Union University Art Department: Photography + Graphic Design

PHOTOGRAPHY + GRAPHIC DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY IN A MEDIUM THAT IS EVER-CHANGING, like photography, it is important that the student understands the history as well as the future direction of their craft. Union students start their photography emphasis being introduced to the fundamentals of traditional black and white film photography. Students learn how to operate manual 35mm SLR cameras, process black and white film, as well as produce silver gelatin prints. As students grow in their knowledge of the fundamentals of photography and continue to pursue art photography classes, they are urged to think more critically and challenged conceptually to produce bodies of photographic work. Advanced art photography classes, begin to mix film and digital photography, in addition to learning the practicalities of using flash and studio lighting. The printing lab is outfitted with 16 workstation areas, each with a photo enlarger made by either Bessler or Omega. Photography students have 24-hour access to the darkroom and printing labs on campus to produce their work.

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COURSES ART 323 - Photography I ART 324 - Photography II ART 333 - Photography III ART 424 - Photography IV ART 460 - Photography Studio Practice V ART 465 - Photography Studio Practice VI

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MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH AMANDA ROHDE I’m Amanda Rohde, and I’m a junior art major with an emphasis in photography and a secondary in graphic design.

What drew you to the art department?

Originally, I came in because I wanted to do photography, and the art department was the only way. But since then, it’s really grown on me. I really love the community and the people; the professors are really great, they really care about you, they want you to do your best, and they want you to learn as much as you can. It is really strong and really great to have professors that care about you and want you to do your best.

What’s your favorite aspect?

The community, for sure. The art department is your sorority, essentially.

You’re around these people so much that you don’t have to try to make friends or go seek out friends because they’re around you all the time, working on the same things you are. So it’s really easy to always have a good group of people around you who understand what you’re going through because they’re going through it too and can help you through it.

Can you talk a little about the photography department specifically?

It’s really great when you first come into the photography department because the first class you take is film, which I was really not a fan of 4

at first, but once I started doing it, working with film is really therapeutic. You learn a lot, and it causes you to be a lot more intentional with your photos, because you don’t want to waste film because it’s expensive. So you have to be really intentional about what you’re doing and it causes you to look more and to see better. It is really powerful before you start shooting digital to have that foundation. Plus it’s really great to do what the old masters did. Ansel Adams did film and so it’s really great and exciting to be able to say that you do the same thing that Ansel Adams did so many years ago. It’s really therapeutic, and just a really great way to have that hands-on approach to your work.

Something usually missing in photography a lot is that handson making, that physical aspect to your work, and film gives you that opportunity first coming in. After that, you can explore more in alternative processing and really make your work your own once you have that foundation.

Why did you choose to study photography specifically?

I love photo; I can’t draw, so photography’s my way of doing art.

I love being able to show people my perspective and my spin on the way that I see the world around me. I love the creativity that photography gives you, where you’re literally painting with light. You can select what light, what things you want to show people, in your compositions and really narrow it down to what you want people to see about what you’re doing.

specifically in the entertainment industry with bands and celebrities, and I’m currently interning with several photographers in Nashville who do what I want to do. I’m really excited about the future and continuing to strive towards that goal of working with cool, creative people.

Anything else you would like to share with prospective students?

Definitely give the art department a chance, especially speaking to those who have never done art before, because I had never done art before coming to Union. The professors are really good at meeting you where you’re at and teaching you what you need to know, regardless of what level everyone else is in your class. You learn a lot, so much, so quickly, the community is just spectacular, and you get to be with like-minded people who love to create. Union’s art department definitely understands the need to make, to be around creative people, and not be judged for your weirdness.

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

I’m pursuing a career in commercial portrait photography, 5

STUDENT WORK

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GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THESE TIMES, BUSINESSES ARE SEEKING PROFESSIONALS who can think creatively and solve problems. At Union University, we challenge our students to think about the world not just as makers, but creative thinkers. Union’s program is a skill-based model formulated in the Bauhaus method of education and strongly holds to the apprenticeship system. Students will be challenged to think about design outside of the box and engage in the design world through new and innovative forms. Students are encouraged to view design through a Christian perspective and visually converse through topics such as: design ethics, typography, illustration, advertising, identity design and package design.

At Union, you will have the opportunity to join the greater design community with the American Institute for Graphic Artists (AIGA), a national organization with an active chapter on campus. With the landscape of media changing at a quickened pace, Union’s faculty and staff are active professionals in their fields and work to find placement for each of their students in local, national, and international internships. Union provides its graphic design students with a stateof-the-art MAC lab, which is supported by the most current and cutting-edge platforms and software available. Students are also eligible by their sophomore year to apply for studio space in the art department. Union also plays host to a variety of national and local guest speakers, working professionals, printers, agency field trips and serves as a connection point to a vast array of alumni that provide a touchstone for many of our future graduates.

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COURSES ART 221 - Introduction to Graphic Design ART 345 - Identity Systems ART 346 - Typography ART 347 - Digital Design for the Screen ART 348 - Motion Graphics ART 445 - Design Studio Practicum 10

MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN KERSEY Hi, my name is Megan Kersey, I’m a senior graphic design student studying art at Union and getting my BFA. What drew you to the art department?

I have wanted to study art since I was very young, but I really wanted to study art a school that had professors that I could trust and believed the same things I did about Christianity. I also wanted a place that could teach me real skills that would improve upon what my art teachers in high school had already taught me. I also wanted a place in Tennessee; my family lives in Nashville and I wanted to be close enough that I could see them on the weekend if I wanted to, but far enough that I could be an independent person.

What is your favorite aspect of the art department?

One of my favorite parts of the art department is that the professors encourage community among the students rather than competition.

They encourage us to do good, excellent work, and to do everything to the best of our ability, but without creating an atmosphere of bitterness.

Instead, they encourage us to find the best way to do our craft.

Can you talk a little about the graphic design department specifically?

The graphic design department is fully preparing you for a job out in the 11

real world so that your portfolio is exemplary and is competitive against any other graduate across the nation. I’ve seen from internships that I’ve had that I’ve been prepared in my skills and in using the Adobe applications to know how to do everything that needs to be done. There are six graphic design courses that you take over your last three years at Union that walk through everything you need to know, from typography to branding, bookmaking, printmaking, having to make videos in after effects, web design, to creating your own personal business and website by the end of it so that you’re fully prepared to open your own freelance business or apply for in-house design jobs or jobs at a design firm. One of the things that is so important in graphic design is to learn how to work with actual clients; almost every single class encourages you to find clients both here in Jackson and in your home town that you can work with.

This semester, I had the opportunity to work with a local food truck owner and brand their business and give them menus, signage for their trucks, packaging for their to-go boxes, and having conversations with the owner about what she wanted, what she didn’t want. That is so important because that’s what I’ll be doing after I graduate.

computer. I’m a perfectionist, and the computer allows me to get everything as perfect as possible. It allows me to mix these hand-drawn illustrations that I also love with the ability to get everything perfect. I also really love making things that people can interact with. That’s why for my senior show I decided to make a board game, something that is tangible, that allows people to touch and actually interact with and use the things that I make.

Why did you choose to study graphic design specifically?

Anything else you would like to share with prospective students?

My dad is a graphic designer and I grew up watching him create work. He is a freelance designer and works out of our home, so I spent hours upon hours watching him at his work and I realized that I loved doing it. He allowed me to start working for him during highschool and I started to get my hands a little bit wet in what he was doing, and I fell in love with working on the 12

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

In just a few months, I’ll be moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I hope to get a job in an in-house design firm. Based on some internships that I’ve had, I’ve learned that I love working for a business whose job is not just to do design but to do something else as well. I’ve had the opportunity of working for Union for the last few years in their marketing department, creating brochures, stuff for their website, posters, and media campaigns, and I realized that I don’t think I want to work for a design firm, but instead work for one business and learn how to create their brand and to continue that beyond.

Come to Union, become a bull dog. You’ll love it.

STUDENT WORK

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1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, Tennessee 38305-3697 | 731.668.1818 | www.uu.edu

Excellence-Driven | Christ-Centered | People-Focused | Future-Directed