Art (ART)

This course for art majors is focused on the exploration and exchange of ideas related to embarking on a studio career. Contemporary issues and responsibilities faced by emerging artists are emphasized. Students will investigate various visual art disciplines offered by JMU, write an artist's statement, and construct a website and digital portfolio.

Much of today's art is experiential and socially responsive, where embracing new technology and activism often exists alongside material explorations. For this introduction to contemporary art, students will address how art is created and why, the ways we respond to it, and the role art and artists play in global contexts. Students will explore key concepts from the last decade and will learn to evaluate art from many points of view (aesthetic, formal, historical, cultural) through readings, writings, discussions, experiential learning and art making. This course may be used for general education credit.

This introductory course covers problems stressing the fundamental skills, approaches and concepts involved in drawing the human figure.

Explores the aesthetics, conceptualization and design of functional objects. Investigates tactility and process of realizing form, and the effective use of the wheel as a creative tool. Introduces historic and contemporary approaches, firing techniques and glaze application.

This course explores forming techniques for both vessel and sculptural work. It addresses construction concerns such as timing, structure and mass. Conceptual issues of hand-formation and wheel thrown ceramic objects are discussed. It introduces historic and contemporary approaches, firing techniques and glaze application.

In this introductory level studio course, students develop skills and cultivate conceptual concerns related to the fibers medium, specifically pertaining to structural forms and embellished or manipulated surfaces. Traditional and experimental materials are used to explore such techniques as crochet, off-loom weaving, rope-making, embroidery, piecing and appliqué. This class is a prerequisite for upper division fibers courses.

In this introductory level studio course, students develop skills and cultivate conceptual concerns related to the fibers medium related to structural forms. Traditional and experimental materials will be used to explore such techniques as knitting, crochet, looping, felting, off-loom weaving and embroidery. Topics will include the historical relevance of fibers; its relationship to ideas such as labor and identity; and what textiles have to offer within the expanded field of contemporary art.

This course provides an introduction to designing and executing adornment and functional objects through various fabrication and finishing techniques, and the exploration of metal as a medium of personal aesthetic expression.

Students will explore the complex interplay of form and function through the techniques, materials and concepts of knifemaking.

This course provides an introduction to basic materials and techniques in oil or acrylic painting. This class extends previous practice with design and drawing through introductory experiences in painting.

This course offers a creative approach to photography with emphasis on understanding materials and techniques. (Students must provide a fully manual 35mm camera and a light meter which may be built into the camera or separate.)

An introduction to the history and techniques of screenprinting. Lectures, demonstrations and projects will involve photographic and nonphotographic stencils, related digital processes and color registration.

This survey course introduces students to the practice of fine art printmaking through relief, intaglio, lithography, silkscreen and related processes. Students develop skills in image construction, editioning and safe studio procedures while translating concepts into printed form. The course emphasizes technical proficiency and creative experimentation within historical and contemporary contexts of printmaking.

An introduction to the history and techniques of relief and intaglio printing. Lectures, demonstrations and projects will involve oil based and water soluble inks, linocut, woodcut, wood engraving, collagraph, drypoint, engraving, line etching, aquatint, softground, color registration and related photographic processes.

An introduction to the history and techniques of lithography printing. Lectures, demonstrations and projects will involve stone and plate lithography, color registration and related photographic processes.

This course offers students an opportunity to engage in the techniques, structures, tools, and materials used in creating artists' books. A broad range of studio practice will be explored as they examine the relationship of verbal, visual and structural content in books. Students will complete group and individual projects.

This course introduces sculpture as an expansive and interdisciplinary practice. Rather than beginning with a single material or technique, students start with ideas and themes, then identify the most effective materials and processes to communicate them. Emphasis is placed on context: how works are shaped by placement, proximity, history and cultural references. Through studio production, readings, artist lectures and class discussions, students will develop technical skills, critical thinking and conceptual fluency. The course encourages experimentation, collaboration and cross-disciplinary exploration, positioning sculpture as a vital means of engaging with the world around us.

Study of selected topics in art at the introductory level. May be repeated when course content changes. See MyMadison for current topics.

Through demonstrations, theory and practical application, students are introduced to numerous media and illustrative techniques. Encouraged experimentation is tempered by an understanding of problem solving and conceptualization.

The practical analysis and interpretation of works of art through oral and written forms. Emphasis is on the practice of art criticism in public settings such as the school classroom, art museum and college art studio.

In this course, students consider several aspects of an artist's work that are not related to studio practice, but are nonetheless crucial as a creative practitioner. The course will combine seminar discussions, guest lectures and workshop sessions. Areas to cover include: how to produce effective artist's statements and resumes, marketing and self-promotion; how to use photography to document your artwork; grant-writing strategies; and cover letters for residencies and internships. Students will be expected to review their blog or website including the statements, resumes and photos produced in the course.

Students will use traditional fine arts and digital media to explore the conceptualization, production and communication of visual information integral to selling products, clarifying and organizing data, explaining abstract concepts, and educating through the creation of imagery for advertising, infographics, and technical and scientific illustrations. Emphasis is placed on development of technical skillsets, personal aesthetic and style.

This course covers mold-making systems and processes for ceramic slip casting and press molding. Conceptual issues of multiples, reproductions and material transformation are discussed. This course is also suitable for students wanting to utilize molds with other materials in their artistic production.

In this course, students research and experiment with ceramic materials and finishes, glaze formulation, and application for finishing ceramic artwork. Forming processes may include any combination of the potter's wheel, handbuilding and mold making.

This course explores the aesthetics, conceptualization and design of functional objects using the potter's wheel. It investigates tactility and the process of realizing form and the effective use of the wheel as a creative tool. This course also introduces historic and contemporary approaches, firing techniques and glaze application.

Introduction to surface design techniques such as painting and printing on fabric. Further work may be in this area or in weaving or other fiber techniques. Course is repeatable.

Traditional and experimental use of materials, techniques and structures are used to understand weaving as a cross-disciplinary practice including exploration of floor-loom hand weaving. Students will explore various forms of encoding information and address personal strategies for developing individual art practices. Weaving's role within the larger contemporary art world will be discussed and understandings of what constitutes a woven structure will be challenged.

This course engages students in spatiality, object creation and physical construction and will supplement artistic practice and design methodologies for sculptural fiber art or experimental design. Strategies for engaging in off loom fiber art structures such as knitting, macrame, crochet and basketry techniques will be explored. Class activities will include demonstrations, lectures, critiques and discussions revolving around iterative design strategies in fiber art.

Students will use raw, natural and recycled materials to explore the basic techniques, processes and concepts used in papermaking. Pulp materials and fabrication processes will be explored through techniques using traditional mold and deckle, sculptural mold making, and pulp inclusions. Students will gain skills in beating a variety of fibers, sheet forming, sculpting with pulp and pulp painting.

This course provides an intermediate exploration of metal as a medium of personal aesthetic expression with a focus on modeling, mold-making and processes for metal casting.

This course provides an intermediate exploration of metal as a medium of personal aesthetic expression with a focus on knifemaking skills and technologies

This course provides an intermediate exploration of metal as a medium of personal aesthetic expression with a focus on micro-arc and laser welding.

This course provides further exploration of metal as a medium of personal aesthetic expression with a focus on expanding students' ability to incorporate color into their metalwork, including stone setting, enameling, powder coating, anodizing, plating and patination processes.

Intermediate experiences in materials and techniques in oil, acrylic and nontraditional painting media. This class extends previous experiences introduced in ART 252, with a focus on developing a more personal iconography and content. A variety materials, techniques, surfaces and philosophies of working are discussed in lecture in lecture, demonstration, and in both individual and group critique.

This course provides an intensive exploration of digital photography with an introduction to digital camera techniques, combinations of traditional and digital photographic methods, image manipulation and modes of output.

This course provides an intensive exploration of advanced black and white photography using alternative cameras, pinhole, a variety of film speeds and papers, and sequential concepts.

This course explores medium format and view camera techniques, film exposure and advanced black and white printing.

This course investigates the relationship between printmaking and technologies of reproduction, focusing on relief, intaglio and related printmaking methods. Students examine how tools and mechanical processes have shaped both the practice and meaning of print across time. Emphasis is placed on experimentation with traditional and adapted tools to develop hybrid approaches that bridge historical technique and contemporary practice.

This course examines the role of digital technologies in contemporary printmaking, with a focus on lithography and silkscreen. Students explore how photography, graphic design and other 2D visual practices intersect with digital and analog print processes to produce original editions. Emphasis is placed on experimentation and integration of these methods to develop innovative approaches to layering, sequencing and replication within historical and contemporary visual culture.

This studio course offers students an opportunity to engage in the process and product of letterpress printing through various techniques and conceptual approaches. Instruction focuses on text and image relationships by integrating metal and wood type, and other type-high surfaces. Emphasis will be placed on the acquisition of skills and vocabulary and the creative use of type and image. The course will address the history of letterpress and its contribution to contemporary art and design.

This course challenges the student to develop a limited edition hand-made artists' book. The appropriate format for each individual's concepts are identified, adapted, customized, applied, and produced. Content development, book design, integration of various media and the functionality of various bookmaking materials are explored. We will consider the artists' book as a sculptural form and locate it within the broader context of contemporary writing and visual art.

This class is an exploration of both theoretical and practical concerns in relation to sculpture. Students will develop methods of thinking and making that are derived from their own ideas and interests. Projects will be generated from sources relevant to contemporary art and culture.

Independent activity at the intermediate level, such as research or studio practice, under faculty supervision. Projected studies in any area of the school's offering must be arranged with the instructors who will direct them. Offered only with the consent of the instructor.

Study of selected topics in art at the intermediate level. May be repeated when course content changes. See MyMadison for current topics.

This course allows for the development of an advanced level class that teaches content not introduced in required illustration courses or expanding on the existing illustration courses. Instructional goals and defined outcomes will be unique to the class topic.

This course is designed to be a transition into professional life in the field of art. In this course, students will organize and prepare themselves for graduation and work with faculty on professional concerns beyond the studio. The course prepares students for their senior thesis exhibition and presentation, and aids in developing an e-portfolio and promotional packet (including resume and artist's statement). Students will develop plans to apply for opportunities within the field of art, such as graduate school programs, scholarships, internships, fellowships, residencies and grants beyond JMU.

This course provides students with a self-directed, focused course of study with supervision of the instructor. Emphasis is placed on the creation of advanced level artwork through the development of technical skills, knowledge of the process, and the refinement of individual expression using the ceramic medium.

This is a self-directed, focused course of study with supervision of the instructor. This course is the culmination of ceramic study, resulting in a body of work suitable for exhibition and that is representative of the student's research and development.

A series of fiber projects selected by the student with the approval of the instructor.

This studio course focuses on the planning and development of an outside group exhibition or self-directed studio work. It is designed for students engaged in the development of installation-based work. It involves critiques, discussions, demonstrations, field trips and introduction to contemporary artists. It explores space, site, situation, immersive experience, viewer relations and exhibition design. It examines various combinations of fiber-based installation art, including video, sound, performance, social exchange, collaboration and interactivity. It addresses execution and presentation phases of large-scale project development.

The course will examine social practice in fiber arts including art and activism, network art, Social Aesthetics, post­studio practices and Relational Aesthetics. This course will place a strong emphasis on contemporary examples of art and social practice. Through group activities, discussions, student led seminars and participatory projects, the class will work together to address contemporary issues in collaboration.

This intensive exploration in fiber arts focuses on a theme or process that results in a cohesive body of work from a self-directed project and a written artist's statement.

This course consists of a series of metal arts projects selected by the student with the approval of the instructor. The course is repeatable.

This intensive exploration in metals focuses on a theme or process that results in a cohesive body of work from a self-directed project and a written artist's statement.

Advanced problems in media selected by the student with the advice of the instructor.

This intensive exploration in painting focuses on a theme or process that results in a cohesive body of work from a self-directed project and a written artist's statement.

Advanced study in photography focusing on alternative processes and experimental approaches including non-silver 19th century techniques, Polaroid and liquid emulsion, among others.

This course explores the culture and trends leading to the invention of photography, facilitating the formation of concepts and objects which create wonder.

This course explores technical, conceptual and theoretical approaches to making documentary-based photographic work using film, digital or video cameras.

This course explores technical, conceptual and theoretical approaches to making, staging and directing performance-based photographic work using film, digital or video cameras.

This course explores technical, conceptual and theoretical approaches to making screen-based photographic projects culminating in a fully developed online presentation.

This course provides an intensive exploration in photography focusing on a theme or process that results in a cohesive body of work from a self-directed project and a written artist's statement.

Advanced projects in printmaking to be determined by the student and instructor.

This course explores both traditional and expanded printmaking practices, ranging from 2D editions to installation, time-based processes and socially engaged approaches. Students investigate experimental methods and conceptual strategies that bridge conventional techniques with contemporary innovations, creating dynamic works that engage space, audience and time. Emphasis is placed on developing a cohesive portfolio that reflects individual artistic voice and situates work within the broader field of contemporary print media.

This intensive exploration in printmaking and expanded media focuses on a theme or process that results in a cohesive body of work from a self-directed project and a written artist's statement.

This class is an opportunity for students to pursue an individualized body of work. It approaches sculpture as a diverse and expanding field that embraces spatial-object and material-based practices; performance and lens-based media; forms of digital technology and the internet; social and relational practice; and landscape and environmental engagement.

This intensive exploration in sculpture focuses on a theme or process that results in a cohesive body of work from a self-directed project and a written artist's statement.

Independent activity, such as research or studio practice, under faculty supervision. Projected studies in any area of the school's offerings must be arranged with the instructors who will direct them. Offered only with consent of the instructor.

An on-campus program monitored on an individual basis designed to provide practical studio experience in the visual arts. Students will learn safe studio practices and management skills, including material use, inventory control and the proper operation of equipment found within various individual classroom studios.

This course consists of a study of selected topics in art at the advanced level. The course may be repeated for credit when course content changes. See MyMadison for current topics.

This is a reading, research and discussion seminar designed for upper level undergraduate and first-year graduate level studio art majors addressing historic and contemporary issues surrounding vision, the senses and aesthetics in the theory and practice of art.

A program prepared and monitored on an individual basis. Internships are designed to provide practical experience in the arts.