University of Arkansas - Fayetteville (Art Department)

Degrees

The department offers two undergraduate programs of study, the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The University also offers a master's degree in studio art, the Master of Fine Arts. Bachelor of Arts Degree transfer students should confer with the chairperson of the department prior to entrance for information concerning entrance requirements and transfer credits.

BA or BFA?
Studio majors have the option of pursuing either the BA or the BFA degree. The BA degree has a total of 124 hours, including 44 hours in Art, about 66 hours of college and university core classes, and 18-21 hours of electives, which may be in art or in other departments. The BFA, by contrast, requires 128 total hours, with 84 hours of art credits and 44 hours of university and college core. What this means is that as a BFA you take twice as much art/art history. If you are planning to become a professional artist or go on to graduate school in art, then this is the degree for you. BFAs take less math, less language, less science than BAs.

You cannot apply for admission to the BFA program until you have completed at least the first three of the six BFA foundation classes. Application consists of a written application and portfolio review.


Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Bachelor of Arts Degree

The Bachelor of Arts, BA, is a liberal arts degree consisting of 124 hours, with emphasis in either studio art or art history/criticism. The course of study is designed to offer students a broad cultural education.


Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree

The Bachelor of Fine Arts program is for those students who are looking for pre-professional training in the field of visual art. Students must have a 3.00 or higher grade point average in art courses and at least a 2.00 GPA overall before making application to the BFA program. In addition, you must complete the following foundation core classes: Drawing I, 2-D Design, and 3-D Design.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts program is designed to offer students a more specialized program of study. Because there is a greater emphasis on art courses than in the BA program, the student graduates with a more intensive studio background. The BFA program allows students to work closely with instructors resulting in greater attention and advancement in the student's work. Depending on availability and seniority, there is some studio space available to upper level BFA students.

BFA students are required to participate in an individual critique of their work every semester. Each student puts up recent work for critique by faculty and other students. In addition, the BFA students are required to go on the annual trip to an urban art center. BFA trips in recent years have visited Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, and Kansas City. There is also an annual exhibition of work by students in the BFA program, usually held late in the Spring semester.

The application process to the BFA program consists of a written application and a portfolio review.


Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Master of Fine Arts

The objectives of the Master of Fine Arts degree (M.F.A.) program in art are professional achievement of high order, a knowledge of art history and criticism, the development of a fundamental grasp and understanding of the professional field of art and its relationship to supporting fields of knowledge, and the satisfactory completion of course work and other degree requirements. The program of study will vary, depending upon the studio emphasis area and goals of the individual graduate student. The Master of Fine Arts degree, which is considered to be the terminal degree in studio art, is awarded in recognition of professional development in the visual arts as evidenced by a period of successful post-bachelor's degree study. The M.F.A. degree is recognized as preparatory to studio art teaching positions at institutions of higher education.


Art Education

The art education program offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with K-12 Arkansas state teacher certification and is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Career Opportunities

Many career opportunities are available for those with a BFA in art education. They may involve teaching art or various related educational possibilities.

Certified graduates often choose employment in elementary, middle, junior and high schools in the state of Arkansas or other states with comparable certification requirements. Employment in the public schools requires teaching several classes a day for nine to ten months each year.

Other teaching options are available for those with a BFA in art education. There are a variety of art teaching and service occupations in social and cultural settings outside of the public school system. There are educational opportunities in art and art-related museums, community arts centers, hospitals, prisons, recreation centers, government agencies, mental health centers and other government and privately funded programs for youth, adults and older adults.

Art Education graduates may also enter careers besides teaching. There are professional positions available with art journals, government agencies, art material suppliers, art galleries and art centers. Additional opportunities exist in art foundations, museum services, firms that develop art teaching materials, cultural services and in art therapy.


Art History

While it's partly a joke that "art history is for artists like ornithology is for the birds," there's a grain of truth in the fact that a study of ornithology makes one ready to identify and appreciate any bird and art history makes one ready to identify and appreciate any work of art.

Art history is rarely taught in high school, and thus students who enroll in the subject for the first time in college are surprised to discover how exciting it can be, opening up a whole new world of visual experience and making one not only more knowledgeable about art but also more able to use the eyes to see things that ordinary people cannot see.

Art history teaches us to understand how and why works of art are made, and thus it is just as helpful to practicing artists as it is to professional art historians.

As a field for majors, art history prepares students for careers not only as teachers but also in art galleries, museums, film and television, freelance writing, publishing, investments, and many corporations seeking to hire "liberal arts graduates" turn to art history majors because they have acquired a broad range of knowledge in the politics, economics, religion and the literature of the various periods of the history of art.

Several of our graduates in art history are in prestigious jobs in art museums, corporations, and colleges all over the country. We don't offer graduate degrees in art history but we have prepared many students to pursue their masters' and doctors' degrees elsewhere.


Ceramics

The students that major in this program learn a variety of techniques and processes in the medium. They also learn historical and contemporary ideas in ceramics and art in both the undergraduate and graduate level.

The new state of the art Ceramics studio is located at the far edge of campus, at Eastern Avenue, parallel to Razorback road between Nettleship and Mitchell. Campus buses will get you to within hiking distance. In addition to ceramics, the building also houses some BFA and MFA studios.

The building has 6 ceramic studios on the first level, which are approximately 12 by 20 feet, and six 12 by 16 ft graduate studios on a mezzanine level, each with track lighting and ventilation.

Our facility includes 5 electric kilns (2 manual and 3 computer Skutts that will go to cone 10,) three gas kilns (a new 2004 DLB24 Geil downdraft, a large Bailey shuttle kiln, and new salt kiln), and everything else you might need for ceramics, (slab roller, extruders, ball mill, sand blaster, etc). In addition, we also have woodworking and welding equipment.

We have top of the line ventilation systems including a glaze room with both a walk in spray booth and a glaze mixing hood, and a Clay mixing room for both clay mixers (a soldner and a bluebird), as well as a vent hood for mixing plaster.

There is a clean room for critiques, showing and taking slides, and studio PC and Mac computers.

Each studio has three computer drops, enabling students to either bring in their own computers or check out laptops from the union.


Painting

Painting is one of the oldest art forms, with both a long rich history and a wide variety of current practices. Our philosophy in the painting area is to expose students to a broad spectrum of painting media, painting methods and conceptual approaches, in order to develop their own unique strengths and find their personal creative direction.

We offer instruction in both oil painting and water media (acrylic and watercolor). Our approach involves building a strong foundation in the basics of painting, including technical skills, color, pictorial design and spatial representation. Intermediate level coursework emphasizes development of conceptual content as well as experimentation with form, materials, and presentation. In upper-level classes, students determine their own individual goals in consultation with the instructor. Research and experimentation are encouraged, supplemented by group critiques and one-on-one instruction in the studio. Individual studio space is sometimes available for upper level BFA students.

Graduates of our program have succeeded in becoming professional artists, making a living by the sale of their work. Other students find employment in art-related businesses, such as mural painting, arts administration, publishing, gallery operations, and teaching.


Photography

The photography area prepares students for artistic expression and, to a lesser extent, commercial application. The program provides a good foundation in both the fundamental technical skills and the image-making concepts that help to develop a skilled photographer. The introductory course focuses on all basic skills related to traditional methods of black and white photography; the camera, print and film darkrooms, as well as critical thinking and seeing.

Advanced coursework includes Alternative Photographic Processes, Color Photography, Digital Photography and Special Problems in Photography which includes work in Studio Photography, Documentary Photography and Independent study on advanced projects. There is also a History of Photography course every third year in rotation.

Our facilities include traditional black and white darkrooms, facilities for color, alternative processes, a small digital darkroom and access to the department's computer lab.


Printmaking

Printmaking, since its discovery has been used in the development of cultures throughout the world.

The earliest printed images were relief prints. There were wooden stamps found in Eqypt, clay seals in Rome and brick seals in Babylonia. From the earliest times, seals carved from various substances were found in China. The crucial invention of paper by the Chinese around A.D. 105 made it possible to transfer multiple stamped imagery to a more suitable surface.

Printmaking is an artistic process coupled with various techniques and methodologies to produce multiple original works of art. This process is used in the development and production of educational tools, book illustrations, religious imagery, maps, playing cards, works of art and the commemoration of important historic events. The print is a multiple, unlike painting or sculpture, which is most commonly associated with the production of a single piece of work.


Sculpture

The Sculpture program is concerned with examining the complex relationships between form, material, process, and space as they relate to historical and contemporary sculptural practice. Our program is committed to developing technical skills necessary for synthesis while fostering strong conceptual and critical thinking skills.

Beginning undergraduate students are introduced to modelling, carving, construction, mold-making, and casting, while upper levels are encouraged to experiment with alternative media, installation, environmental art, and time-based media, which may incorporate kinetics, light, performance, video, and sound. Classes are supplemented by lectures, demonstrations, readings, and field trips.

Individual instruction, small group discussions, class critiques, and feedback from visiting artists help to enrich and expand student work.


Visual Design

The Visual Design area is dedicated to developing the potential of each student to become a unique designer. Courses stress the integration of conceptual problem solving skills, technical craftsmanship, and the study of art and design theories and history. Students integrate methodologies, aesthetics, technology, context and personal expression to fulfill specific communication goals in print and screen based media. Classes are supplemented by lectures and discussions, student collaborations, technical demonstrations, critiques, tours of professional design studios and visits by professional designers.

As an area of emphasis within the BA and BFA. Art curriculum, the educational experience of design students involves a broad study of studio art and art history that informs and strengthens their design aesthetic. As a member of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, students receive a strong liberal arts education serving to enrich design concept development.

After graduating, many students enter the professional world or attend graduate programs throughout the country to pursue advanced design studies

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Art Department Art School Location

Other art schools in Arkansas

Eastern Arizona College (Fine Arts Division) Academic Divisions Eastern is a college where students come first. The college community is strong so students have the best possible chance of suc... Address: PO Box 769

University of the Ozarks (Art at Ozarks) Majors Art at Ozarks The Ozarks art program seeks to teach students to understand and appreciate a wide variety of artworks, to be aware of the ... Address: 415 North College Avenue

Bismarck State College Visual Arts The visual arts stimulate growth and appreciation of aesthetics among the Bismarck State College students, faculty, and staff, and in t... Address: PO Box 5587

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