University of Alabama at Birmingham (Department of Art and Art History )

About UAB

In the past four decades, UAB has evolved into a world-renowned research university and health care center, Alabama’s single largest employer, and the economic engine of Birmingham with an impact of more than $3 billion on the area. With more than 18,000 students, 19,000 faculty and staff, and a campus covering more than 80 city blocks, UAB is on the leading edge of teaching, research, health care, and community service.

The UAB Vision
UAB’s vision is to be an internationally renowned research university — a first choice for education and health care.

The UAB Mission
UAB’s mission is to be a research university and academic health center that discovers, teaches and applies knowledge for the intellectual, cultural, social and economic benefit of Birmingham, the state and beyond.


Academics

UAB is increasingly a first choice for education because it blends classroom teaching with countless opportunities to gain firsthand experience throughout the city, allowing students to face career challenges long before they receive a diploma. The university offers nearly 140 academic degrees through 12 schools and a large graduate school.


Department of Art and Art History

We offer Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Art History and Art Education. The faculty members in these programs are outstanding, and committed to their teaching and studio/research work.

The Visual Arts Gallery, a key component of the program, showcases a continuously changing series of exhibitions of contemporary art, as well as a permanent collection of over 500 works across a range. The slide library is an important resource for all parts of the program.

The Department utilizes the rich cultural resources of Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city. We work closely with the Birmingham Museum of Art and Space One Eleven, among others, to offer internships and collaborative projects. Our faculty and students exhibit in local, regional and national galleries, and contribute to many community-based projects. There is a lively and continuously developing arts and culture scene in the city.

We have a number of exciting collaborative projects, including a documentary film course, and we have a number of unique study opportunities – including classes in the Southwest and New York City, and an Honors program in the Studio Arts.

It is an exciting time to be a student in the department. We offer new courses each year, and continually enhance our facilities and equipment. Refer to the University’s online catalogue for information regarding the courses and degrees offered by the Department.


Programs

Ceramic Sculpture
The Ceramics program is housed on the ground floor of the Hulsey Center from the Arts and Humanities. The program covers all aspects of the ceramic medium including hand-building, slip casting, mold making, wheel-throwing, kiln firing, and construction, clay making and glaze formulation. Courses are offered in both ceramic sculpture and wheel thrown ceramic. Clay-making facilities exist for the formulation of a variety of clay bodies. Kiln facilities exist for oxidation, reduction, salt, raku, and primitive sawdust fittings. Internships are available with local artists for upper level students. Student produce works in a broad spectrum of aesthetic genre from small objects to large-scale installations.

Drawing
The drawing program offers a solid foundation in fundamentals. The beginning course of study focuses on traditional media and representational drawing from the still life and model. At the advanced level, students develop individual projects that critically explore personal approaches with complex and diverse media. Experimental approaches in contemporary drawing are cultivated. Newly designed drawing rooms allow for a diverse curriculum from beginning level courses to advanced seminars and independent study.

Graphic Design
Graphic design is a field with many diverse opportunities. A designer might work in advertising, publishing, web design, multimedia, television or film, animation, and exhibition design, or any number of other fields Consequently, the graphic design curriculum at UAB is grounded in the foundations of art and developed in a solid range of graphic design and related courses. It provides students the opportunities to learn concepts and skills necessary to create competitive graphic design portfolios, improve presentation skills, and gain knowledge of professional practices.

Although students can take graphic design courses as a B.A. major, it is strongly encouraged that students who aspire to a career in graphic design will graduate with a B.F.A. degree
.
Internships in Graphic Design
An important component of the program is internship. This course gives real world, on-the-job experience that helps students transition into professional designers. UAB’s location in the largest metropolitan center in Alabama gives students opportunities for internship at many of the state‘s largest design firms and advertising agencies as well as in-house design at publishers, printers and other industries.

Painting
The painting program is housed in a newly renovated studio on the
third floor of the Humanities Building. The studio offers
designated areas for beginning, intermediate and advanced painting, a workshop and four individual studios for BFA students. All students begin in ARS 210 using oil paint with an academic approach to observational painting of the still life and self-portraiture as a means for learning to master the language of paint. At the intermediate and advanced levels, students are exposed to contemporary theory, encouraged to go beyond the technical issues of paint, to explore other processes and media, to address conceptual purpose and to begin developing a personal aesthetic.

Photography
The photography program offers a diverse curriculum of traditional darkroom techniques and concepts in black and white photography. Color slides and alternative print media are offered at the intermediate level. Students are encouraged to take an Internship after they have completed intermediate photography. Because the university is in an urban setting there is a wide range of choices for internships available. At the advanced level, students work independently examining individual and experimental approaches to photographic media. A wide-range of digital technology courses are offered. These incorporate the use of leading edge software and are taught in modern computer labs.

Printmaking
The printmaking program is a highly rigorous one that pursues both traditional and contemporary approaches to image making. The program supports the critical investigation of printmaking as craft, and examines its role as a vehicle for expression in historical and current contexts. While focused on developing sound technical skills for the student, the program is designed to also incorporate the exploration of printmaking as it can pertain to inter-disciplinary practices.

Classes are designed to challenge the student in terms of concept and individual content, and are mediated with dialogue pertaining to aesthetics, technology and ideology. The studio is well-equipped and set up to engage in intaglio, lithographic, relief, photo-mechanical, digital and a wide range of experimental processes.


Degrees Offered:

- B.A. Art Studio
B.A. Major and Minor
The B.A. major in Studio Art is a degree offered for students who seek a liberal arts education with a specific emphasis in art and design. Students seeking this degree may pursue a limited concentration in one of the studio areas: ceramic sculpture, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking or sculpture and may choose any minor that the university offers.

- B.F.A Art Studio
The B.F.A. degree is offered for students who seek a more concentrated undergraduate professional education in ceramic sculpture, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Students who intend to pursue professional careers in art and design or who plan to pursue graduate study culminating in the M.F.A. degree are strongly encouraged to seek admission to the B.F.A. program. Admission to the university does not guarantee acceptance into the B.F.A. program. Students apply by submitting a portfolio for review by the B.F.A. committee. Portfolios are reviewed twice each year, in fall and spring terms. Students may not apply for admission to the B.F.A. program until they have completed 15 hours of art studio, with a minimum of six hours at UAB, and all of the 100-level studio requirements.

- B.A. Art History
The Department of Art and Art History offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with a concentration in Art History. To prepare students for a wide range of careers and graduate study, the degree program emphasizes skills in critical thinking and visual literacy and a broad knowledge of art history across time periods and cultures. Museum studies, study abroad (including Italy, New York, and the Southwest) and internships are also offered

- M.A. Art History
The University of Alabama at Birmingham and The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, jointly offer a graduate program leading to the Master of Arts degree in Art History which prepares students for further academic study at the doctoral level or for professional careers in museums, galleries, and other arts-related fields. Students may enroll on either campus and must take at least 6 hours of course work at each. The M.A. program offers a wide range of art history courses and graduate seminars. Possible areas of concentration include Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century/Contemporary, and Asian Art. The small size of the program affords graduate students the opportunity to work closely with individual faculty members on both campuses in seminars and directed research projects. The M.A. in Art History provides students with a thorough grounding in art history, critical thinking, and research methods. Degree requirements include 24 hours of art history course work, a reading knowledge of French or German, a comprehensive examination, and a thesis.

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Department of Art and Art History Art School Location

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