Union University Art Department: Art Therapy + Art Ed + Aesthetics

ART THERAPY + ART ED + AESTHETICS

ART THERAPY

GOD SAW CREATIVITY as a need for expression in His children. The Union University major in PreProfessional Art Therapy allows students to follow this path of expression for themselves and others.

This major is for undergraduate courses with the intent of further master study to obtain a degree in art therapy. Pre-Professional Art Therapy focuses on providing students with a foundation in the studio skills that they will not obtain in graduate school. This program also provides select courses in the psychology department that accompany the art courses.

COURSES ART 323 - Sculpture I ART 231 - Photography I ART 311 - Painting I ART 216 - Ceramics I ART 485 - Art Therapy Internship ART - Secondary Emphasis (2 courses) 2

MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH AUTUMN WEGNER

I’m Autumn Wegner, and I’m a sophomore art major with an emphasis in art therapy and a secondary in photography.

What drew you to the art department?

In high school, I could never really pin down one thing I wanted to do besides art and possibly missions, and I thought I could do art almost anywhere. So I looked at several art schools, but I knew Union had a good program because I grew up in Jackson and knew several of the students in the art department as well as some of the faculty.

What is your favorite aspect of the art department?

The community found in the art department is very special to me, and it seeps into every other aspect. I get so much encouragement from everyone and it is wonderful to have such close friends that are dealing or have dealt with similar challenges.

able to tell what was going on with someone by their art work. I thought that was cool and I told a friend’s mom that I would like to be able to do something like that. She suggested art therapy to me. So I came to Union as an art major and psychology minor. I then discovered art therapy was an option here, so I changed soon after.

How do you hope to use your degree post-graduation?

I hope to one day work with victims of human trafficking and also be an artist.

Anything else you would like to share with prospective students?

It’s not easy being an art major. But you will discover so much about yourself, about the world, and that you are capable of so much! The art department is like a family that is constantly inviting people in. We would love to have you join us!

Why did you choose to study art therapy specifically?

Psychology has always been an interesting subject to me and I wanted to be able to help people in a tangible way. I used to watch Criminal Minds and in one episode, the psychologist was 3

ART EDUCATION

WANT TO IMPACT THE FUTURE OF ART? Teach! Union University students have the opportunity to gain a teacher’s licensure through the Art Education track.

Students will also complete a minor in education to obtain this degree. The graduate will be certified to teach art at K-12 grade level.

COURSES ART 323 - Sculpture I ART 231 - Photography I ART 311 - Painting I ART 216 - Ceramics I ART 325 - Art in Elementary Schools ART - Secondary Emphasis (2 courses) EDUCATION COURSES EDU 150 - Foundations of American Education EDU 250 - Instructional Technology in the classroom EDU 326 - Developing Reading Skills in Content Areas EDU 417 - Teaching Art in Secondary School PSY 213 - Intro to Psychology PSY 318 - Psychological Foundations of Education SE 225 - Survey of Exceptionalities

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MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH KRISTEN WITHAM I’m Kristen Witham, and I’m a senior art education major with secondary emphasis in ceramics.

What drew you to the art department?

I always wanted to pursue the arts, but it wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I got serious about looking into college art programs.

My high school art teacher encouraged me to look into the Union art department. It was both the quality of the program, the opportunity for teacher’s licensure, and also the in state scholarships I received that brought me to Union.

What is your favorite aspect of the art department?

One of my favorite aspects has definitely been the community and solidarity of students found in the department. As I began to get very into my studio classes, I found the art department to be like a welcoming family and it really helped me find my niche. Specifically, the community shared in the ceramics department has been phenomenal; I was able to work alongside some of my best friends as studio mates, which made long nights and all the hard work much more enjoyable.

Why did you choose to study art education specifically?

Teaching has always been a natural part of my creative process. Although 6

I consider myself primarily a maker, teaching has given me the opportunity to use my passions and skills to immediately impact others and make a difference in other people’s lives. It’s very rewarding to see how the arts can enrich a child’s education and encouraging their natural creativity can make a big difference in their lives.

How do you hope to use your degree post-graduation?

I hope to continue learning about clay and teaching, because I really feel like I’ve only scratched the surface in both. Right now, I’m planning to work and teach in Nashville, Tennessee, with a goal of continuing my own clay practice, as well as teaching, in a studio that cultivates creativity in a community oriented atmosphere.

Anything else you would like to share with prospective students?

I would advise incoming students to work your very hardest at whatever is given to you. It’s impossible to be successful as an art student if you’re somewhat apathetic and not committed.

Give your all to whatever you do, take every opportunity that comes your way, and don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. The best and most rewarding learning and life experiences will come when you push yourself and keep moving forward.

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VISUAL AESTHETICS

WHAT WE THINK ABOUT ART has a direct impact on how we experience and make art. Visual aesthetics involves the study of art theory and the concept of “beauty” as it specifically relates to the visual arts. Through these courses, the student will examine and explore such timeless art questions as: What is art? What is the nature of art? What is the value of art? What is the function of art? How do we evaluate art? and What is beauty?

In addition, the student will learn how to better “read” works of art through the study of symbolism and iconography.

COURSES* ART 327 - Visual Aesthetics: The Japanese and Native North American Tradition ART 330 - Visual Aesthetics: The Western Tradition 1900-1950 ART 427 - Visual Aesthetics: The Western Tradition 1950-2000 ART 430 - Visual Aesthetics: The Western Tradition 2000-Present ART 227- Visual Theory and Aesthetics: The Western Tradition, Classical Greece to the Renaissance ART 230 - Visual Theory and Aesthetics: The Western Tradition, The Renaissance to the 19th Century * These courses do not count for a primary emphasis.

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MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH ZACH LANCASTER I’m Zach Lancaster, and I’m a junior art major with a ceramics emphasis and a visual aesthetics secondary.

What drew you to the art department?

I didn’t have a vision for the arts when I came into Union. Like most students, I hedged my bets, took a wide range of courses, followed the direction my mind took me. I loved to read, to write, to think, and I wasn’t a virtuoso with my hands-- not a perfect fit. I might not have found the art department at all had it not been for a reading of Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s Nobel Prize speech. In it he spoke of beauty as a means of bringing truth and goodness into the world. He lit my lamp; I was charged with enthusiasm for the arts, ready to put my hands to work for them.

What is your favorite aspect of the art department?

Professor Benson was one of my first teachers and he strengthened my resolve. He had practical knowledge of the role that beauty had to play in the world. He would talk about formal elements as if they could penetrate the soul. The artist was an altar builder to him.

Beauty was beyond neatness or symmetry: it was necessary to life, it was human and mysteriously divine. Art was human thought bound to Incarnation.

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Why did you choose to study Aesthetics specifically?

Here was the intersection between truth and beauty, the space in between thought and action, concept and form. Aesthetics meant to me a long gaze at Incarnation, the ability to see beauty through more eyes than just my own. It meant expansion into the Japanese tea ceremony, the mind of Durer, the writings of Baudelaire, and a fountainhead of other inspiring, challenging sources.

Anything else you would like to share with prospective students?

I think any student interested in the arts (or beauty generally) would profit from Visual Aesthetics. The class has brought a richness to my world, to the things I see everyday. It sharpens and educates that intuitive sense of wonder, which is so akin to gratitude. I originally took the class to bridge the gap between my mind and my hands, to aid in my creation of objects that are cognizant of the past and the present. In Visual Aesthetics I have learned to see art through many different lenses, and in time, I hope to create work that’s aware of the many traditions that precede it. Dr. Halla is such an excellent source to understand where we’ve come from as artists, who we are, and, in rare moments of insight, what we can be.

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