Art
Lisa Bixenstine Safford (1988), Chair, Professor of Art
B.F.A., B.A., M.A., Kent State University;
M.A., Ph.D., Ohio State University
Linda A. Bourassa (1987), Professor of Art
B.F.A., Syracuse University;
M.A., M.F.A., The University of Iowa
Christopher T. Ryan (2004), Assistant Professor of Art
B.A., John Carroll University;
M.A., University of Virginia;
M.F.A., Bowling Green
George S. Schroeder (1962), Professor Emeritus of Art
B.F.A., M.F.A., Kent State University
Department web address:
http://admission.hiram.edu/learn/majors/major.php?id=28
Introduction
The art department is in a new home beginning in Fall of ‘07. The new Gelbke Fine Art Center is a converted factory with 26,000 square feet of renovations designed by the award-winning Cleveland firm of Richard Fleishman and Architects, Inc. Our total classroom and working spaces are greatly enlarged and we now offer classes in studios dedicated to printmaking, ceramics and 3-d art, drawing and painting, photography and, soon, digital arts. There is also a 70 seat auditorium for slide lectures and films, a small seminar room for art history classes, and an area for individual student studios. As always, most studios and darkrooms remain open for student use around the clock, seven days a week. A new secured gallery offers opportunities for student, faculty and guest artists to exhibit their works. The Art Department also maintains a large collection of slides of historical and contemporary art and architecture.
Requirements for Art Major
A minimum of 35 semester hours of course work, which must include:
Art 102 Color and Design
Art 110 Beginning Drawing
Art 130 History of Western Art
Art 249 Contemporary Media
Art 427 or Art 428 Early Modern Art
Art 429 Contemporary Art
Art 471 Senior Studio II
Each student majoring in art is expe cted to present a portfolio for review by the department faculty in the second semester of the junior year, to do advanced work in at least one medium, such as drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, or ceramics, and to exhibit his or her work in the Senior Exhibition during the spring semester of the senior year.
Requirements for Art History Major
A minimum of 35 semester hours of course work, including at least two courses in studio art, and must include:
Art 130 History of Western Art
Art 427 or Art 428 Early Modern Art
Art 429 Contemporary Art
Art 481 Independent Research
The student majoring in art history must also prove competence in a language at the 103 level, preferably French.
Requirements for Art Minors
A minimum of 20 semester hours of studio art courses, which must include:
Art 102 Color and Design
Art 110 Beginning Drawing
Art 130 History of Western Art
Requirements for Art History Minors
A minimum of 20 semester hours of art history courses and must include:
Art 130 History of Western Art
Requirements for Photography Minors
A minimum of 20 semester hours and will include:
Art 120
Art 244 or Art 130
One course from among: Art 102, Art 110, or Art 249
One course from among: Art 240, Art 245, Art 246, or Art 247
Art 346
General Art Courses
106 Introduction to Art IM 4 hours
This introduction to architecture, sculpture and pictures offers a variety of approaches to the study of art. Works of historical and contemporary art will be examined from formal, structural, stylistic and cultural points of view. The nature and demands of specific media and materials will be addressed.
Art History
130 History of Western Art IM 4 hours
This course is an overview of the major epochs in Western Art, and establishes a conceptual framework for the further study of Art History. Beginning with the prehistoric period, we will trace the development of art and architecture in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, and the Aegean. We will move to the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome and their successors, the Medieval cultures of Christian Europe, Renaissance Italy, and the Baroque era to modern times. Students will be introduced to art historical method through reading and writing assignments.
221 Ancient Art IM 3 hours
This course will deal primarily with the Greco-Roman world, from Archaic and Classical Greece through Alexander’s conquests and the Roman Empire. Throughout the course, special consideration will be given to exciting recent developments in archaeology.
222 Medieval Art IM 4 hours
Medieval art was born in the chaotic world of the late Antique Mediterranean. This course will consider the material culture of the new Byzantine, Islamic, and Carolingian civilizations which grew up on the ruins of the Roman Empire. Then the rise of Western Europe will be considered, and with it the synthesis of artistic traditions which culminated in the classic Romanesque and Gothic styles. Particular attention will be paid to the relationship between the Greco-Roman tradition and the requirements of the new religions. A revised version of this course is offered for three credit hours as Art 223. A student may receive credit for only one of these courses.
223 Medieval Art IM 3 hours
See Art 222 for a description of this course.
224 19th Century American Art IM 3 hours
This course consists of a review of the history of painting and sculpture in America. Emphasis will be given to the art of the 19th century and the effects of the American Experience such as the influence of European culture, the Puritan heritage, the wilderness, the frontier, slavery and racism, war, the industrial revolution and technology in art.
225 American Art and Architecture IM 4 hours
This course will survey the history of painting and sculpture and architecture in America from the early colonial era to the mid-20th century. Aspects of the American experience such as the influence of European culture, the Puritan heritage, the wilderness, the frontier, slavery and racism, war, the industrial revolution and technology will be explored as they affect the development of artistic traditions in America.
226 A New York Frame of Mind 3 hours
Taught in New York City after a period of preparatory study on campus, this course will explore the city, paying attention to its rich architecture, vast collections, and colossal engineering, and how all of these reflect American creativity, ingenuity, and social aspirations. The role of New York as a center of creative innovation in the art of the twentieth century will be examined.
228 Japanese Art History IM 4 hours
This survey is an introduction to periods in Japanese artistic development from the Neolithic age (3,500-200 B.C.), to the Chinese inspired Buddhist periods (6-9th century, AD), to the emergence of uniquely Japanese art forms in the last millennium. Students will investigate period styles, artistic methods, and aesthetic principles of beauty and truth.
229 Masterpieces of Italian Art IM 3 hours
This course will examine some of the major achievements in Italian art and architecture from the Middle Ages through the Baroque. After preparation on campus, the class will travel to Italy for on-site study in Rome, Florence, and elsewhere.
244 The History of Photography IM 4 hours
This course begins with the discoveries of Niepce, Daguerre, and Talbot and the first practical methods using the camera and light sensitive substances. While significant discoveries and inventions are noted, this course attempts to view photography primarily through the ideas and images of its practitioners. Photography is considered as a major form of visual expression and communication. Particular attention is given to the dominant visual and aesthetic modes of the 19th and 20th centuries.
250 Film Analysis IM 4 hours
This course will examine the ways in which the film medium operates as an art form. Production, editing, lighting, sound, film genres and auteur analysis will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on narrative film, with its basic unit the shot, and some examples of non-narrative introduced for comparison. Most screening will be integrated into class time. One or two field trips will be taken to view current art theatre releases. A revised version of this course is offered for three credit hours as Art 253. A student may receive credit for only one of these courses.
253 Film Analysis IM 3 hours
See Art 250 for a description of this course.
280 Seminar 1 - 4 hours
281 Independent Study 1 - 4 hours
298 Field Experience 1 - 4 hours
320 Art of India 3 hours
The South Asian sub-continent possesses one of the richest artistic reserves on earth produced by continuously active cultural centers among the oldest in the world. It is a region that gave rise to two world religions--Hinduism and Buddhism, and was the home to two others - Islam and Christianity, all of which fostered artistic production on a magnificent scale. This is an illustrated lecture course on the fine arts of India, with some references to art produced in Pakistan, Bangladesh , Nepal and Sri Lanka. The course will examine the arts of paintings, sculpture, and architecture created from Prehistoric times to the era of British occupation. Corresponding to the three weeks of the course, three eras will be highlighted: The prehistoric and Vedic Age, when the roots of Hinduism were established; the Buddhist era; and the Islamic era. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the historical and cultural events and significant individuals who shaped the appearance and content of Indian art, the purposes of works of art; their media and technique, and their style. Significant contextual issues relating to geography, religion, literature, and other art forms will be addressed both in class discussions and via student research papers.
323 Italian Renaissance Art IM 4 hours
Beginning with the Late Gothic and Proto-Renaissance styles of 14th-century Italy, this course will concentrate on the formal developments in the art of great masters such as Giotto and Duccio. The beginning of the Florentine Renaissance in the 15th-century art of Ghiberti, Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Masaccio will be examined in detail and the ramifications of their stylistic revolution explored in the work of later artists. A similar study of the High Renaissance will follow, with particular attention to the art of Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael, and the course will conclude with a look at the very different art of Renaissance Venice. We will explore the cultural background of the Renaissance: the cities, contemporary philosophy, Humanism, and the role of the patron. Consideration will be given to our changing understanding of the nature of the period, especially in regard to its attempted synthesis of Humanism and Christianity.
324 Baroque Art IM 4 hours
The Roman church enlisted artists and architects in the spiritual armies of the Counter-Reformation, calling for the creation of a new art, persuasive and magnificent. The result was an explosion of brilliant artistic activity which spread to all parts of a newly wealthy and cosmopolitan Europe. Baroque is the age of the great virtuoso artists — Bernini, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Velazquez, Poussin — and of their great courtly patrons, such as Louis XIV, the Roman popes, and the Hapsburg and Stuart monarchs. The art is marked by a broad range of styles and themes, from the grandiloquent to the most intimate. The course will explore this dynamic period, from the Counter-Reformation through the Rococo phase of the 18th century, taking advantage of the excellent Baroque collections in local museums.
380 Seminar 1 - 4 hours
381 Topics 1 – 4 hours
424 The 19th Century European Art IM 3 hours
This abbreviated version of Art 425 focuses on 19th century painting. See Art 425 for a description of this course. A student may receive credit for only one of these courses.
425 The 19th Century European Art IM 4 hours
In the wake of the cluster of revolutions (political, intellectual, industrial), the arts underwent a series of rapid, even revolutionary changes of their own. Neo-Classicism, Romanticism, and Realism, closely paralleling literary and political trends, were each proposed and opposed with polemical fury. By mid-century, the great traditions of classical Western art, stretching back to Periclean Athens, were under siege, finally to be discarded in the art of the Impressionists. As the century and the course end, Paris has replaced Rome as the center of the art world, bourgeois patronage has replaced the aristocratic, the very purpose of painting has changed, and the post-Impressionists are laying the stylistic foundations of modern art. A revised version of this course is offered for three credit hours as Art 424. A student may receive credit for only one of these courses.
427 Early Modern Art IM 3 hours
See Art 428 for a description of this course.
428 Early Modern Art IM 4 hours
This course will examine the painting and sculpture of Europe and America beginning with Post-Impressionism (1880s) and ending with Surrealism (1940s). The course will include a travel component to New York and Philadelphia. Students will explore the critical issues underlying cubism and its many offshoots, including Futurism, German Expressionism, Russian Contructivism, and Dada. In America, the urban scene, the machine age, and the Depression will be explored as they served to shape the art of this period. A revised version of this course is offered for three credit hours as Art 427. A student may receive credit for only one of these courses.
429 Contemporary Art IM 4 hours
Contemporary Art will explore developments in American and European visual art since 1945, including Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, abstraction, minimal, conceptual, performance and environmental art, neo-expressionism, and the idea of postmodernism. This course will highlight the contributions of minority and women artists and explore ethical issues associated with the art of modern times.
481 Independent Research 1 - 4 hours
Studio Courses
Foundation
102 Color and Design 4 hours
This is an introduction to the principles of two-dimensional organization. Topics will include unity, emphasis, balance, proportion, rhythm, shape, space, value, and color. Problems and concepts in design will be worked out in practice. The course will aim to develop the student’s creative resources and critical ability.
108 Studio Processes: Ideas & Issues CM 3 hours
This course explores what it means to be a practicing studio artist. Students examine the working methods and processes of artists past and present in order to understand how artists go about their creative work. Emphasis will be placed upon how artists develop ideas and find effective ways to visually communicate them, rather than on skill and technique development. In addition to doing research, writing several short essays, discussing readings and film, and making trips to art related locations, students will incorporate what they’re learning into their own studio art projects. Students will have the opportunity to work in drawing, painting, collage, and mixed media.
110 Beginning Drawing 4 hours
This course will seek to develop the student’s sensitivity and awareness of volume and space, light and shade, and surface and structure by addressing fundamental problems in perception and representation. It will also acquaint the beginner with basic principles of pictorial form. Students will work in a variety of media including pencil, charcoal, chalk, and ink. Class work will include drawing from still life, landscape, and the human figure.
249 Contemporary Media 4 hours
This course is intended for art majors and minors and those with an interest in contemporary art. Projects include designing a postcard suite, artist’s books, video, and site specific installation. Emphasis will be placed on the development of ideas, composition, sequencing, and experimentation.
Drawing and Painting
110 Beginning Drawing 4 hours
See description above.
204 Oil Painting 4 hours
This course offers an in-depth introduction to the materials, techniques, and uniquely expressive possibilities of painting. Students will explore ways in which an artist can structure a painting, with an emphasis on value and issues of color. Students will experience a variety of conceptual and technical approaches to painting, ranging from traditional to contemporary. An emphasis will be placed on observational painting, but students will also explore experimental methods as they begin to formulate their own painterly “language.” Prerequisites: Art 102 or 110, or permission of the instructor.
211 Intermediate Drawing 3 hours
This course expands upon the work begun in Art 110 Beginning Drawing, by addressing more sophisticated drawing problems involving 2D and 3D spatial composition, color, value/shading, surface texture, and the passage of time. Students will investigate various reference sources such as photography, memory, and direct observation, and will work from the human figure, still lives, and interior and exterior spaces. Emphasis will also be placed on the development of individual vision, style, and content. Prerequisites: Art 110, or permission of the instructor.
214 Watercolor 3 hours
An introduction to the materials and creative possibilities of transparent watercolor, the course will explore materials, tools and techniques, touching on a range of approaches to the medium, including the use of transparent watercolor in combination with other drawing and painting media. Prerequisite: Art 102 or Art 110 or permission.
216 Figurative Painting & Drawing 3 hours
Students will work from the live model to develop observational representation skills. Emphasis will be placed on analysis of the human figure and surface anatomy, as well as on finding creative and expressive solutions to representing the human form. Students can elect to work in drawing media, painting media, or a combination of the two. Prerequisites: Art 102, 110, 204, or permission of the instructor.
340 Intermediate Painting 4 hours
This course will continue the exploration of painting methods and processes begun in ART 204: Oil Painting. Students will expand their repertoire of painting materials and techniques, and explore a variety of formal and conceptual approaches to painting. Issues pertaining to color, spatial composition, mark-making, and surface texture, and the use of direct and indirect visual sources will be examined in-depth. Students will have the opportunity to develop individual subject-matter and content in their work as they discover their own unique pictorial “language." Prerequisites: Art 204, or permission of the instructor.
Photography
120 Fundamentals of Photography 4 hours
This studio course is an introduction to photography as an art medium. Instruction includes basic operation and use of the camera, methods of determining exposure and darkroom procedure, black and white film processing, printing, composition, lighting, and presentation. The course emphasizes the camera as an instrument for seeing and expression, rather than simply recording. The creative potential of the medium is emphasized through assignments, critiques, and examination of work by other photographers.
238 Digital Darkroom 4 hours
The course uses the Maclab as a darkroom for scanning, image production, and printing photographs. Students will learn to navigate on the Mac computer as well as learning Adobe Photoshop. Assignments will be given to teach the tools, menus, palettes, and layers. Creativity will also be emphasized. Prerequisite: 120.
240 Intermediate Photography 4 hours
For students who wish to further explore the possibilities of photography as an art medium. The structure of the class will be project oriented with assignments and deadlines given. Slide presentations, technical demonstrations, and critiques will be the focus of class time. Emphasis will be placed on further developing the student’s seeing and visual expression, including mastering of printing technique and composition. Individual interests will also be encouraged and explored. Prerequisite: Art 120 or permission.
245 Creative Photography: Large Format 3 hours
This course is a further exploration of photography as an art medium as well as a historical perspective on large format photography. Students will study the early view camera inventors and practitioners while also getting hands-on training in shooting, developing, and printing 4x5 film. Prerequisite: Art 120 or permission.
246 Creative Photography: Field Experience 3 hours
This course is designed to provide photography students with a sustained shooting experience in a variety of different environments. The emphasis will be on landscape photography both in natural and urban settings. Students will shoot film or digitally and will produce a portfolio of 20 work prints produced en route through film labs. As travel will be an important component, there will be a travel fee. Prerequisite: Art 120 or permission.
247 Creative Photography in Color 3 hours
This course is a further exploration of photography as an art medium. We will study the history of the development of color film and printing while getting hands-on experience shooting and printing color materials. Prerequisite: Art 120 or permission.
346 Advanced Photography 4 hours
A studio course concerned with advanced problems of photographic image making. Emphasis will be placed on developing a unified body of work and furthering technical mastery. An effort is made to recognize and focus individual interests. Art 120 and Creative or Intermediate Photography are prerequisites.
Ceramic Art
230 Fundamentals of Ceramics CM 4 hours
Designed to provide an introduction to ceramic art for the beginner or for those with some experience in working with clay. The focus of this course is to develop students' artistic and technical foundation and to prepare for further ceramics courses and possibly graduate ceramics art programs. Class time will consist of both studio and lecture, and a written exam of concepts and factual material is given. The text will be used to introduce and elaborate on working methods, to illustrate the work of ceramic artists as a basis for class discussion, and to develop historic and cross cultural perspectives of clay work. Studio work explores the creative potential of clay through several projects including pinch, coil, slab, wheel thrown forms. Basic procedures of studio etiquette and safety, forming, drying, decorating, firing, and glazing will also be introduced. Class critiques will involve students in evaluation and constructive criticism of form, function, expression, and refinement of technique. There is a lab fee for materials and students must provide their own basic tools.
330 Intermediate Ceramics 4 hours
For students who wish to further explore the possibilities of clay as an artistic medium. Potential students should have previous experience with basic hand building techniques, wheel work, and glazing. Emphasis will be on the application of more advanced construction techniques and the development of individual ideas. Areas that will be investigated include: methods of clay body development, the potential of various clay bodies, glaze types and glaze formulation and testing, and firing methods including pit, raku, electric, gas, and wood. These concepts and methods will be taught through group and individual projects. There is a lab fee for materials, and students must provide their own basic tools. Prerequisites: Art 230 or equivalent.
4xx Advanced Ceramics (PA) 4 hours
Students propose specific projects using previously developed techniques to produce a body of refined work that explores a particular theme or idea. Necessary elements of the works are a fine degree of artistic and technical refinement, advanced conceptual content, and well developed and critical writing about the work. Rigorous critiques will occur. Students will learn how to produce quality photographic images of the work, how to develop and disseminate advertising materials, how to display work effectively, and how to set up a public show. The class culminates in a formally developed and advertised show that is open to the public. There is a lab fee for materials, and students must provide their own basic tools. Prerequisites: Art 330 or equivalent.
The following interdisciplinary course provides further opportunity to learn about clay and human cultures throughout prehistory and history:
INTD 374 The Nature of Clay CM
A study of the origins and properties of clay and its impact on human endeavors. The course will begin by examining the origins of human involvement with clay and how it is thought to have been involved in the cultural shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural lifestyles. Chemical composition and characteristics, geological origins, and the importance of clay to agriculture and industrial society will be studied. Geological metamorphosis of clay will be compared to the changes occurring in the kiln firing process. Readings will acquaint the student with the world's diverse ceramic traditions, past and present. Experiential components of the course include digging naturally occurring clay for class use, construction and firing of clay objects representative of different times and cultures, primitive pit and wood firings, and field trips to museums and an industrial pottery manufacturer. An individual research project is required. There is a lab and field trip fee, and some basic tools will be provided.
Printmaking
218 Printmaking, Intaglio 4 hours
An introduction to the materials and methods of intaglio printmaking. In addition to covering the proper use of the etching press and basic printing methods, instruction includes plate preparation, application of ground, preparation and use of mordants, inks, and papers. The course includes etching, drypoint, and aquatint. The student is encouraged to develop a creative approach in the use of these traditional techniques. Copper plates and paper are provided by the department. Prerequisite: Art 102 or 110 or permission.
219 Printmaking, Relief 3 hours
This course is an introduction to the materials and techniques of relief linocut and woodcut print- making. Students will learn the transfer of designs, methods of cutting and gouging, and the registering and printing of blocks with a variety of inks and papers. Traditional as well as alternative methods will be explored. Linoleum, wood, and paper will be provided by the department. Prerequisite: Art 102 or 110 or permission.
220 Printmaking, Studio Survey 4 hours
This course will examine the processes of monoprint, linoart, woodcut, relief and intaglio etching, and silkscreen. Given assignments in each media, the student will be encouraged to develop a creative approach. Some materials will be provided. Prerequisite 102 or 110 or permission.
Additional Courses
213 Sculpture 4 hours
This course aims to develop the student’s ability to see, conceive, and build forms in three dimensions. Critical elements for presenting three dimensional form in space are explored and refined by creating a series of projects from clay and by producing novel forms through assemblage of found objects and construction composed of elements of complex natural forms. Students are required to learn and practice basic elements of presenting and critiquing their work. Clay, plaster, and other media are used. There is a fee for materials.
251 Teaching the Visual Arts, PreK-12 3 hours
Focusing on NAEA standards and Ohio’s Comprehensive Arts Model, this course emphasizes standards, scope and sequence, resources, learning activities, teaching strategies, technology and evaluation techniques appropriate for teaching the visual arts. The course will provide the student with an understanding of issues and the teaching/learning processes appropriate for early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescent art education.
260 Environmental Art CM 4 hours
This course will incorporate environmental awareness with creative artistic responses to issues through the contemporary visual arts. It is intended to stimulate students seeking to learn about art placed in natural environments, art originating from natural objects, as well as to express statements on the environment through art. The primary studio focus will be on students creating their own art work in response to the study of environmental issues as well as what is learned from readings about contemporary environmental artists and their works. Also listed as Environmental Studies 260.
281 Independent Study 1 - 4 hours
350 Digital Art I 4 hours
This studio course combines digital media with more traditional forms of hands-on techniques taken from painting, drqwing, and printmaking. Creative exercises are given to introduce students to raster and vector software, scanning, and ink-jet printing. In addition, students will explore the aesthetics, concepts, and recent history of digital art production in 2-D. Students are required to have taken either Beginning Drawing or Color and Design, and either Painting or Printmaking. Students with a high degree of skill in drawing and painting may seek to forego the prerequisite with permission of the instructor. Pre-requisite: ART 110 or ART 102 and ART 204 or ART 220 or Permission of Instructor.
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471 Senior Studio I 4 hours
An advanced course in the disciplines of the artist.
472 Senior Studio II 4 hours
481 Independent Research 1 - 4 hours
498 Internship Program: Field Experience 1 - 4 hours