Art Studio (BFA)
The BFA Degree Program in Art Studio is intended for the student who wishes to pursue a professional career in the visual arts. The program is organized into a four-year sequence of study that provides a solid understanding of art and art history. The student has an opportunity to explore a variety of curricular options and then chooses an intensive and professional major. For the Art Studio major, students may choose to concentrate in Ceramics, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, or Sculpture. In addition to a primary concentration, BFA students are encouraged to select a secondary area of interest to broaden their thinking and to enrich their creative study. BFA candidates share a close working relationship with the department’s faculty who are active professional artists and designers. Intensive studio work is complemented by an academic education with strong art history and liberal arts component. The BFA degree consists of 66 credit hours in art, of which 54–57 are in studio/ design and 9–12 in art history.
For the Art Studio major, students may choose to concentrate in Ceramics, Painting, Printmaking, Photography, or Sculpture. The BFA degree consists of 66 credit hours in art, of which 54–57 are in studio/design and 9–12 in art history.
BFA Freshman and Sophomore Years
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARST 10201 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ARST 40203 | Figure Drawing, Multilevel | 3 |
| ARST 10100 | 2-D Foundations | 3 |
| ARST 10601 | 3-D Foundations | 3 |
| ARST 20401 | Photography I | 3 |
| Two additional studio courses are optional, based on the student’s interest | 6 | |
This intensive curriculum establishes a base for the studio practices and principles for all visual art expression. At the end of the fourth semester, students who have earned a minimum 3.25 grade point average in their studio courses will be accepted as candidates for the BFA degree. Students who do not qualify are eligible for the BA degree.
BFA Junior and Senior Years
Students accepted into the BFA program begin a two-year primary concentration in one of the following areas: ceramics, visual communication design, industrial design, painting, photography, printmaking, or sculpture. The concentration requires 15 hours of study in a major concentration area during the last four semesters. Teaching in the major is highly individualized and stresses the creative development and preparation of the student for the professional world. In addition to pursuing a concentration, all BFA majors must enroll in the BFA Seminar and the Senior Thesis courses. The culmination of the BFA degree is the completion of a senior thesis. This two-semester senior project, directed by a faculty member, will be exhibited and approved by the faculty as a requirement for graduation.
Ceramics Concentration
Ceramics is a concentration emphasizing clay and glaze as the primary vehicles for expression. Traditional pottery, vessel making, and sculpture may be addressed through a variety of processes that include hand building, throwing, and casting. Students are encouraged to develop technical skills and a direction of their own choosing. In addition to traditional ceramic materials and processes, students will be encouraged to study and utilize other sculptural media, as well as become familiar with contemporary and historical source material that will inform their own directions in ceramics.
Painting/Printmaking Concentration
Painting, with its many traditions, is a medium put to an extraordinary diversity of contemporary uses. Capable of representing everything from the material to the intangible, painting continues to be a means for artists of vastly different interests to address their subjects in highly individual ways. The painting concentration at Notre Dame fosters the aesthetic, critical, and technical development of each student through a program of course work, independent study, and regular critiques. Emphasis is placed on being well-versed in contemporary critical issues, on articulating individual themes, and on developing
the technical means to give visual form to thematic concerns.
Photography Concentration
Images are arguably the most important documents of the 21st century, operating at the intersection of communication, commerce and culture. The photography program educates students to be technically skilled, visually literate and creatively prepared for a world where photography, video and streaming media permeate our everyday experiences. Beginning with foundation work through senior thesis, courses are designed to inform students about photographic traditions while engaging them in the critical issues and methodologies of contemporary practice. The photography major prepares students for a career in visual media (including fine art, media communications or advertising), education or institutional professions at galleries, museums or auction houses.
Sculpture Concentration
Sculpture today encompasses diverse materials and contexts for the expression of ideas in space. Within this broad description, students are encouraged to develop the technical skills that will help them expand their ideas into thoughtful individual expression. We embrace a breadth of vision and experience, which will challenge the student to investigate and respond to contemporary issues through problem-solving. A full range of traditional and nontraditional media are available in specific courses and through individual mentoring. By blending required and elective courses and independent study, students can experience a curriculum that responds to their particular needs and direction.