School of Art

Director
M. Teresa Valero

Applied Professor
M. Teresa Valero

Associate Professors
Whitney Forsyth
Michelle Martin

Applied Associate Professor
Mark Lewis

Assistant Professors
Daniel Farnum
Aaron Higgins
Maria Maurer
Kirsten Olds

The mission of the School of Art is to create a stimulating environment for the practice, understanding and advancement of the visual arts.

The mission is carried out by:

Providing students with a thorough understanding of artistic traditions past and present to help them find their place in contemporary artistic practices;
Encouraging the exploration of innovative artistic techniques and practices in an interdisciplinary environment; and
Helping students develop sound studio practices by encouraging active involvement in the community.

Our strategic priorities are:

Cultivating students, faculty, staff and administrators who promote the visual arts as central to culture;
Maintaining a rigorous yet flexible curriculum that stimulates critical thinking and promotes technical expertise; and
Investing in facilities and technology that support our mission.

The program in art offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts and the Bachelor of Arts degrees in art with emphases in the studio areas of ceramics, sculpture, graphic design, painting, photography, digital media, and printmaking, and the Bachelor of Arts degree in the academic area of art history. The curriculum for all degrees allows students to develop critical thinking skills and technical expertise in an interdisciplinary environment.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in art degree enables students to enter professional careers in art and to find their place in contemporary artistic practice. It is the degree most often required for admission to graduate programs offering the Master of Fine Arts degree, which is the most accepted terminal degree in art and the degree required for college-level teaching.

The Bachelor of Arts in art degree certifies that the student has completed a major study in the visual arts as an integral part of a general liberal arts degree program. Career preparation is not the primary objective of the Bachelor of Arts degree; however, it ensures that the student has a broad approach to artistic production.

Teacher certification in art education may be acquired through the Oklahoma State Department of Education by combining the Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Arts program with a second major in education. The requirements for a major in education may be found here .

The Bachelor of Arts in art history offers the student general knowledge about art through the ages and the critical skills to interpret it. This degree prepares the student for entry-level careers in museums, galleries, and arts organizations, in art publishing, and for admission to graduate programs in art history, art conservation and museum studies. The degree also equips students with the critical reading and thinking, visual analysis, and writing skills to pursue a wide range of other careers.

Admission

There is no portfolio admission for students who enter the University at the freshman level and wish to pursue the Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor in Arts in art degrees. All transfer students to the studio art program must submit a portfolio of work for review by the faculty member in the area of emphasis, and acceptance is based on that portfolio review.

General Requirements

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Fine Arts or Bachelor of Arts in art complete the four core course requirements before taking intermediary and upper division courses. In the core courses, students learn basic skills about art-making and develop sound studio practices. The courses form the foundation that will support students as they work towards designing a curriculum in their areas of emphasis.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in art history complete the two introductory courses before choosing from a broad range of upper division courses. Students are encouraged to study abroad and to pursue internships in their areas of study.

Learning Objectives

Program Objective 1. Students who complete the undergraduate program will demonstrate competency in the practice of discipline-based studio areas.

Develop the expressive aspects of art (realizing creative ideas in visual form and developing a body of work illustrating those creative ideas).
Develop the conceptual aspects of art (producing quality work that exhibits original concepts and is consistent with those concepts).
Develop the formal and technical aspects of art (illustrating a mastery of materials and tools, and having a grasp of how to use and manipulate formal elements and composition for an intended effect).

Program Objective 2. Students who complete the undergraduate program will engage in art critical and art historical thinking and writing.

Articulate ideas and concepts about art in the classroom, during critical discourse.
Conduct historical or critical research on art and express the outcome of that research in writing (engaging with art historical or critical methodologies and writing in standard English).

Program Objective 3: Students who complete the undergraduate program will produce academic, studio, and commercial portfolios needed to succeed in the job market and/or in graduate school programs.

Certificate Programs

The following related certificate programs are: advertising , classics , museum studies and visual communication .

Programs

Major

Minor

Courses

Art

Art History

Common Questions