Art Center. Studio Art Majors are required to take the fall semester (VAST 300) and are eligible for the spring semester (VAST 301). While both semesters are strongly recommended for the major, students will be admitted to the spring semester based on an evaluation of their work by studio art faculty. Only students taking the spring semester, Studio Concentration Seminar 2, will participate in the senior exhibition in Cantor Art Gallery.
The studio art minor requires a total of six courses, a maximum of 14 courses. These include:
- Fundamentals of Drawing
- 3D Fundamentals
- One art history course
- Three electives in any of:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Photography
- Sculpture
- Printmaking
- Digital Media
Studio art minors are required to participate in the Majors and Minors Review, a department wide critique scheduled once per semester.
Students with extensive previous experience may be allowed to bypass either Fundamentals of Drawing or 3D Fundamentals with a portfolio review by a studio faculty member. In such cases students may move directly into intermediate level courses.
A combined major and minor in either of the department’s two divisions (art history major/studio art minor or studio art major/art history minor) requires the completion of 16 courses: 10 in the major and six in the minor, following the individual requirements listed for the selected major and selected minor. Courses may not be double counted across the two divisions; 16 courses are required for a combined major and minor.
Students with AP credit in art history, studio and drawing are awarded placement in the studio art curriculum. AP credit does not count toward the minimum number of courses required for the majors or minors.
Meet Your Department Chair
Opportunities
Exhibitions
Studio art students have opportunities to exhibit their work in the Ramp Gallery, serving as a multi-functional space for critiques, group exhibitions, and studio art major/minor reviews. In addition, galleries in Fenwick Hall, Prior Art Center, and Hogan Center provide public venues for showcasing student work. Exhibitions in these spaces are curated by visual arts faculty and members of the Student Art Society. Senior studio art majors exhibit their final portfolio in the College’s Cantor Art Gallery. Majors in the history of art and museum studies have the opportunity to curate professional exhibitions as part of a team in curatorial seminars.
Visiting Artists and Excursions
The Department of Visual Arts sponsors many arts enrichment programs. Every semester we host numerous visiting scholars and practitioners addressing a broad array of topics related to both historic and contemporary art and architecture. Most courses in the department make frequent use of our major local art institution, the Worcester Art Museum. In addition, the department organizes regular field trips to major museums, galleries, and sites across the region, including not only Boston but also New York, New Haven, and Hartford.
Community Engagement
Our students engage the campus and surrounding community by presenting personal and collaborative art exhibits, and by providing tours of local museums and special exhibitions. We also encourage our students to pursue internships in local museums, galleries, preservation agencies and architecture firms. In addition, some of our classes offer community-based learning experiences, encouraging students to engage with the history and people of Worcester in new and meaningful ways.
Student Art Society: Coalition of Creatives
The Student Art Society: Coalition of Creatives is a student-run organization that seeks to provide increased access to enjoy student art on campus through fundraising events, monthly exhibitions and weekly meetings that foster new relationships.
Internships
The rich resources of our region, especially in Worcester and Boston, provide students with many exciting internship opportunities.
Study Abroad
Our students have many opportunities for study abroad programs. Many of our majors have gained valuable new insights by taking studio courses and courses in the history of art and architecture at Siena Art Institute and at Temple University Rome. The Maymester program also offers students intensive four-week courses abroad taught by our faculty. Recent Maymesters taught by Visual Arts faculty include a course on geology and architecture in Rome, and a course on art, architecture, and environmental studies in Venice.
Research
Interested students can apply for summer research opportunities in both the history of art and studio. Our students have also worked with faculty on research projects in coordination with the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World.
