Art Major: Art Studio Concentration

Advice for Majors

Declare your major as soon as you are relatively certain of it. Select an advisor in the Art Department -- consult him or her frequently.

Art History - 2 units required

Whenever possible:

Take the introductory art history courses in your first or second year.
Take these courses prior to specialized courses.
Try to complete all art history requirements prior to the senior year, as these courses help to prepare you for the senior seminars.
Avoid transferring credit from other programs, if possible. Our art historians appreciate studio majors and are outstanding scholars.

Art Studio - 7 units required

Take a range of art studio courses from all permanent faculty in the first three years. A selection should be made to cover drawing, a color course (painting, printmaking), photography, a three-dimensional design course, and a course in new or emerging media.

AP credit in art studio cannot be counted towards the major, but students who receive a score of 5 on the art studio AP exam may receive one unit of general studies credit. Transfer students should consult the department.

Senior Capstone - 2 units required

Students are required to take AS411 (NY trip/Senior Seminar) and AS411 (extended format thesis work).

The most challenging and rewarding requirement for the majority of studio majors is the senior capstone. Preparation for this will test your ability to work independently on a subject that you have identified as being personally significant. The final work may take a number of forms, ranging from traditional subject matter and presentation to mixed media environments. Your progress will be critiqued on a regular basis throughout the senior year. Although some elements of the capstone may reflect class projects, you are expected to produce a coherent individual statement, rather than a survey of prior course work. Before declaring your major, you should think carefully about this requirement, and discuss it in greater detail with a faculty member in the Department.

Foreign Study (optional)

Try to get into a program that is scheduled for your sophomore year, or fall semester junior year. Foreign study can be a disadvantage for students who are off-campus in the spring semester of their junior year but don’t rule it out if it is the only time possible. Keep in mind that some courses and programs aimed at preparing you for the senior year are offered in the spring of your junior year. Remember only three art studio courses taken off campus can be counted towards the major.

All-College Requirements

Try to have these completed prior to your senior year. In particular, finish the scientific inquiry requirement. Note that several art history courses fulfill the Global Cultures and Social Inequality requirements. It is highly recommended to take courses for the all-college requirements that also interest you. In other words, use this as an opportunity to grow as a person and inform your work as an artist.

Art Major Planning Worksheets

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Art Studio Minor

Minor in Studio Art (6 units)

Five Studio Art units and one unit in Art History. Three of the Studio Art units have to be above the 100 level. The first two 100-level units provide both a conceptual and technical introduction to studio practices. The remaining three units allow each student to investigate specific disciplines, such as painting, video, or printmaking, at a more advanced level. The unit of art history is in keeping with the philosophy of the Art Department that serious study of studio art must involve some knowledge of art history. Only Colorado College courses may count towards the minor, which is open only to non-art majors.

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Department Involvement

Involve yourself in Art Department activities: lectures, field trips, workshops, student organizations, and life drawing. Work on your art, above and beyond your class assignments.

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