Visual Arts

Brigham Young University

Visual Arts

VISUAL ARTS

Chair: Michael Day
Graduate Coordinators:
Art Education: Donna Kay Beattie
Art History: Steven Bule
MFA Programs: Von Allen-McGowan
B-509 HFAC
Provo, UT 84602-6402
(801) 378-4429

THE PROGRAM OF STUDIES

Three postgraduate degrees are offered in the Department of Visual Arts: Art Education—MA, Art History—MA, and Art Studio—MFA. Each requires practicing the component disciplines of art, as well as acquiring certain skills, knowledge, and understandings.

These three strong graduate programs examine and promote the study, creation, and teaching of the visual arts, historically and from contemporary perspectives. Faculty in each area are recognized leading practitioners as well as students of the theoretical, philosophical, and professional issues of their respective academic specialties. The academic thrust of graduate studies in the Department of Visual Arts provides a rich blend of the theoretical and the practical for a balanced understanding of art. High standards for study and practice in each degree program promote the high levels of professional practice and accomplishment expected of and achieved by our graduates.

The average number of students in each program and the duration of each program is as follows:

Art Education: 14 students in program; from four to five years to completion for part-time students and two years to completion for full-time students.
Art History: 16 students in program; three years to completion.
Art Studio: 20 students in program; three years to completion.

Art Education—MA

The MA in art education offers two options. Option A requires a research-oriented thesis; it is intended for individuals who plan to pursue a PhD or an EdD in art education. Option B requires a practical curriculum project; it is designed for individuals who teach and make art. Both options require 36 credit hours.

Admission and Entry.

Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, February 1 (U.S. and international).
Application requirements: slide portfolio of applicant's recent work; one or two written papers demonstrating applicant's writing skills; minimum 3.0 GPA for last 60 hours.
Prerequisite: baccalaureate degree in art education from an accredited institution (applicants holding other teaching degrees may be considered if art deficiencies are completed to the satisfaction of the Art Education Admissions Committee); certification to teach in public schools at the elementary or secondary level; minimum two years of teaching experience.

Requirements for Degree.

Credit hours: minimum 32 hours for Option A; 36 hours for Option B. For both options: minimum 26-32 course work hours primarily from 500- and 600-level courses (no more than 9 hours of 300- or 400-level courses may apply), plus 6 thesis or 4 project hours (Art 699R or 698R).
Course requirements for Option A: 15 hours of core art education seminar, 5 hours of education research and writing, and 6 elective hours (may include approved courses taken outside the department).
Course requirements for Option B: 15 hours of core art education seminar, 9 hours divided among art studio and art history courses, 6 elective hours (may include approved courses taken outside the department), and 2 hours of educational writing.
Acceptance by department of thesis or curriculum project proposal.
Thesis or curriculum project: Option A, thesis, 6 hours; Option B, project, 4 hours.
Select graduate committee during first semester and submit study list.
Examinations: (A) written comprehensive examination during final semester of residency, (B) oral defense of thesis or project.

Art History—MA

The MA in art history is designed to prepare students for advanced graduate study and to provide a foundation for students desiring a career in a museum or art gallery or in art restoration and conservation.

Admission and Entry.

Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, February 1 (U.S. and international); winter, September 1 (U.S. and international).
Application requirements: minimum 3.3 GPA for last 60 hours.
Prerequisite: baccalaureate degree in art history or related field.

Requirements for Degree.

Credit hours:

Thesis Option (30 hours): minimum 24 course work hours plus 6 thesis hours (Art 699R).

Two-Paper Option (33 hours): minimum 27 course work hours plus 6 hours of Art 698R.

Required courses: Art 300 and courses selected in consultation with the graduate coordinator and graduate committee chair (the MA program is designed to allow maximum exposure to the various areas of art history).
Language requirement: reading knowledge of at least one foreign language, preferably French, German, or Italian; similar competence recommended in a second language.
Thesis or two extended papers.
Select graduate committee during first semester and submit study list.
Examinations: (A) final written comprehensive examination; (B) oral defense of thesis.

Art Studio—MFA

The MFA in art studio is committed to preparing students for careers as visual artists. The MFA has four areas of specialization: Ceramics, Painting—Drawing, Printmaking—Drawing, and Sculpture. Each area requires 60 credit hours, which includes 6 hours of project.

Admission and Entry.

Semester of entry and application deadline: fall, February 1 (U.S. and international) Note: The number of resident MFA candidates is restricted by availability of individual studio space.
Application requirements: minimum 3.0 GPA for last 60 hours; complete university and department graduate application forms; and a twenty-slide portfolio of applicant's work.
Prerequisite: baccalaureate degree in art or equivalent with minimum 20 hours of upper-division course work and 12 hours of art history. (Applicants with MA degree in art from another institution may request departmental approval to transfer graduate credit.)

Requirements for Degree.

Credit hours (60): minimum 60 hours of approved course work, including 6 hours of project (VAStu 697R).
Course requirements: 30 hours in area of specialization (Ceramics, Painting—Drawing, Printmaking—Drawing, or Sculpture); 9 hours in support area (may exceed departmental boundaries if approved by graduate committee; 3 hours must be in studio); 12 hours of art history, criticism, and readings to include 3 hours of VAStu 598R; 3 hours of VAHis 520 or 555; 1 hour of seminar (VAStu 595R) during each semester in residence.
File study list (including selection of graduate committee) during first semester.
Submit slide presentation of recent work to studio faculty at conclusion of each semester. A faculty rating of satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfactory is used to determine progress and continuation in the program. Any rating combination of marginal and unsatisfactory for two semesters will result in dismissal from the program. Two marginals will result in a formal letter of probation delineating expectations and concerns necessary to obtain a satisfactory rating in the next review. Failure to receive such a rating will result in dismissal.
At the end of the semester in which all course work except VAStu 697R (MFA project) is completed, the student is required to (1) install, for approval, a preliminary exhibition; (2) have an oral examination to determine competency in course work; and (3) submit a written proposal for his or her final project. Successful completion of the above advances the student to candidacy, wherein he or she is authorized to execute the final MFA project.
Final project and formal written project report: project must be produced and exhibited while enrolled in VAStu 697R (MFA project). Exhibitions and written reports of final projects of all MFA candidates are required and will be held by the department at a designated time each year (usually in March).
Examination: (A) oral defense of project; (B) written project report.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Financial assistance is available through tuition waivers, supplemental awards, and teaching assistantships.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Museum of Art. BYU's new Museum of Art is itself a striking example of art. Designed both to receive and reflect light, the building's three levels feature a variety of display and instructional areas. Each area of the museum is enhanced by its setting and decor—from the permanent collection galleries to the gallery of Asian art, the intimate print and drawing gallery, the sculpture court, the musical instrument galleries, and the various gardens. Of special interest to students are the study center and research library associated with the museum.

BYU's growing permanent collection contains more than 13,000 art pieces representing major artistic styles in painting, sculpture, print work, and the decorative arts. Though the collection's focus is American art, works from other cultures and periods are represented.

Art Studio Space. Studio space is provided for graduate students in all emphasis areas.

Art Resource Center. The center is an important library resource for graduate study of content, methods of inquiry, and methodology in the visual arts disciplines intrinsic to current art education programs. A wide variety of books, journals, art reproductions, curricula, and other visual materials and aids are available.

History Slide Library. A major resource for graduate student research and teaching, the slide library houses a collection of 80,000 slide reproductions of paintings, sculptures, architectural structures, and various minor arts. Furthermore, a number of students work in the library on assistantships or internships. A computerized indexing system enables a student to seek and find materials under broad categories of iconographic content—for example, art work dealing with animals, death, or certain kinds of landscapes.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Class Schedule

Art Education

578R. Art Education Studio. (3)

MA courses in ceramics, drawing, figure drawing, oil painting, aqueous painting, printmaking, crafts, and sculpture.

678R. Art Education Seminar: Issues and Trends. (3)

Seminar topics emphasizing issues and trends in art education. Topics investigated, discussed, and evaluated, depending on student needs.

698R. MA Curriculum Project. (1-4)

699R. Master's Thesis. (1-6)

Art History

Class Schedule

504. Greek Art. (3)

Consideration of formative cultures.

506. Roman Art. (3)

Art and architecture of the Etruscans and Romans.

510. Early Christian and Byzantine Art. (3)

Christian Art in the Roman and Byzantine Empires from ca. 200 to 1453.

515. Early Medieval Art. (3)

Prerequisite: VAHis 211, 212, 300, or instructor's consent.

Art and architecture of Western Europe and Islamic lands from A.D. 500 to 1050.

517. Romanesque/Gothic Art/
Architecture. (3)

Major monuments in architecture, sculpture, and painting from the
Romanesque and Gothic periods.

520. Early Italian Renaissance. (3)

Art and architecture in Italy from 1200 to 1480.

521. High Renaissance and Mannerism in Italy. (3)

Art and architecture in Italy from 1480 to 1590.

525. Northern Renaissance. (3)

Fifteenth- and sixteenth-century art in Northern Europe.

530. Southern Baroque Art. (3)

History of baroque painting, sculpture, and architecture in Italy, Spain, and France.

535. Northern Baroque Art. (3)

Baroque painting in Flanders and Holland.

540. Nineteenth-Century European Art. (3)

History of nineteenth-century art in Europe and America.

545. American Art. (3)

American painting and sculpture from colonial through modern times.

550. Modern Art. (3)

Modern European art and theory, 1900-1945.

555. Contemporary Art. (3)

Critical evaluation of trends in art since 1945.

560. Survey of Western Architecture. (3)

Critical evaluation of major movements in Western architecture.

563. English Architecture, 1485-1900. (3)

English architecture from the Tudors through the Victorian period.

565. American Architecture. (3)

Major figures, monuments, and movements in American architecture from colonial period through the “Gilded Age.”

567. Modern Architecture. (3)

Critical review of the roots and evolution of modern architecture.

600R. Individual Study. (1-8)

Prerequisite: VAHis 300.

In-depth study into any chosen art historical era.

695R. Art History Seminar. (3)

698R. Master's Extended Papers. (1-6)

699R. Master's Thesis. (1-6)

Art Studio

Class Schedule

540. Business Practices for Artists. (2)

541. Art Presentation. (3)

Prerequisite: Visual arts foundations, levels 1 and 2)

Methods of presenting art work: archival techniques for matting works on paper; framing methods and aesthetic concerns; handling, packing, and shipping works of art; photography of art; portfolio preparation; entering competitions.

594R. Special Problems. (1-6)

Prerequisite: graduate status and instructor's and departmental consent.

595R. Seminar. (1)

Student and faculty analysis of curriculum relationships, projection of student objectives, contemporary topics, and visits to current exhibits.

596. Print Studies Workshop: Contract Printing. (1-3)

Prerequisite: VAStu 451R (lithography studio).

Professional contract studio, producing limited edition lithographs for college collections, national galleries/museums, and investors. Business, law, and contemporary trends.

598R. Readings. (1-3)

Graduate readings in the visual arts.

621R. Graduate Drawing Studio. (1-8)

Prerequisite: admission to graduate program.

622R. Graduate Figure Drawing Studio. (1-8)

Prerequisite: VAStu 621R.

627R. Graduate Painting Studio. (1-8)

650R. Graduate Printmaking Studio. (1-8)

651R. Lithograph Print Studio. (1-8).

Refinement of technical skills, collaborative procedures, and conceptualization of image versus process in the art of lithography.

656R. Graduate Sculpture Studio. (1-8)

659R. Graduate Ceramics Studio. (1-8)

697R. MFA Project. (1-6)

Design

Class Schedule

The Department of Visual Arts does not offer a graduate degree in design, but offers the following graduate courses:

610R. Advanced Problems in Design. (1-8)