Students wishing to major in Art Studio have a choice of two undergraduate degrees. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is for those who wish to create a broad foundation based on the tradition of a liberal arts education, suitable for many possible career paths. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree offers a more specialized curriculum, which is especially useful for those students seeking specific careers as professional artists, designers, and for graduate studies in the visual arts.
Our alumni are working as professional photographers, graphic designers, art educators, professional artists, and in art galleries, museums, and in other industries.
"Coming in as an incoming college freshman I never expected to ever be a student in Fine Arts. Changing my major to Art Studio with a minor in Art History has been the best decision I have made. The most significant thing I have learned from the School of Art & Visual Studies is to never be afraid to be creative and express yourself.”
Art Studio
Students will gain critical skills for succeeding in today’s world, including the ability to work with still and moving images using the latest software. The Art Studio curriculum is grounded in the manipulation of traditional media such as drawing, ceramics, and sculpture but also incorporates digital technologies and processes, including 3-D printing and fabrication. After completing our Foundations curriculum, students may hone in on a specific medium or explore a more intermedia approach to art making.
Mediums taught within Art Studio:
All incoming Art Studio majors undertake a prescribed sequence of courses in our Foundations Program. Students will also complete 30 hours of UK Core. The College of Fine Arts additionally requires that all majors complete 6 hours of coursework outside their departments but within the College of Fine Arts and at least 39 hours of courses at or above the 300-level.
This program consists in part of three studio courses, one each from three distinct media areas. Students also participate in a Freshman Exhibition (featuring work created in the two Freshman Foundation courses). Upon completion of the Foundations Program, students wishing to become either BA or BFA studio majors submit portfolios of their work for evaluation. The portfolio is to include selected works of art from each of the student’s premajor foundation courses as well as a selection of works that indicates the student’s current proposed direction. The portfolio will be created as a requirement of the Professional Practices in Art Studio (A-S 201).
Foundations courses:
The BA degree in Art Studio provides a broad-based, liberal arts-based education that has proven useful for our graduates who have developed successful careers outside the traditional visual arts fields. We encourage students to take a broad range of courses, in such disciplines as English, Film Studies, History, Arts Administration, and Business Administration. In addition, studio majors have the option of focusing on a single medium or combination of media within Art Studio, including areas that have extensive non-art applications, such as digital media, where students master such proprietary software as Photoshop™ and Final Cut Pro™. Before graduation, students in the BA program exhibit their work in a group show in the Gallery of the School of Art & Visual Studies Building.
The BFA program allows for development of studio practice at a more focused, sophisticated and pre-professional level. This degree is available to students who demonstrate special abilities through a BFA portfolio review, during which the student will present his or her work to a faculty jury. Students will be considered for admission based on their advanced level of study, their current proposed direction, and strong evidence that they can succeed in creating a coherent body of work for a solo exhibition. Students will be present during the review to answer questions regarding formal, technical and conceptual elements of their work. In addition to the in-person review, students will submit an artist’s statement and documentation of work presented during the review. Besides additional studio coursework BFA students are required to create a solo exhibition during their senior year.
While there are endless ways to create an unforgettable journey as a Wildcat, we can only think of one that gives you the chance to step outside the classroom and into exploring new parts of the world around you: participating in an Education Abroad opportunity! Whether it’s in a study, research, service, or internship program, taking your UK experience international with EA is the most hands-on way for you to expand your global perspective while making yourself a more well-rounded, marketable candidate to future employers no matter your field. As you take these first steps towards investing in your future, EA encourages you to take advantage of all the opportunities UK has to offer. Take a look at some of the many suggested opportunities UK Education Abroad & Exchanges has to complement your major! #ukyabroad
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College of Fine Arts
School of Art & Visual Studies
236 Bolivar Street
Lexington, KY 40508
859-257-8151
