Art
Studio Art Major and Minor
The Art Department embraces, encourages, and promotes diverse perspectives using the cultural power of art to catalyze change.
Studio Art Outcomes At a Glance
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Begin careers immediately in teaching, design, photography, digital production, social media, galleries, or advertising.
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Go on to graduate schools for studio MFAs or fields like architecture or medical illustration.
Studio artists from a liberal arts environment have more opportunities.
Developing a broad intellectual grounding in a variety of fields outside the studio helps you work from an informed perspective and understand the conceptual motivations of art and media.
Your advanced projects are opportunities to express yourself.
You are encouraged to design art projects that build on your unique interests and help you lay the groundwork for pathways after college.
Work closely with internationally-recognized faculty.
In small classes and advanced projects, you get the mentorship of dedicated and creative faculty.
An art curriculum focused on critical theory as well as technique.
Strong analytical, writing, and speaking skills broaden your range of expression and prepare you for a variety of real-world applications.
Combine studio art with all sorts of majors or minors.
No need to give up your dreams of working with art to pursue other goals. Art skills plus other expertise expands your creative possibilities.
Access to cutting-edge technologies
The Allegheny Lab for Innovation and Creativity is a leading-edge design and fabrication facility with the latest equipment and software.
STUDIO ART: Four-year pathway to creative success as a major or minor.
The Art Department helps you develop a self-motivated art practice and a strong understanding of your place within the contemporary art world.
Begin with introductory courses in 2-D, 3-D art, or art history. We offer instruction in ceramics, photography, digital art, sculpture, painting, and introductory drawing. Join the Student Art Society, Clay Club, or Photo Club to get to know other art students and engage in special projects.
Pick your favorite mediums to explore at the intermediate level. Continue to gain experience in a variety of mediums that will allow you to express yourself broadly and communicate effectively. A course in contemporary art or feminist theory will help you understand your place in the art world. Field trips and exhibits in the Art Galleries introduce you to current artists and practices.
Solidify your pathway with advanced courses. Although they can happen any time, it's traditional to plan for internships with galleries, museums, or arts organizations in the junior year. Study-away at the NY Arts program or in a foreign country is a great way to connect with the bigger art world. The Junior Seminar offers you the opportunity to explore the kind of art you want to make by creating and displaying a large body of work.
Senior year is the time for Senior Project for majors, an ambitious display of a body of your work. In addition to advanced work in your medium, think about gaining career skills with the professional practices course or a hands-on gallery exhibition/museum studies class. For Studio Art minors, scheduling the Junior Seminar in your fourth year allows you to bring everything together in a final project.
Art to express yourself, convey meaning, and make a difference
The Art Department believes in the power of art to promote diverse perspectives and catalyze change. Our goal is that students develop artistic skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities to make effective works of art.
Make original works of art.
Demonstrate effective design principles, creative problem-solving, and appropriate craftsmanship and technique in a range of mediums.
Interpret and critically evaluate art and media.
Write and speak about art from an informed perspective by carrying out relevant research, contextualizing and interpreting relevant works.
Know art of the past and present.
Exhibit familiarity with Western and global artists, designers and historical movements as well as contemporary art and critical theory.
Develop professional practices and problem-solving abilities
Gain skills through the exhibition of your work, documenting it in a portfolio, writing proposals, and curating exhibits.
Produce meaningful work that integrates other disciplines
Your art will investigate human experiences, demonstrate conceptual sophistication, and integrate knowledge from other cultural contexts.
Madeleine Zimmermann, Alumna
Class of 2018, Studio Art and Environmental Science Double Major; Development Associate at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
“ Allegheny’s Art Department is unique because the professors and staff treat students as their peers, which really raises expectations and has helped me push myself as an artist and a student. Everything I create is motivated by the question ‘why?’ Everything I do has a reason and meaning and, because of this, I’m able to apply knowledge from every spectrum of my education. ”