Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.

Art and Art History

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/art/

Chair, 2007-08: Meg Ojala, photography, drawing

Faculty, 2007-08: Wendell H. Arneson, painting, drawing; Irve Dell, sculpture; Steve Edwins, architectural drawing; Jill Ewald, director, Flaten Art Museum; Ron Gallas, ceramics; Mary Griep, drawing, painting; Karna Hauck, art education; Karil Kucera, art history; Asian studies; Matthew Rohn, art history, environmental studies; Dave Ryan, digital, video; John Saurer, printmaking, drawing, sculpture; Nancy Thompson, art history

The mission of the Department of Art and Art History at St. Olaf College is to provide liberal arts students with opportunities to experience , create, and learn about visual images so they may better understand themselves and the role of art in a global society. An oustanding, professionally active faculty, a broad curriculum, and a fine exhibition program in Flaten Art Museum provide a wide range of experiences in studio art, art history, and art education. The department has a strong foundation program and is committed to teaching technical skills as well as critical thinking and creative innovation in visual media and in the study of art history. Our graduates have received national acclaim in many professional art fields across the country, including museum and gallery administration, advertising, architecture, graphic design, illustration, animation and fimmaking, studio art, and teaching.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJORS
Requirements for a Studio Major

Students majoring in studio art must earn a minimum of nine credits including Art 343. Students elect courses equaling two history and seven studio. (All foundations count toward the major, and the department strongly recommends Art 252 and 253 as part of the art history taken). All majors must take a minimum 2 credits at the foundation level, including one three-dimensional course. (choose from Art 116, 119, 121 or 122) and one drawing course (choose from Art 110, 111, 112 or 125). Three courses must be selected from Art (221 or 222), (223 or 224), (226 or 227), 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, and 239. (Interim foundations count toward the foundations requirement.)

Majors must participate in the annual juried show. To fulfill the requirements of the studio art major and studio art education major, each student must enter at least two juried art exhibitions on or off campus by the beginning of their senior year. Students unable to meet this requirement must speak with their advisor or the department chair.

Requirements for an Art History Major

Students majoring in art history must earn nine credits in the following:

(1-2) 150, 151. It is recommended that a student take Art 150: Introduction to Art History I and Art 151: Introduction to Art History II as early as possible.

(3-7) A minimum of five courses chosen from among Art 250-275 or approved courses in other departments. Approved courses include: Asian Studies 270, 310; Environmental Studies 270; Philosophy 243. See the department’s website for an updated list. A maximum of two courses in art history taken in off-campus programs may, upon approval of the department, be applied to the major. At least one of the five 200-level courses must concentrate on European and/or North American art, and at least one course must concentrate on Asian, African, and/or Latin American art.

(8) Two half-credit (.50) courses in studio art or a full-credit (1.00) studio course covering two half-credit studio subjects.

(9) Art 350: The Methods of Art History.

(10) Majors must also successfully complete the non-credit bearing Senior Art History colloquium or its equivalent.

Requirements for a Visual Arts Education Teaching Major

Students undertaking a visual arts education teaching major complete the graduation studio major, plus three additional courses in art and the required Education Department courses, and participate in the annual juried show. A minimum of 10 total credits in art is required: two in art history and eight in studio. (See also the Art Licensure Adviser.)

DISTINCTION

Information about the criteria considered in conferring distinction is available in the Department of Art and Art History.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Off-campus Study

Many students arrange for part of their work in London, Florence, Rome, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, or Minneapolis. With departmental permission, a qualified junior or senior can enroll in specialized studio courses within the normal 14-course maximum for a major in the following independent art schools as part of their St. Olaf art major: Kansas City Art Institute, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Internship opportunities are possible in specialized fields of study that involve students in the workaday professional art world. Both art history and studio students can take advantage of the Minneapolis Art Institute, the Walker Art Center, and other Minneapolis-St. Paul art institutions. Studio majors also can gain professional experience in the Twin Cites in the areas of graphic design, illustration, architecture, etc.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL OR PROFESSIONAL STUDY
Studio Art

Students interested in studio-related careers or study are strongly encouraged to complete extensive coursework in the media/discipline of their choice and to develop a strong portfolio. Also recommended is participation in special programs incorporating advanced work, such as internships or one-semester study at cooperating art schools. A unique fifth-year program of apprenticeship offered by the Art and Art History Department provides studio space to a limited number of exceptional art student applicants who wish to spend the year after graduation concentrating on building a strong portfolio in preparation for graduate studies.

Art History

The prospective graduate student, following the completion of one or two survey courses, should take at least one course each in medieval, Renaissance, modern, and a non-Western area of art and a second course in an area of interest and should at least start studying an appropriate world language. Those interested in the museum professions should also seek an internship. Art 350: The Methods of Art History is taught as a seminar with student presentations and discussions patterned on typical graduate school offerings. The department reserves the right to retain student work for its file.

COURSES

FOUNDATION COURSES

Most advanced courses require the completion of one or more Foundation Courses.

110 Foundation Perceptual and Conceptual Drawing

This course introduces fundamental technical and perceptual skills of drawing, including the basic elements of mark, line, value, texture, form, space and their dynamics in composition. By translating observed subjects onto two-dimensional surfaces, students explore drawing as a means to self-expression, as a springboard to understanding how ideas are given visible form, and as a cornerstone of artistic practice. Materials fee. Offered each semester.

111 Foundation Perceptual Drawing (0.5)

This course provides a strong visual foundation in fundamental drawing skills. Students explore elements of line, space, texture, and value, as well as their dynamics in composition. Projects emphasize translating observed three-dimensional subjects onto two-dimensional surfaces. In addition, students are introduced to the aesthetics of drawing and drawing as a means of self- expression through the study of old and contemporary masters. Materials fee.

112 Foundation Conceptual Drawing (0.5)

Emphasizing concepts and ideas and using drawing as a means of expression, this studio course for majors and non-majors delves into the dynamics of composition and design principles through the use of a variety of techniques and media. It couples drawing assignments with viewing and discussing contemporary and historical examples to broaden appreciation and understanding of drawing as a method of visual communication. Materials fee.

113 Foundation Color Design (0.5)

Within an art historical context, this course explores an appreciation of color and the interaction of color as it affects one's daily life. Problems are developed to foster investigation and experimentation into the formal properties of color theory and expand creativity in the painter's approach to composition and expressive content. Materials fee.

116 Foundation Ceramics -- Handbuilding (0.5)

In this introductory course that employs handbuilding techniques, the primary emphasis of the class is the student's imaginative approach in solving visual problems. Students are introduced to historical/contemporary approaches to clay. Included in the course are clay mixing, kiln loading, various firing procedures and glaze and surface embellishment. Materials Fee. Offered annually.

117 Foundation Digital Media (0.5)

This course provides the technical and conceptual foundations for use of digital media for artistic expression. The course focuses on the interaction of the conceptual and the technical through readings, lecture, and assignments that address fundamental issues of digital arts: digital reproduction and representation, intermedia, and interface. Students acquire basic technical skills and apply them in the development of digital art projects that span four realms: raster graphics, vector graphics, three-dimensional graphics, and web page construction. This course prepares students for upper level art courses in the curriculum: Motion Graphics, Computer-Based Imagery and Video Art Production.

119 Foundation Ceramics -- Wheel Throwing (0.5)

This introductory course employs wheel throwing techniques in clay. Students are introduced to historical and contemporary approaches to clay. Course includes clay mixing, kiln loading, various firing procedures, and glaze and surface embellishment. Materials fee. Offered each semester.

121 Foundation Ceramics

This course introduces students to the possibilities of artistic expression in clay. Stoneware clay is used to create three-dimensional hand-built and wheel-thrown forms. The course investigates sculptural and functional forms as well as glazing and firing procedures, emphasizing sensitivity to clay medium, color, and three dimensional design. Historical and contemporary approaches to clay are considered. Materials fee.

122 Foundation Sculpture

This beginning studio course in sculpture introduces the aesthetic, conceptual, and technical fundamentals of three-dimensional art-making and design. Students learn how to operate tools safely and efficiently, how to construct things with wood and other materials, and how to describe and discuss sculpture and other objects and spaces. The course uses hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, field trips, and discussion. Materials fee. Offered each Semester.

124 Foundation Photography

This introduction to photography provides majors and non-majors with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of visual art, black and white photography, and digital photography as a medium for artistic expression. Students learn camera operation, black and white film processing, scanning, silver and digital printing, and print presentation and are introduced to the aesthetics and history of photography. Students must provide their own 35 mm camera with manual settings. Materials fee.

LEVEL II STUDIO COURSES

221 Oil/Acrylic Painting

This course develops and stimulates research into the emotional/expressive properties of art-making in the painting media. By investigating thematic compositional and technical problems, students develop a personalized approach to ideas and content. Students learn the importance of process, need for flexibility, how to seek alternatives and how to recognize that a painting has a life of its own. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110), and 113. Materials fee. Offered annually.

222 Watercolor Painting

This course explores the fundamental principles of design, color and composition through the watercolor medium. Through advanced techniques, strong drawing, and exploration of personal ideas, students develop a personal, expressive, visual language. Students are encouraged to move past trite and predictable solutions to seek alternatives, take initiative and celebrate creative risk-taking. Prerequisite: Art 111 and 112 (or 110), and 113 . Materials fee. Offered annually.

223 Sculpture/Metal Casting

This sculpture course introduces lost wax bronze casting, an art and industrial process that changed the course of human civilization. Students learn to cast, finish, and present cast metal work, building upon concepts from the foundation course and exploring the next level of sculpture topics, issues, and concerns. The course makes use of hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, and discussion. Materials fee. Prerequisite: Either Art 116 or 122. Offered annually. Fall Semester only.

224 Sculpture/Direct Metal

This sculpture course introduces students to metal forming, shaping, fastening and brazing, and welding, building upon concepts from the foundation course and presenting the next level of sculpture topics, issues and concerns. Both majors and non-majors discover an art and industrial process that has great artistic and practical application The course makes use of hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, and discussion. Materials fee. Prerequisite: Art 122. Offered annually. Spring Semester only.

225 Architectural Drawing and Design I

Through a sequence of projects, architectural design students learn about drawing (hand drafting and computer-aided drawing and design) and architectural design processes that require the integration of social, artistic, technical and environmental issues. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110). Materials fee. Offered alternate years.

226 Printmaking: Relief and Lithography

Emphasizing individual concepts, personal expression and strong composition, this course explores relief and lithography. Using large-scale, multicolor moveable block, collograph, wood or lino block techniques and lithography stones or aluminum plates in both black and white and color, students produce multiple images on one of the department's three presses. Students become familiar with the heritage of old masters as well as contemporary artists in printmaking. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110). Materials fee. Offered annually.

226 Printmaking: Relief and Lithography

Emphasizing individual concepts, personal expression and strong composition, this course explores relief and lithography. Using large-scale, multicolor moveable block, collograph, wood or lino block techniques and lithography stones or aluminum plates in both black and white and color, students produce multiple images on one of the department's three presses. Students become familiar with the heritage of old masters as well as contemporary artists in printmaking. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110). Materials fee. Offered annually.

227 Printmaking: Intaglio and Monoprints

This course provides a strong foundation in the array of copper plate processes of etching, aquatint, lift ground, soft ground, and polymer plate printmaking processes as well as in painterly monoprinting techniques. Students address personal sources of ideas, experimentation, drawing skills and compositional concerns and draw upon examples of master printmakers to discuss how images reflect culture. Critical thinking skills are necessary in discussion and critiques. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110). Materials fee. Offered annually.

228 Computer-Generated Imagery

This course provides an introduction to the computer as a tool for creating visual art. During the semester, students explore digital painting, drawing, scanning, image manipulation and digitized sound and video. Class projects include digital artist books, posters, and multimedia presentations. Relationships between traditional and electronic art forms are explored. Prerequisites: Art 117 and one other two dimensional foundation course: Art 111, 112, 113 (or 110), or permission of the instructor. Materials fee. Offered annually.

230 Motion Graphics

This course explores the computer as a tool for creating visual images with movement and sound. Emphasizing concept development and creative expression, students investigate time-based software, including animation and video capture programs. The course introduces students to the work of traditional and computer animators. Prerequisites: Art 117 and one other two-dimensional foundation course: Art 111, 112, 113 (or 110), or permission of the instructor. Materials fee. Offered annually.

232 Figure Drawing

Drawing the human form from life has been a mainstay in the training of artists since the Renaissance because of its unparalleled discipline in the training of the eye. Along with becoming better observers, students reach a personal understanding of the figure and an appreciation of its art historical uses. Various media and techniques are explored as a means to understand the expressive possibilities of the figure. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110), and 113. Offered annually.

233 Advanced Drawing

This course, designed for students who want to heighten their drawing skills, emphasizes using expressive qualities of drawing by investigating various media, techniques and content. Assignments are both traditional and nontraditional within historical contemporary perspectives. Experimentation is encouraged. Developing a personal visual language is stressed, culminating in the production of a series of drawings that relate thematically. Critical thinking and discussion skills are important. Prerequisites: Art 111 and 112 (or 110), and 113. Materials fee. Offered annually.

234 Ceramics

This intermediate level course assumes the student has a substantial understanding of ceramic processes, plus a good awareness of his or her own interests in the realm of ceramic expression. The instructor helps students focus their efforts by proposing specific areas of investigation. Prerequisites: Art 116, 119, or 121. Previous studio experience in ceramics is accepted when approved by the instructor. Materials fee. Offered annually.

238 Intermediate Photography

In this intermediate photography course, students explore a variety of techniques and topics. Techniques include historic processes such as cyanotype and salted paper printing, digital photography, Polaroid materials and traditional black and white photography. Experimental approaches and nontraditional forms for presentation are investigated. Photography is investigated from a broad historical, aesthetic and social perspective. This course includes field trips, readings, discussion, and slide presentations. Prerequisites: Art 124 or equivalent. Materials fee. Offered annually.

239 Video Art Production

This course explores video as a creative medium. Students learn basic video production and editing techniques, producing a number of individual and group projects. During the semester we examine a wide variety of videos and films, exploring experimental, documentary, and narrative approaches. The class also considers the history of video art and its relationship to other time-based and static art forms. Prerequisites: Art 117 and one other two-dimensional foundation course: Art 111, 112, 113 (or 110), or permission of instructor. Materials fee. Offered annually.

240 Topics Seminar in Fine Art: Creating Visual Spectacle

The boundaries between the fine arts disciplines of visual art, music, dance, and theater are now seen as completely permeable. This course allows students to combine visual art making with movement, sound, and performance to create visual spectacle. The course is organized around a theme or text set each year by the instructor. The course emphasizes process and collaboration and incorporates readings, discussion, critiques, field trips, guest artists, and studio practice. Prerequisites: At least one full credit (or equivalent) in art, dance, music, or theater. Offered occasionally.

246 Manhattan Interim in New York City

This course provides intensive exposure to career opportunities in the field of art including advertising, graphics, illustration, film, television, computer graphics, architecture, textile design, and fine art (painting, sculpture, etc.). Working five to seven hours a day, students interview over 25 artists/designers during the month, visit more than 100 galleries and museums, and write extensively about artists and artwork. This course does not count toward the minimum major in studio art or art history. Prerequisites: Art 253 (preferred) or Art 252. Offered Interim only.

298 Independent Study: Studio Art

Prerequisites: four foundation courses and two upper division courses in area of study.

LEVEL III: ADVANCED STUDIO COURSES

340 Topics Seminar in Studio Art

This course enables the advanced studio art student to pursue further work in any chosen two or three dimensional medium or combination of media including performance, installation and collaborative ways of working. This course is organized around an interdisciplinary theme set each year by the instructor. Within a seminar format students read, discuss and write on the selected topic in conjunction with topic driven individual studio work and critiques. Prerequisites: two credits of foundation studio courses plus a minimum of two Level II studio courses. Offered annually.

343 Senior Studies in Studio Art

This capstone course in the studio arts program consists of advanced studio work, a visiting artist series, weekly critiques, and discussions with faculty and peers. Each student's independent work with a faculty adviser culminates in a senior exhibition at Flaten Art Museum. Weekly sessions also cover such topics as preparing a resume, taking slides of one's work, framing and producing exhibition announcements and posters.

398 Independent Research: Studio Art

Prerequisites: four foundation courses and three courses in area of study.

ART HISTORY COURSES

All art history courses except Art 298, 350 and 398 have no prerequisites and may be taken in any order.

150 Introduction to Art History I

Discussion section. This introduction to art history examines select artistic traditions among ancient and medieval cultures of Asia and Europe. Through lectures, discussions, and presentations, students develop skills in visual analysis and interpretation, as well as a broad historical exposure to a variety of major historical periods. The course considers a variety of artistic media, including painting, sculpture, and architecture, in addition to broader issues of aesthetics, function, and patronage. Offered annually.

151 Introduction to Art History II

Discussion section. This introduction to art history examines select artistic traditions of Europe, North America, and Africa from c. 1400 to the present. Through lectures, discussions, and other activities, students develop skills in visual analysis and interpretation. The course considers a variety of artistic media, including painting, sculpture, architecture, and textiles, as well as broader issues of aesthetics, function, and patronage. Offered annually.

250 The Arts of the African Diaspora

This course surveys the diverse arts produced by people of African descent in the Americas (U.S. and the Caribbean), from the colonial period to the present. An examination of selected West and Central African cultural practices and art forms serves as a basis for understanding creative transformations in the African Diaspora. Important issues to be addressed include art and resistance, survivals and transformations, and ideas about race and the construction of beauty.

251 Art 1776-1880, Origins of Modernism

Painting, sculpture, and architecture are studied through an introductory exploration of the art and 19th-century European and American cultural and historical forces relating to it. The course examines Neo-Classical art as it expresses Enlightenment thinking, the tumultuous Romantic and Realist imagery and times and ends with Impressionism. Offered periodically during Interim.

252 Art 1880-1950 "The Shock of the New"

This course introduces modern culture and thought through a study of painting, sculpture, architecture and related arts. Students learn about the strikingly new modes of art created in Europe and the United States after 1880, examining work by Edvard Munch, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, the Dadaists, and many others. Offered annually.

253 Art Since 1950

This course is an introduction to modern and postmodern art and thought through a survey of painting, sculpture, and new-media arts produced mostly in the United States since the Cold War era. Students learn about celebrated art and artists, major values informing their work, and ways of analyzing and making sense of newer art. Offered annually.

254 Italian Renaissance Art

This course explores painting, sculpture, architecture and urban development in Italy from c. 1300 to c. 1600. The course focuses on the major urban centers of the period: Florence, Rome and Venice. Students address the ways in which art functioned in its original Renaissance context and explore issues of artistic identity and the importance of patronage in the period. Offered periodically.

255 Italian Art in Context (abroad)

This course is an intensive introduction to the history of the art and architecture of Florence. Through a study of Florence's topography, its built environment, and painted and sculpted imagery, students study the history of Florence from its inception as a Roman colony through the 19th century when Florence was the capital of the newly unified Italian nation. They study of Florence is enriched by travel to other Tuscan cities such as Cortona, Siena, and Lucca. Offered during Interim in alternate years.

259 The Arts of China

This course is intended as an introduction to the history of Chinese art, offering a surveyof major artistic developments from neolithic times to the present. Among the topics considered: ritual bronzes, funerary remains of the Qin and Han, Buddhist sculpture, and the evolution of landscape painting. Important issues discussed include production and patronage, function, and borrowing and influence in the evolution of artistic works across time and space. Offered annually.

260 The Arts of Japan

This course introduces the history of Japanese art, offering a survey of major artistic developments from neolithic times to the present. Among the topics considered: funerary remains of the neolithic through Kofun eras; indigenous as well as imported religious traditions and their imagery, and the secular arts. Issues discussed include production and patronage, function, and borrowing and influence in the evolution of artistic works. Offered annually.

261 History of World Architecture

This course examines architectural monuments and their symbolic forms combined with evidence of earthly and divine concepts. From cave dwellings to geodesic domes, from Eastern to Western systems, students review sacred and profane structures from a variety of cultures. Each student investigates a living reality of space, function, and form found in human-built environments. Offered periodically.

263 Medieval Art

This course explores the arts and architecture of western Europe from c. 300 to c. 1300. Through lectures and discussions students study paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, metalwork, and stained glass windows created by the many cultures of this rich and diverse period in the history of art. Students approach the material in a variety of ways; in addition to issues of style, technique, and iconography, students address issues of viewing, patronage, and gender throughout the semester. Offered periodically.

266 Arts of Scandinavia

This course is an introductory exploration of Scandinavian visual arts and the cultural and historical forces related to them. The span of time, specific cultures covered, and art forms studied varies depending upon the instructor, but it usually focuses on the "Modern Era" (mid-18th through early 20th centuries). Offered periodically during Interim (open to first-year students).

269 African Art History

This course serves as an introductory survey of the diverse arts and cultures of sub-Saharan Africa. Students investigate material culture in its original context to understand the social roles that art plays in many aspects of life. Students also learn to identify and discuss styles, materials, techniques, and the roles of artists. Special topics considered may include: contemporary versus historical art in Africa, notions of "authenticity" and tourist art, cultural heritage and repatriation of art works, and the politics and history of museum display. Offered periodically.

271 Gothic Art

This course explores the art created in Western Europe from 1140-1400 and the revival of the Gothic style in nineteenth-century and twentieth-century Europe and America. The course addresses the rise of the medieval city, the importance of the Cathedral, and ways that new forms of spirituality gave rise to new styles of pictorial arts and architecture. The course ends with a discussion of what Gothic art came to symbolize for people in the centuries after its origins. The course will consist of class discussions, short quizzes, writing assignments and required field trips. A course lab fee will cover the cost of a course reader and the field trips.

275 Topics in Art History

This seminar-style course focuses on a specific art historical topic, and students learn how to pursue art historical practice beyond the introductory level. Topics change with each offering. Prerequisite: at least one art history course or permission of the instructor. Offered annually.

277 Women in Art

This course explores the roles of women as creators, subjects, and patrons of art. It helps students lean about how gender permeates culture and art. Specific topics vary. Each topic introduces a time period and place that has revealed much about gender and visual culture. Students work seminar-style yet at an introductory level for those new to art history or women's studies. Counts toward major in Women's Studies and Art and Art History. Offered periodically.

294 Internship

298 Independent Study: Art History

Prerequisites: two upper division courses in area of study.

350 The Methods of Art History

This seminar explores methods by which art historians and curators analyze works of art. Students develop an advanced understanding of these methods by application of various methods to works of art, by examining historical factors surrounding principle movements in the study of art history and by engaging in lively class debates about them. Readings, discussions, and presentations culminate in an independent research project that allows each student to find his or her own place in the discipline. Prerequisite: two upper division courses in art history.

370 Issues in Art Criticism

This course is for experienced studio and art history students and those interested in contemporary theory. Students directly encounter art and new theory, explore art criticism (in part through practicing it) and learn about ethics to help think about value judgments. Recommended for students contemplating art history or studio graduate work. Prerequisite: completion of BTS-T.

394 Internship

396 Directed Undergraduate Research: "Topic Description"

This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to his/her research interests. Prerequisite: Determined by individual instructor. Offer based on department decision.

398 Independent Research: Art History

Prerequisites: three courses in area of study.

Courses IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS APPROVED FOR ART HISTORY CREDIT

Asian Studies 270, Visual Culture of Modern China
Asian Studies 310, Buddhism thru Text and Image
Environmental Studies 270, Nature and Am Landscapes
Philosophy 243, Aesthetics