Visual Art

For discussions about the ArtPOD requirements, please visit the Courses of Study page.

2-D Art and Design

Registration Code: 2D Art

Credit: 1

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: UAFS ART 1103 - 2D Design - 3 Credit Hours

2D Art is an investigation of two-dimensional media. The course emphasizes two-dimensional composition, design, and study of color. Students work weekly in a sketchbook. This course will count for a fine art credit.

Capacity: 10

3-D Art and Design

Registration Code: 3D Art

Credit: 1

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: UAFS ART 1143 - 3D Design - 3 Credit Hours

An introduction to 3D design, addressing materials, working in-the-round, form, space, surface, color and their relationship to three-dimensional design.

Capacity: 10

Art History 

Registration Code: ART HIST

Credit: 1/2

Length: Semester, Fall

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

This course studies art, architecture, and cultural history of ancient civilizations through the Medieval and Renaissance and into the 20th Century.

Capacity: 16

Ceramics I (Ceramic Sculpture)

Registration Code: CERAMICS I

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester, Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: none

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

Ceramics I familiarizes students with a basic understanding of ceramic building, glazing, and firing processes and techniques. Students will develop practical and aesthetic solutions to technical and conceptual problems. Students will use techniques such as: coil, slab, pinch and subtractive sculpture, sgraffito and mishima decorating, and clay and glaze formulation.

Capacity: 10

Ceramics II (Wheel-Thrown Ceramics)

Registration Code: CERAMICS II

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester, Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: Ceramics I (Ceramic Sculpture) strongly suggested

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

Wheel-Thrown Ceramics familiarizes students with a basic understanding of the function of the pottery wheel, how to create ceramic wheel-thrown pottery, and how to mix and apply glazes. Students will learn about and use ceramic materials, processes, and techniques. Students will learn how to design aesthetically pleasing sculpture through researching historical pottery forms, historical artists, contemporary clay artists, and current art databases.

Capacity: 8

Ceramics III (Alternative Techniques in Ceramics)

Registration Code: CERAMICS III

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester, Spring

Prerequisites: Ceramics I (Ceramic Sculpture) required; Ceramics II (Wheel-Thrown Ceramics) strongly suggested

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

This is an intermediate level class exploring various firing, glazing, and other alternative techniques in ceramics. It is a hands-on, fast-paced course of study. Students will research the history and methods of the various techniques before putting them into practice. Methods include raku, teepee firing, horsehair, sawdust, wax resist, terra sigillata and sgraffito.

Capacity: 8

Digital Art

Registration Code: DIG ART

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester, Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: None

Concurrent Credit: None

Digital Art introduces various artistic techniques using computers and digital tools. Topics include art illustration, digital collage, animation, video art, and new media. Emerging art processes will be explored. This course will offer creative flexibility and the opportunity for in-depth focus on the student's area of interest, relating to digital art and technology.

Capacity: 10

Digital Photography

Registration Code: Dig Photo 1

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester, Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

In Digital Photography students learn the art of photography while learning and sharpening their skills in the use of the digital camera and software. After learning the elements of artistic expression and design in shooting a photograph, students move their images from the camera into the computer. From there, they use Photoshop software to learn to manipulate and enhance their efforts.

Capacity: 8 / section

Drawing I (Fundamentals of Drawing I)

Registration Code: DRAW 1

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: none

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

Drawing I will focus on traditional methods and techniques in beginning drawing with the opportunity to explore more contemporary approaches. Students will start their first semester in the course with beginning exercises and advance to fuller explorations of 2D design, volume, line, shape, working from still life, in abstraction, in landscape or interior, and from the figure.

Capacity: 10

Drawing II (Fundamentals of Drawing II)

Registration Code: DRAW 2

Credit: 1

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: Drawing I

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: UAFS ART 1113 - Drawing - 3 Credit Hours

Drawing II explores more advanced set of drawing goals building towards a personal portfolio. A student only obtains UAFS credit for Drawing by completing Drawing II.

Capacity: 10

Experiential Arts and Architecture

Registration Code: EXPARTS

Credit: 1/4

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts Elective

Concurrent Credit: None

This is a quarter credit seminar course that gives historical and aesthetic context for the art and architecture students will encounter on trips abroad. The content and discussions will change based upon various Spring Break foreign travel, if applicable. The course will focus on the artworks of the main travel destinations.  A secondary initiative for the course will be travel prep and post trip reflection. In addition to the art production of the locality, we will touch on the engineering accomplishments, political climate, and religious context of the day and region. 

Capacity: N/A

Graphic Design I

Registration Code: GraphicDes1

Credit: 1

Length: 1 Semester, Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: UAFS GSDS 2243 - Digital Illustration - 3 Credit Hours

The graphic design course offers computer design instruction in the aesthetic, creative and technical aspects of graphic design. Students are introduced to concepts of design including line, shape, color, pattern, texture and space as well as computer design based typography, logo design, page layout, and web site design. Professional studio techniques in Adobe Photoshop and supplemental programs are used in instruction.

Capacity: 12

Humanities through the Arts

Registration Code: HUM ARTS

Credit: 1

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: None, though priority seating is reserved for Art POD students

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective; Art POD Requirement

Concurrent Credit: UAFS HUMN 2563 - Humanities through the Arts - 3 Credit Hours

An introduction to the arts in Western civilization and their relationship to basic humanistic ideas. In addition to serving as an introduction to music, painting, sculpture, architecture, and literature (drama and poetry), the course explores fundamental principles and ideas of Western culture and how these are expressed in each of the artistic disciplines. Note: For ArtPOD students, this course replaces the Literature/Humanities elective internal requirement. Seating is prioritized for ArtPOD students, but if space allows, other students may take this course to satisfy that same Literature/Humanities elective. 

Capacity: 16

Introduction to Fused Glass

Registration Code: INTRO GLASS

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: None, though 3D Art and Design or 2D Art and Design would be beneficial

Fulfills: Fine Arts Elective; Art POD Elective

Concurrent Credit: none

This is a beginning course in glass fusing. Students will learn the basic techniques of glass cutting and fusing to create jewelry and small fused glass dishes. This class explores the history of glass, glass in art and the evolution of glass fusing. Students will learn about sheet glass, frit, glass compatibility, glass cutting, design and attachment techniques to make finished pieces of wearable art.

Capacity: 10

Modern Design

Registration Code: MOD DESIGN

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester, Fall and Spring

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: none

This course will emphasize basic, 3D design skills working with wood and building materials. Both functional and conceptual design will be taught.

Capacity: 6

Painting I / II (Fundamentals of Painting I/II)

Registration Codes: PAINTING / PAINTING2

Credit: 1 (Painting I); 1/2 (Painting II)

Length: 1 Semester

Prerequisites: None

Fulfills: Fine Arts or Humanities Elective

Concurrent Credit: Painting I: UAFS ART 2223 - Painting I- 3 Credit Hours; Painting II: None

Painting I focuses on traditional methods and techniques in beginning painting with the opportunity to explore more contemporary approaches. Students will start their first semester in the course with beginning exercises and advance to fuller explorations of landscape, conceptual, interior, and figure painting. Painting II explores more advanced painting goals (scale, materials, methods) that builds toward a personal portfolio. Students will only receive concurrent credit for Painting I.

Capacity: 10

Senior Studio (Senior Portfolio)

Registration Codes: SENIOR STUDIO / SENIOR PORT

Credit: 1/2

Length: 1 Semester (1 Year / 2 Semesters strongly encouraged)

Prerequisites: ArtPOD Student, Senior by standing

Fulfills: ArtPOD Requirement

Concurrent Credit: None

Senior Studio (Senior Portfolio) is an intensive course that is facilitated by Art faculty to ensure seniors are working broadly and deeply in their specialty visual art and design areas to produce a robust and viable body of work capitalizing on their strengths and talents. Works produced can be used for ASMSA student exhibitions in the Spring semester, for competitions and juried exhibitions beyond ASMSA, and for college application purposes. Students are expected to work diligently with minimal supervision, and peer critique, faculty critique, and processes for entering competitive avenues are secondary expectations of the course.

Capacity: 12