University of Rhode Island (The College of Arts & Sciences)

History of the University

The University was chartered as the state's agricultural school in 1888. The Oliver Watson farm was purchased as a site for the school, and the old farmhouse, now restored, still stands on the campus. The school became the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1892, and the first class of 17 members was graduated two years later.


Mission

The University of Rhode Island is the State’s public learner-centered research university. We are a community joined in a common quest for knowledge. The University is committed to enriching the lives of its students through its land, sea, and urban grant traditions. URI is the only public institution in Rhode Island offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the distinctive educational opportunities of a major research university. Our undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, research, and outreach serve Rhode Island and beyond. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are united in one common purpose: to learn and lead together. Embracing Rhode Island ’s heritage of independent thought, we value:

* Creativity and Scholarship
* Diversity, Fairness, and Respect
* Engaged Learning and Civic Involvement
* Intellectual and Ethical Leadership


The College of Arts & Sciences

The College of Arts & Sciences is URI's largest College, with 4,400 students in 43 undergraduate and 15 graduate programs; Our focus is on a vibrant liberal arts core, which we teach within a research university setting. The administrative home of the College is Chafee Hall; our eight-story building is URI's tallest.


Mission Statement

The College of Arts & Sciences encourages excellence in teaching through our academic programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences; engages in internationally renowned programs of research, scholarship, and creative activities; and supports application of knowledge through outreach to serve the changing needs of the state, the country, and the world. The College offers graduate and undergraduate programs of research, scholarship and artistic expression. These programs enable students to understand the intellectual and cultural heritages in the global community, the physical world, rapidly changing technologies, and social, economic, and political developments. The College promotes students’ ethical development and capabilities through critical and independent thinking, reading, and communicating. The College fosters breadth through developing theoretical foundations and basic skills, and depth through providing intellectual challenges explored via intensive study in a field of concentration. Student-faculty interaction is enhanced through independent and collaborative experiences to inspire life-long learning and civic engagement.


Academic Departments and Programs

Fine Arts

Department of Art
The Department of Art at the University of Rhode Island provides a comprehensive program that includes courses in painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking (both intaglio and relief processes), video, filmmaking, photography, graphic design and typography, computer art, and digital media, as well as the history of art and architecture, art theory and criticism. We offer undergraduate degrees in both Studio Art (BFA and BA) and Art History (BA). All students must fulfill the General Education requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, so they receive a broad liberal artists education in addition to their major. The Department of Art has a full-time faculty of eight studio artists and four art historians in addition to several adjunct instructors. The studio art faculty regularly exhibit their work in galleries and museums, and several have established national and international reputations. The art historians are well-known for their scholarly publications, lectures, and presentations at national and international conferences. Some faculty hold joint appointments with programs in Women's Studies, Film Studies, and African and African-American Studies.

Our classes are small, and there are many opportunities for informal discussion with faculty. Students have opportunities for off-campus internships in graphic design, photography, advertising, television, film, museums, galleries, preservation and historical societies, and with commercial companies. The Department also hosts visiting artists and art historians as well as field trips to New York City to visit museums and galleries. In addition to our academic programs, the Fine Arts Center Galleries present exhibitions of contemporary art, lectures by artists and critics, and other special events.

B.A. ART
THE FIELD
The visual arts at URI include painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, digital art and design, photography, film and video, computer imaging, and the history of art. Students work in various media to develop technical skills and to provide opportunities for creative expression as well as hands-on practical experience working closely with artist-instructors on a one-to-one basis. Art History courses expose students to the history and variety of fine arts, crafts, and architecture through the ages, focusing on interpretation and analysis of works within their social, cultural, and historical contexts. The department participates in several interdisciplinary programs on campus including Film Media, 3-D Imaging Group (with Computer Science), Women's Studies, African and African-American Studies, and Underwater Archaeology.

B.A. PROGRAM
The BA Art Major requires from 36 to 45 art credits in Art and Art History of the 120 credits needed for graduation. This program allows students majoring in Art to have double majors, minors, or areas of concentration in subjects of interest such as film media, education, journalism, communications, public relations, computer science, psychology, or textiles, fashion merchandising and design. After the foundation year students select intermediate and advanced courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, video, film, digital art and design, internships or selected topics courses such as figure drawing, collage, and digital photography. Classes in Art History complement the studio offerings.

B.F.A. PROGRAM
The BFA Studio Art Major is a more studio-intensive program requiring 72 Art and Art History credits of the 120 total credits required for graduation. This degree provides more in-depth professional training. After the foundation year students select intermediate and advanced courses in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, video and film, digital art and design, internships or selected topics courses such as figure drawing, collage, and digital photography. Within the BFA major requirements there are opportunities for greater and lesser emphasis on the various media in which courses are offered. Classes in Art History and theory complement the studio offerings


Music Department
URI music: about us

The music department at URI is one of the most vibrant and
exciting at the University, offering a range of degree programs
for those seeking a career in music. Dedicated to excellence
in musical performance, teaching, and scholarship, the URI
music department attracts students from around the country who
are drawn by the quality of the curriculum and the faculty, and the
vitality of the artistic community.

Facilities
The Department of Music is located in the Fine Arts Center, which has separate wings for music, art, and theatre. Each year, more than 100 concerts and recitals are given by faculty, students, guest artists, and departmental ensembles of all sizes and types. The Department of Music hosts two top-quality concert series, Great Performances and the University Artist Series. The Fine Arts Concert Hall has recently been completely renovated, and now features a state-of-the-art lighting system and brand new seating.

The Department provides additional educational opportunities through its Music Preparatory Program, the Fine Arts Computer Laboratory, and the Keyboard Pedagogy Laboratory. The Fine Arts Computer Laboratory has just been renovated and contains state-of-the-art computers, midi keyboards, CD-ROM, and a library of music, art, and theatre software. The Keyboard Pedagogy Laboratory has also been renovated and contains an entirely new keyboard system.

Large classes and rehearsals are held in the recently renovated rehearsal room, which is equipped with a projector, sound system including recording capabilities, and wireless internet.

The University Main Library music collection includes books, scores, periodicals, microfilms, CD recordings, and video cassettes. The Department listening laboratory/resource room contains vinyl and CD recordings, tapes, study scores, solo and ensemble music, and music dictionaries. Each of the major ensembles also has its own library of scores and parts.


URI Theatre
The URI Theatre program provides a conservatory experience within a pre-professional liberal arts setting. The distinguished faculty, guest artists and staff place an equal emphasis on the theoretical and practical understanding of theatre. Artistically vibrant, relevant and rooted in collaboration, our unique production program enriches all students and serves the educational and cultural needs of the university and the greater community.

Theatre is comprised of many areas of interest beyond the highly visible profession of acting. The area of technology and design includes set and property design and construction, lighting and sound design and execution, costume design and construction, and a variety of allied specialties ranging from scenic painting to portfolio preparation. The area of theatre management includes production, stage management, front-of-house, box office management, and public relations. The study of theatre aesthetics, criticism, playwriting, and history translates into work as a dramaturgy, critic, or literary manager. There is also the artistic area of directing and, in relation to the other performing arts - music and dance, musical direction and choreography. All of these areas are applicable to the allied media arts of film, television, and video. And each of these allied areas requires personnel with theatrical training to serve as theatrical agents, business managers casting directors, producers, or arts administrators.

In addition to these purely professional performance or production applications, there is the area of theatre education. More and more, theatre is being creatively applied to non-arts disciplines in the development of new fields, e.g., psychotherapy, rehabilitation, tourism. A number of disciplines, especially those in which public image and presentation skills are essential, are recommending theatre training, e.g., law, executive training, medicine, and marketing.

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The College of Arts & Sciences Art School Location

Other art schools in Rhode Island

Rhode Island College (Art Department) The Department of Art provides a dynamic environment for learning. Students and faculty maintain high standards in a competitive yet supportive commun... Address: 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue

Salve Regina University (Department of Art) The Salve Regina Department of Art offers a unique opportunity to study the visual arts within the context of a strong liberal arts education. We are ... Address: 100 Ochre Point Avenue

Bryant University (College of Arts and Sciences) About Bryant Throughout our 144-year history, Bryant has been building the knowledge and character of our students to help them achieve success. We... Address: 1150 Douglas Pike

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