LSU BFA Studio Art/Photography

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Photography Undergraduate BFA

“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen.”

— Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, 1932

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

1

Whitney Huet

2

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Undergraduate BFA Photography Close your eyes and think of a person, place, thing or event. Most likely the image you see is from a photograph. Photography is the most pervasive medium in our culture. It fundamentally shapes our understanding of the world. Photography majors learn how to create dynamic images and to consider the cultural implications of the medium.

The Photography program merges new and traditional techniques with the critical concerns of contemporary art.

Students explore a full array of processes, including black and white, color, large format, non-silver and the expanding practices of digital photography, such as video, on-demand book publishing and Web applications. In addition to becoming experts in these different techniques and mediums, students develop a vocabulary with which to critique and discuss their own images as well as those in the culture.

With this artistic, technical and conceptual foundation, students are able to pursue studies in graduate school or launch careers as independent artists or as commercial practitioners in a broad range of creative fields.

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

3

Undergraduate Admissions

The LSU School of Art seeks motivated, enthusiastic students regardless of previous background in the visual arts. However, admission into the BFA in studio art program is a selective two-part process that begins when a student who has been accepted

by LSU’s admissions office indicates a preference for studio art.

Foundation Year The first part of the admissions process occurs when a student who is accepted by LSU indicates a preference for studio art as their major. The primary tool for identifying candidates to enter the studio art Foundations Program is a review of their high school academic GPA and ACT or SAT scores. Students who feel they would be better represented by a personal interview to present their portfolio should contact the School of Art office to schedule an on-campus meeting. Students who have been accepted for admission into the Foundations Program will be notified in writing.

Students who are not accepted into one of the major concentrations may complete the minor in fine arts.

Once students have completed their foundations work, applicants to the Bachelor of Fine Arts program must submit a portfolio directly to the School of Art to be evaluated by the studio faculty. Students interested in majoring in studio art will be notified in writing once the evaluation has been made.

4

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Geren Heurtin

Raegan Labat

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

5

Other Aspects of the Curriculum Art history The goal of the art history curriculum is to make artistic traditions relevant and to celebrate the masters of both past and the present in a way that enables students to develop an understanding of the history and criticism surrounding the studio area(s) in which they practice. The course work enables students to understand their own place in the continuum of culture and to use their knowledge of past periods and styles to inform their analysis of present and future projects, problems and practices. A total of five courses (15 credits) comprise the art history requirement of the digital art curriculum.

Liberal arts and sciences In the 39-hour general education curriculum, students learn to think for themselves in new ways about the age-old questions of existence that touch upon each of our lives and find their way into every work of our creative expression. Students become more inquisitive, inventive and productive artists in the process.

The general education requirement represents a conviction on the part of the faculty that all students need to reason logically, communicate effectively and relate to the world around them. While courses completed in studio art develop specific knowledge and skills in a chosen profession, general education courses not only enhance awareness of the world and the people in it, but also foster an appreciation of the arts and humanities and provide a basic understanding of mathematical and scientific principles.

6

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Patrick Dufauchard

Art history and general education courses are designed to produce students who have developed:

»» an effective command of written and spoken English, »» an informed appreciation of the roles of the arts and the humanities, »» a familiarity with the nature and function of the social sciences, »» an appreciation of the methods of critical inquiry, »» an ability to deal with moral and ethical issues, »» a reasoned basis for selecting a career path, »» an understanding of other cultures and other times, »» and a comprehension of how knowledge is acquired and applied.

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

7

Learning outcomes for all students in the School of Art Students graduating with the BFA in Studio Art demonstrate that they have developed:

»» a portfolio of original work suitable for either the

pursuit of graduate study or professional practice in their area of concentration;

»» an ability to conduct research and to synthesize solutions to artistic, technical and conceptual problems within their area of concentration;

»» an understanding of art and design principles and skill in artistic, technical and conceptual decision making;

»» the experience to evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional language;

»» an eye for significant historical and contemporary cultural trends and styles that affect their work;

»» the skills to communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using relevant visual, oral and written presentations;

»» the professional and social behaviors necessary to cooperate and compete successfully.

8

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Katie Jensen

Tyronecia Moore

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

9

Troy Otts

10

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Courses in Photography Intermediate and /or Special Topics Courses The Art and History of the Photo Book ​This course i​ ntroduces the most influential photography books and guides students through the production of their own photo book, including gen-

Katie Kreitman

erating their own artwork and utilizing on-demand publishing. Emphasis is placed on image selection, design, and sequencing as visual tools.

The Documentary Impulse: The camera is one of the most powerful tools to bring about social change. Throughout the history of the medium, photographers with a compassionate eye have looked to the world to capture images that advocate for social and environmental awareness. Students will be introduced to key documentary p hotographers while pursuing a project of their own choosing through the

James Letten

semester.

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

11

Courses in Photography Photo as Object: This course challenges students to think of photographs as both tools of representation and as tangible, objects that can be created, manipulated, and displayed in a variety of ways. Projects are introduced that engage materiality, that interact with or respond to a physical space, and that intersect with other media such as sculpture, video, installation, or the Web. The course is meant to broaden students’ understanding of the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of photography and its position within a larger context in contemporary art.

Malleable Narratives: This course considers how narratives function in and as works of art. Through individual visual projects, slideshows, screenings, guided conversations, and readings, students explore a range of historical and contemporary approaches to narrative-based work. Emphasis is primarily on time-based media such as photography, cinema, animation, and audio pieces. The course also examines written narratives—in the form of historical or interpretive essays about artists, experimental prose by contemporary writers, and individual writing assignments that relate to the proposed visual projects.

Kellye Eisworth

12

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Jesse Guillory

Artist as Researcher: Students are asked to think of themselves as researchers in order to engage in informed, extended projects over the course of the semester. Research may involve a specific social, historical, or cultural issue; it could involve mastering or emphasizing a particular photographic process; or it could be photo-journalistic in approach. The topic or area of research is open and tailored to the students’ individual interests. Students are also exposed to research in the arena of professional development. Emphasis is placed on applying for post-BFA opportunities such as jobs, internships, graduate programs, fellowships, exhibitions, and publications. Instruction is also offered on website design and construction.

Sara Sicona

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

13

Facilities The generously equipped facilities of the photography area at the School of Art are located on the second floor of the Art Building on the LSU campus. As students explore a full array of traditional and experimental processes through course work and independent study, darkrooms and studios are available for work in black and white, color, large format, non-silver, studio lighting, and digital photography. In addition to ample classroom and critique spaces, Gallery 229 exists as dedicated exhibition space for photography students and guest photographers.

Available labs and equipment: - Dedicated graduate darkroom - Undergraduate darkroom - Alternative processes darkroom with UV exposure unit - Digital labs equipped with Epson Stylus Pro 3880 and 2880 printers - lmacon Flextight X5 film scanner - Epson Stylus Pro 9900 printer - Epson Perfection V750 scanners - Lighting studio with backdrops, Alien Bee strobe lights, Cowboy Studio continuous lights, various modifiers, reflectors, and colored gels The Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) Art & Design Studio also maintains significant equipment for students to check out, including tripods, lenses, digital cameras, video cameras, audio equipment, lighting, and more.

14

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Hasselblad scanner and large format printer

Photography class critique

Gallery 229

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

15

Student Organizations and Activities SNAP SNAP is a student-run organization dedicated to supporting and promoting artistic development and a sense of community within the College of Art & Design and the Baton Rouge area. The group conducts monthly meetings, open to all students majoring or minoring in studio art as well as graduates and alumni. The club hosts various extracurricular events including artists’ talks, trips to art exhibitions, technical demonstrations, and excursions to regional and national photographic conferences and portfolio reviews. SNAP also participates in a school-wide print sale every semester to fund off-campus exhibitions of members’ work and other special events. Follow Snap on Facebook and Twitter.

Field Trip - Ogden Museum of Southern Art

16

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Students at the Society for Photographic Education Conference

Platinum Printing Workshop with visiting artist John Guider

Study abroad students

Student with visiting artist Richard Sexton

Students with visiting artist Alec Soth

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

17

About the Faculty Jeremiah Ariaz is an associate professor of photography at LSU. His art—including recent bodies of work A Spectacular Fall, Shadow Root, and Envisioning the Land—explores the tension between nature and the consequence of Manifest Destiny’s impulse to dominate the land. He has exhibited, Jeremiah Ariaz

Associate Professor

delivered papers, and spoken about his work both nationally and internationally. Work from his recent series, Reconsidering Landscape, was included in the 2008 Focal Press book, Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age. Ariaz received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and his MFA from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Following graduate school, Ariaz lived briefly on each coast—in Los Angeles and New York—before settling in the South in 2006

“Western Leone, Film Studio (Almeria, Spain)”

18

LSU SCHOOL OF ART Seeing a bigger picture

Kristine Thompson received her BS from Northwestern University and MFA from the University of California, Irvine.

Her work addresses social and emotional responses to death and memorial practices, how photographs circulate in digital and tangible ways, and how photographs can elicit empathy. She Kristine Thompson

Assistant Professor

is the recipient of a DAAD Fellowship in the Arts and a grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation. Kristine also served for several years as a curator at UCR/ California

Museum

of

Photography,

and she continues to initiate curatorial projects.

“Difficult Things Seen Can Not Be Unseen”

Thomas Neff received a BA in Studio Art from the University of California at Riverside and, in 1980, an MFA from the University of Colorado. Working primarily with a 5 x 7 camera, Neff’s focus for the past forty years is with people, landscape, Tom Neff

and architecture in the USA, and in Italy, Ireland, China, and

Professor

Japan. His most recent work, published in Holding Out and Hanging On: Surviving Hurricane Katrina, is a series of portraits and written narratives of citizens in New Orleans who did not evacuate when Hurricane Katrina struck. www.ThomasNeffPhotographer.com

“Antoinette K-Doe”

Photography Undergraduate Prospectus

19

LSU LSU SCHOOL SCHOOL OF OF ART ART art.lsu.edu art.lsu.edu 123 123Art ArtBuilding Building Baton BatonRouge, Rouge,LA LA70803 70803 t:t:225-578-5411 225 578 5400 f:f:225-578-5424 225 578 5040