I HE CREATIVITY LOVE WHAT YOU DO. DO WHAT YOU LOVE.
AINTIN
PAINTING
I HEART BRUSH STROKES AND SPLATTERS. The School of Art offers a B.F.A. and B.A. with a concentration in painting. Painting undergraduates undergo a four semester painting sequence, which begins with an introduction to the basic methods, materials, and techniques of painting, while building a student’s observational skills. As the sequence progresses, students become more self-directed and begin to develop a personal language and approach to painting. Painting students are exposed to and are encouraged to explore a wide variety of painting practices, rooted both in historical precedent and cutting edge contemporary issues. In that spirit, painting embraces the commitment to cross-disciplinary experimentation and encourages its students to explore other media.
PAINTINGCOURSES AVT232 Painting I AVT301 Visual Voices Colloquium AVT307 Aesthetics AVT333 Painting II AVT395 Writing for Artists
AVT432 Painting III AVT433 Painting IV AVT434 Painting V AVT435 Painting VI AVT472 Critical Theory in Visual Arts
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY I HEART ZOOM AND CLICK.
The photography program recognizes both the broadening definition of photography’s role in contemporary art and its changing technical means. The expertise of the faculty in areas ranging from black and white and color still photography, alternative photo methods, digital photography, studio lighting, large format, documentary photography and photo history and theory helps students with developing their skills. The program encourages cross-fertilization, experimentation and aesthetic freedom relevant to today’s ever-changing definition of fine art photography. Emphasis is placed on the ability to explore concepts, develop skills and to evolve as both a communicator of ideas and as a photographic artist.
PHOTOGRAPHYCOURSES AVT252 Photography I AVT353 Photography II AVT354 Digital Photo AVT355 Color Photography AVT356 Studio Lighting AVT452 Advanced Photographic Printing I AVT453 Advanced Photographic Printing II
AVT454 Alternative Photo Processes AVT455 Advanced Digital Photo AVT456 Large Format Photography AVT457 Documentary Photography AVT458 Advanced Studio Lighting AVT459 About Photography
GRAPHIC DESIGN
GRAPHIC DESIGN I HEART TYPE AND LAYOUT.
The Graphic Design program focuses on the development of a series of rigorous, problem-solving, experiential educational opportunities in tandem with the development of technological skills in order to grow a range of abilities which respond to the ever-changing, challenges of the millennium’s communication design needs. In the School of Art’s Graphic Design program students learn to complement the written word in order to inspire and persuade, bring organization and structure to data, and bring images together along with the written word. Using a combination of theoretical projects and real client interaction, students are encouraged to take an expansive view of design’s possibilities as they partner with other artists, writers and clients; as well as work independently to shape communication.
GRAPHIC DESIGNCOURSES AVT180 Computers in the Creative Arts AVT215 Typography AVT311 Graphic Design Methods AVT313 Editorial Design AVT318 History of Graphic Design AVT414 Corporate Design and Branding
AVT415 Web Design and Usability AVT419 Package Design AVT419 Professional Practices AVT498 Senior Design Project
PRINTMAKING I HEART ETCHING AND INK.
Students in the printmaking concentration experience a broad interdisciplinary approach, have the ability to design their own program and mix with students from other academic areas who enjoy printmaking as much as they do. Students develop the printed image as a core strategy for artistic practice in today’s world at a time when visual artists everywhere investigate cross-disciplinary boundaries. They have the option and are encouraged to integrate printmaking with painting, sculpture, installation and web-based art. By means of curriculum and research involving various visual cultures, students learn and apply traditional print media applications, work with nationally recognized visiting artists and explore various alternate printmaking media in the studio.
PRINTMAKINGCOURSES AVT243 Printmaking I AVT343 Printmaking II AVT344 Printmaking III AVT345 Artists’ Books as Visual Language
AVT346 Digital Printmaking AVT442 Printmaking III AVT443 Printmaking IV AVT605 Printmaking VI
ART
ART EDUCATION I HEART LESSON PLANS AND TEACHING.
The Art Education Program is offered at the graduate level and leads to a graduate degree, Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education. The program is designed for individuals with a Bachelors in Fine Art or equivalent degrees, whose passion for the visual arts as well as teaching children and youth is based on a solid background of skills, knowledge and experience. While there is no specific art education concentration at the undergraduate level, the School of Art’s Bachelor of Fine Art program provides the solid grounding in visual arts practice and knowledge that is vital to the development of a well-qualified art teacher. Students can choose from any of the undergraduate concentrations and successfully prepare themselves to teach art for it is important to include a variety of studio disciplines in one’s undergraduate curriculum.
ART EDUCATIONCOURSES EDUC301 Educationally Diverse Populations EDUC302 Human Growth and Development AVT396 Introduction to Teaching and Learning AVT493 Teaching Visual Thinking Through Media AVT494 Teaching Critical Response to Art
AVT615 Technology for Teachers AVT692 Secondary Art Education AVT695 Student Teaching AVT696 Internship in Art
DRAWING
DRAWING
I HEART CROSSHATCHING AND PENCIL MARKS. The School of Art offers a B.F.A. and B.A curriculum program with a concentration in drawing. Drawing undergraduates undergo a four-semester sequence, which trains them not only in the materials and techniques of observational drawing but also to see drawing as the most immediate form of visual thinking. Students are encouraged to explore drawing as a vital language and investigate a variety of forms and traditions, including contemporary drawing theories and practices. When a student is well prepared with a base in drawing, the possibilities are endless for jobs within the artistic career field. With the exceptional faculty within the School of Art, a students particular drawing style is defined and strengthened throughout the course of study.
DRAWINGCOURSES AVT222 Drawing I AVT301 Visual Voices Colloquium AVT307 Aesthetics AVT323 Drawing II AVT395 Writing for Artists
AVT422 Drawing III AVT423 Drawing IV AVT552 Drawing V AVT553 Drawing VI AVT620 Theory, Criticism and Arts
SCULPTURE I HEART FORMING AND BUILDING.
The School of Art’s sculpture program is an interdisciplinary lab where ideas are given form. Through close association with a diverse faculty, students acquire broad technical skills, learn a contextual/historical awareness of their discipline, and develop conceptual strategies that produce the independence necessary to compete for graduate study and as a practicing studio artist in the greater community. The sculpture facility houses a complete woodworking studio, metal fabrication studio, plaster/mixed materials studio, a large outside work courtyard and access to digital media.. The sculpture program has developed a rich history in site specific, public, and community projects where students are encouraged to assist faculty, local and visiting artists, or have the opportunity to create their own work throughout the metropolitan area as well as on campus sites.
SCULPTURECOURSES AVT262 Sculpture I AVT363 Sculpture II AVT307 Aesthetics AVT462 Sculpture III
AVT463 Sculpture IV AVT464 Sculpture V AVT465 Sculpture VI AVT668 Three Dimensional Artmaking Across Cultures
NEW MEDIA
NEW MEDIA
I HEART ILLUSTRATION AND GRAPHICS. The New Media concentration operates within the context of contemporary art practices with a goal toward educating artists who will be conceptually and technically prepared to participate meaningfully within the professional visual cultural arena. New media courses are set-up to contextualize current media technologies in the practices, theories and histories of 20th and 21st century art. New media students investigate the tools, tactics and cultural significance of art making in the age of digital reproduction and stimulation. The program currently looks at several sites of artistic production in the realm of New Media art including Animation, Video, Installation and Networked art forms.
DIGITAL ARTCOURSES AVT180 Computers in the Creative Arts AVT280 Introduction to Digital Arts AVT382 Digital Art and Animation AVT383 Three-Dimensional Digital Art AVT390 Digital Media and Video Art AVT483 Internet Art AVT487 Advanced Digital Media
AVT616 Networked Art Practice AVT676 Sound and Music for Video AVT682 The Art of 2D Animation AVT684 Two-Dimensional Digital Art AVT685 Video Art AVT688 Digital Animation
CRITICAL
CRITICAL ART PRACTICES I HEART DISCUSSION AND THEORY.
The Critical Art Practices program embraces the visual arts with an inclusive vision, providing a platform to study and generate art that is consciously informed by the art and culture around us. These informing ideas incorporate not only the traditional concerns of art but also include social activism and performance art, dance and music, hip hop and graffiti, comic books and cyberpunk, among a myriad of others. Drawing on all the disciplines represented within the School of Art, CAP courses and projects emphasize the leading edge of contemporary practice, and are engaged with both creative and intellectual inquiry. The InterArts course of study includes classes in art theory, cultural history, aesthetics, and writing, as well as studio classes.
CRITICAL ART PRACTICESCOURSES AVT104 Studio Fundamentals I AVT105 Studio Fundamentals II AVT204 Visual Thinking AVT307 Aesthetics AVT372 Hip Hop Culture
AVT374 Sound and Vision AVT395 Writing for Artists AVT399 Interactive Installation AVT472 Critical Theory in Visual Arts
SCHOOL OF ART I HEART GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY.
The School of Art at George Mason University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in art with concentrations in Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Printmaking, Critical Art Practices, Graphic Design, Photography, and New Media Arts. Our undergraduate B.A., B.F.A. degree programs as well as the M.F.A. graduate program for Art Education prepares students for graduate study and professional work in the visual cultural field. With the new accreditation to the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, George Mason’s School of Art enables students to put their passion for all things creative into a degree for a future career.
STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES The new building houses all SOA studio instructional areas and degree programs. The building expands educational program opportunities in advanced technology, offers exceptionally advanced studio facilities, increases student services, expands gallery and lecture halls, and supports a new community of graduate students in specially planned studio clusters. The introduction of Internet2 technology in lecture halls and studio spaces brings global opportunities for students to participate in and collaborate with artists on national and international projects, competitions, critiques, and discussions.
The School of Art 4400 University Drive Fairfax,Virginia 22030 703.993.8898 703.993.8798 soa@gmu.edu