SCHOOL OF
ART
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Photo | UH Graphic Design Tracy Ngo Color Sculpture 2013 Acrylic, stained glass paint
1 DIRECTOR’S LETTER 2 OVERVIEW PROGRAMS
4 DEGREES 9 PAINTING 10 GRAPHIC DESIGN 13 PHOTOGRAPHY 16 SCULPTURE 19 IPEF 22 ART HISTORY 25 ART 26 FACULTY 28 CREDITS
/ D I R E C TO R’ S L E T T E R
L E T T E R F ROM T H E D I R E C TO R It’s a privilege to serve as the director of Houston’s chief laboratory in the visual arts—the University of Houston School of Art. I write to you today to share some of the school’s successes and our vision for the future. Our students, alumni and faculty are central to the cultural and intellectual life in this region and are an important part of what has led to the university’s Tier One ranking among America’s research universities. We are proud of our accomplishments thus far, but are eager to show the country and the world what many Houstonians already know: a key motor of the burgeoning creative scene in the country’s fourth largest city is found at UH, in the School of Art. Faculty excellence is paramount to that effort. Open any important national art publication or stroll through Texas’ finest galleries and you will see our faculty’s work in print and on view. A commitment to teaching and mentoring by our accomplished faculty forms the foundation of our MFA program. Our MFA students form a graduate community that continues to be the locus of sophisticated art making in the region. Our MA in Art History attracts emerging scholars who desire an excellent grounding in art history coupled with significant opportunities in the city’s museums and galleries.
While an excellent faculty is essential to our students’ artistic development, so are other experiences that encourage them to challenge and expand their creative boundaries. Our emerging artists have the resources of a significant urban research institution at their disposal, where experts in fields as disparate as computer science, theater, optics, history, music, engineering, and many other fields can be brought into the student’s creative process. We also know that having a taste of working in the “real world” can give students an important perspective on their own work. The School of Art is increasingly using the city as its classroom. Partnerships with museums and other arts organizations give students great professional development opportunities and support the work of the community. Our students are working as interns and staff at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Menil Collection, the Museum of Printing History, the Blaffer Museum, and others. They are also helping with major public projects, such as the award-winning redesign of Japhet Creek Park. With more than 750 art students—larger than many freestanding fine art colleges—it’s challenging to encapsulate all that we do in a single letter, and this one merely scratches the surface. The vision for the UH School of Art is to harness and focus the resources necessary to make us a national destination for art students and scholars and one that sustains and grows Houston’s vibrant visual arts scene. I invite you to be a part of it! Sincerely, Rex Koontz, Director
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SCHOOL OF ART Art and design are never products of the assimilation of a body of knowledge, but rather the result of risk-taking within a field of discovery. We prepare young artists and designers by providing them with a supportive environment in which challenges are presented and then met with technical, conceptual and contextual tools. Our programs are designed to encourage curiosity, and we work with our students to capitalize on their commitment, and to realize their potential. Our academic environment provides exposure to many cultural “languages” while also encouraging the uniqueness of speech. To create a dynamic and enriching environment, we maintain both an institutional agility—an ability to respond appropriately and meaningfully to change—and a clear sense of the primacy of each student. In the School of Art, we provide each student with expertise in a particular discipline, coupled with the possibility of exploring and combining multiple disciplines. Each students degree program develops and expands based on individual needs and interests. We have that flexibility because while our programs are atelier in structure, our numbers (over 700 majors) and our home at the University of Houston, give us access to the vast resources of a Tier One research institution.
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/OV E RV I E W
P RO G R AM S We offer the following degree programs Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Bachelor of Arts (BA) Art Art History Master of Arts Art History Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Painting Photography/Digital Media Graphic Design Sculpture Interdisciplinary Practices and Emerging Forms (IPEF)
Freedom, flexibility and intensive studio practice are supported within a rigorously intellectual environment. We recognize that artists working within the tradition of painting or at the frontier of emerging media need the intellectual, theoretical, conceptual and analytical tools to produce their work within larger social contexts. Our outstanding faculty and extensive visiting artist/critic program are supported by a vast expansion of scholarship through our faculty affiliate network. Colleagues from across the University mentor our graduate students with research interests that extend outside of the atelier and into fields as diverse as biology and physics. And our School is deeply embedded in Houston’s dynamic and established visual arts community—artists, designers, curators, and other professionals provide our students with expertise and a range of unique opportunities. We are rich in human assets. Other assets that support our academic structures include The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, a leader in the field of interdisciplinary programming and the Blaffer Art Museum, one of the country’s most influential university art museums. Both organizations present innovative, challenging exhibitions and programs that bring the university and the extended community into closer engagement with important cultural issues of our time.
THE UNIVERSITY The University of Houston, founded in 1927, is the most ethnically diverse research university in the nation, and the leading urban teaching and research institution in Texas. UH is home to over forty research centers and institutes, and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic, and governmental entities.
It is the BEST
of BOTH worlds, and it is available to each and every one of our students. Photo | UH Graphic Design
Located just a few miles from downtown Houston, UH offers well equipped classrooms, high-tech laboratories, generous study facilities, and rich and varied cultural resources, affording students an optimum environment for study and research. Outstanding facilities include six campus libraries with total collective holdings of more than 2.4 million volumes, 4 million microform units, 20,000 research journal subscriptions, and networked workstations accessing numerous electronic databases, journals and books.
In addition to an extensive collection of public art, campus landmarks include the Moores School of Music, the Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex, and LeRoy and Lucile Melcher Center for Public Broadcasting, which houses KUHTTV/Houston PBS (the nation’s first educational television station), KUHF-FM, the Center for Public Policy polling center, three theaters and performing arts venues, and much more.
H O U S TO N Houston (our extended campus) is the fourth largest city in the country and third-largest visual arts center outside of New York City and Los Angeles. It is a city with world-class cultural institutions including: The Menil Collection, with exquisite concentrations in Antiquity, Medieval, Tribal, and Twentieth-Century Art, as well as annexes with permanent installations of work by Cy Twombly and Dan Flavin The Contemporary Arts Museum, with recent major exhibitions of Pipilotti Rist, Kiki Smith, and Glen Ligon, to name a few The encyclopedic Museum of Fine Arts Houston, boasting a total of 300,000 square feet of space dedicated to a collection of more than 55,000 artworks dating from antiquity to the present
In addition, Houston has an established and thriving commercial gallery structure, dynamic alternative spaces, and a large and generous community of practicing artists. Houston is also home to the largest number of performing arts seats in a metropolitan district outside of New York, with internationally recognized organizations including the Houston Ballet, the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Alley Theater. The benefits of a School of Art located within an established, international visual arts center cannot be underestimated.
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/DEGREES B A C H E LO R S P R O G R A M S Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) | STUDIO AREAS Graphic Design Painting Photography/Digital Media Sculpture Bachelor of Arts (BA) Art History Art ( leads to all-level teaching certification )
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree emphasizes the development of the student as a working artist or designer, with the critical thinking, technical skills and creativity required for professional practice. No portfolio is required of incoming freshmen. In addition to the University-wide core curriculum, the degree requirements follow this progression: four studio fundamentals courses, various studio courses at the “related arts� level, followed by a competitive portfolio review. Students who are selected based on this portfolio review advance to the final semesters of major concentration at the junior and senior level. Bachelor of Fine Arts students are also required to take twelve semester hours of art history. Information on specific course selection is available for each studio major. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History offers students the opportunity to study art historical trends from ancient times to the present, in both Western and non-Western cultures. This degree requires 36 hours of art history, in addition to the University and College requirements. Students also study other fields in the college such as history and anthropology to complement their art history research. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art is the curriculum for students who wish to become art teachers in grades Kindergarten through 12. These students enroll in a broad range of studio courses at the fundamentals and related arts levels, complete twelve hours of art history and also must fulfill teacher education courses and requirements through the College of Education.
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/DEGREES
MASTERS PROGRAMS Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) | STUDIO AREAS Graphic Design Painting Photography/Digital Media Sculpture Interdisciplinary Practice and Emerging Forms (IPEF) Masters of Arts (MA) Art History Graduate programs at the University of Houston are focused on deploying our considerable talents and resources to help you achieve your goals. Our nationally recognized faculty help you recognize and cultivate your path. Houston’s art world provides the testing ground and a wealth of experiences. Whether you will be showing at one of the galleries on campus or in the city, or you will be working with one of Houston’s many significant art collections in the city, our graduate programs provide the grounding and experience necessary to enter today’s competitive art world. Flexibility, innovative programs, and access to the vast resources of a premier research institution in a world-class cultural center, make the University of Houston School of Art Graduate Programs a dynamic choice for the study of art, design, art history, theory, criticism, and curatorial practice.
Master of Arts in Art History The M.A. in Art History at the University of Houston provides the graduate student with a firm grounding in the discipline of art history coupled with the riches of major art institutions in a dynamic urban art world. Through its uniquely wide-ranging and diverse options for coursework and internships, the UH program enables students to pursue a large number of career options. Graduates of the UH Master’s program in art history will be well-prepared to go on to seek the Ph.D. in art history, or, alternatively, to pursue careers not requiring the Ph.D. in art museums, collections, or galleries; in art criticism and writing; in community college teaching; or to combine additional credentials for a career in arts librarianship, arts management or art education. Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art The graduate program leading to the M.F.A. degree is a 60 semester-hour degree program comprised of 18 hours in the concentration 12 hours in art history, 24 hours of related arts, and six hours of graduate seminar. Candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree are encouraged to complete all course work for the degree within three years to ensure the sustained concentration requisite to the achievement of quality work at the graduate level. Students must complete the degree program within five years. Additionally, students are required to complete one academic year in residence during the course of their degree program. This residency is defined as 18 semester hours comprising a minimum of nine semester hours taken in two consecutive semesters. Throughout the program of study, students are evaluated on a regular basis. A progress review is required during each of the first two semesters of enrollment in the graduate program. The student selects a committee at the beginning of the second year and works closely with the committee members until the degree is completed. The committee will hold a formal review of the student’s work annually, beginning the second year.
Upon completion of all course work for the degree, all graduate students present their work in a thesis exhibition at the Blaffer Museum, with accompanying photographic documentation. The creative work and supporting documentation will represent the visual thesis. In addition, students must produce a written thesis, normally in the first semester of the final year of work for the degree, and pass a comprehensive oral examination conducted at the time of the Thesis Exhibition. The examination will cover students’ knowledge of their major discipline, of art history, and of related areas of art. Scholarships and Fellowships Teaching Fellowships are available on a selective basis after 18 hours have been completed at the graduate level. Incoming graduate students are eligible for paid positions as Instructional Assistants and Teaching Assistants, positions in studio maintenance and grading in Art History, which support studio operations, undergraduate instruction and the School of Art in various ways. Scholarships and Tuition Fellowships are also available through the School of Art and the University.
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Photo | UH Graphic Design
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Photo | UH Graphic Design
/ P RO G R AM S
Photo | UH Sculpture
STUDIO
AREAS
we are able to expand our areas of expertise in a seemingly limitless way,
redefining interdisciplinary study
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/ PA I N T I N G BFA | MFA
The intention of our area is simple — to facilitate intellectual development and the practical making
Photo / UH Graphic Design
of work, as defined by the needs, interests and affinities of each individual student. Painting is both a rich and formidable tradition that is steeped in history, and an evolving, expansive and dynamic field of activity. We encourage permeability within and outside of our discipline to remain responsive not only to paintings’ venerable traditions, but also to its increasing hybridity and ongoing redefinitions. The diverse practice within our program mirrors both the definition of what painting “is” and what it can be. Our approach is resolutely pluralistic.
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/ PA I N T I N G
B FA I N PA I N T I N G
S T U D E N T WO R K
The structural backbone of our BFA program is intensive, selfmotivated studio investigation, faculty mentoring, rigorous critique and peer-group support. Classroom instruction at every level includes the introduction and use of tools, techniques, vocabulary, and concepts of contemporary painting and drawing. Painting BFA degree students are given dedicated studio space (24/7 access) for three consecutive semesters. Coursework is supplemented by visiting artist lectures and critiques, and internships in Houston’s world-class institutions, alternative spaces and galleries.
Photo / UH Graphic Design
/ left Charis Ammon Valley and Peaks 2015 Acyrlic on wood and stretched canvas / top right Zaeed Kala Notre Passe Tragique and Somnolence 2015 Acyrlic on resin / bottom right Valerie Garza Untitled 2015 24˝ X 24˝ Acyrlic on canvas
M FA I N PA I N T I N G Graduate painting is a studio focused three year course of study, supplemented with graduate seminars and art history courses. The program is driven by a dynamic peer group, active engagement with accomplished faculty mentors, and a strong visiting artist program. Our students function as working artists and usually begin building and acting on professional relationships while making their way through the program. We consider all of Houston to be an extension of our campus, and thus the city is central to our graduate’s studio practice and their development. Our students are encouraged to follow their curiosity, and they are well mentored to make their way in the world of culture.
PROGRAM INTERNSHIPS Advanced undergraduate painting majors with a 3.0 studio art GPA are eligible for internships in area museums, alternative spaces and commercial galleries, including DiverseWorks Artspace, Lawndale Art Center, The Contemporary Arts Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Interns gain invaluable insight into the operations of for-profit and non-profit visual arts venues as gallery assistants, curatorial and research assistants, exhibition preparators, and education and outreach program assistants. Internships are an invaluable practicum supplement to academic programs and studio practice.
“I take inspiration from everyday objects but deconstruct them down to a certain element I want to explore. High intensity colors, patterns, overlapping images come together all in the same piece. There is a constant flux between atmospheric and graphic, chaotic and quiet forces.” Valerie Garza (pictured below)
“Whenever these elements come together, I want them to coexist into something much bigger than what they were on their own.” Valerie Garza, Studying BFA in Painting
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BFA | MFA
/G R A P H I C DESIGN
Graphic designers enrich society by creating culturally significant forms of communication and experiences.
Students in the Graphic Design program at the University of Houston build their knowledge through a diverse curriculum, which includes course work in design history, theory, methods, and graphic design practice. Research and concept development are integral to this curriculum, as it investigates contemporary culture and emergent communication media. Students in Graphic Design engage with design and community leaders through lectures, social gatherings and interdisciplinary project collaborations. The Graphic Design program is well supported by UHGAP, an outstanding alumni organization, whose goal is to provide additional educational and scholarship opportunities for students. AIGA Houston is an active organization that offers a wide array of business, social and inspirational experiences through workshops, studio tours, conferences and visiting designers. The city of Houston, with its large and vibrant design community, offers the students a myriad of opportunities through internships and employment upon graduation.
“The help and critique of those around me hone my design.� Grace Gossen, Studying BFA in Graphic Design
Photo / UH Graphic Design / top left Professor Sibylle Hagmann with students Enrique Garza, Bill Meck, Matthew Oakes, Candice Cantu, Elisabeth Park, and Tracy Ngo. / top right Professor Cheryl Beckett / bottom Student Grace Gossen
/G R A P H I C DESIGN
B FA I N G R A P H I C D E S I G N
M FA I N G R A P H I C D E S I G N
Students in the BFA program in design engage in processes of individual inquiry and group collaboration to become critical and imaginative thinkers. The BFA student benefits from the best of both worlds, the resources of a large urban institution and the unique tight-knit community of students and faculty that defines the upper level design environment. This system ensures an agile and flexible curriculum that stays in tune with evolving design ideas and technologies. Both students and faculty add a level of depth to the experience through meaningful off-campus learning activities. A low student-to-faculty ratio ensures effective classes where learning includes hands-on design as well as analysis and discussion. Students learn a range of design methodologies and techniques in addition to interdisciplinary collaboration, presentation skills, team building, community outreach, ethics and sustainable practices— all tools to become top competitors in the national design job market and leaders within the profession. The culmination of a student’s education is a senior exhibition that showcases a diverse portfolio of work including environmental, interactive, motion, print, typography and web projects.
The Graduate Program in Graphic Design at the University of Houston promotes advanced research in graphic design and critical theory. Personal investigations converge cultural, social, historical, methodological and/or technological ideas within a graphic design context. Students define an area of specific interest and concentrate their research and development on this new direction. Students and advisors work together to push the boundaries of theory and practice. The graduate program brings together students from a variety of places and backgrounds. This group is a vital component to the program, with each graduate informing and extending to others their areas of knowledge and interest. Additional expertise, support and opportunities are available through the strong design undergraduate program, a wide range of university programs and distinguished faculty, and from Houston itself, a large and dynamic city with a thriving arts community. We encourage our graduates to extend their conceptual base beyond the graduate studio and investigate these other avenues.
“What really peaked my interest in this program was the amount of branching out it offers, whether it may be designing a book to coding a website, graphic design will always keep me trying new things.” Jose Diaz, Studying BFA in Graphic Design
“I think it was the environment of being encouraged by other students with similar passions that made me feel like it was possible to make a career out of something I love.” Matthew Oakes, Studying BFA in Graphic Design
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Photo / UH Graphic Design
STUDENT WORK
/ top left Ray Hernandez Russian Avant-Garde Labyrinth 2015 5 ⅟4˝x 5 ⅟4˝x 5 ⅟4˝ Wood, acrylic, letramax, spray paint, vinyl, steel ball / top right Andres Garcia Children of Immigrants 2015 Data Visualization Poster *Received Coveted Ralph Award Creative Summit 28, San Marcos, TX / bottom left Yoko Kristiansen The Little Mermaid Pop-Up Book 2013 Cut Paper *Received Gene Hoffman Award 2015 Creative Summit 28, San Marcos, TX / bottom middle Amanda Bell Sugar Bears 2014 Product Design / bottom right Senior Class of 2016 Under direction of Sibylle Hagmann 900 February 2016 Graphic Design Exhibition Third Space Gallery Houston, TX *Internationally recognized by FORTY FIVE SYMBOLS
/ P H OTO G R A P H Y
/ P H OTO G R A P H Y & D I G I TA L M E D I A
We live in the midst of a profound and pervasive digital revolution,
BFA | MFA
which makes it both an exciting and challenging time to be an artist. Today’s lens-based media artist has access to more image-capturing options and methods for distributing images and ideas than ever before. The Photography/Digital Media (PDM) curriculum prepares artists to be at the center of this revolution, learning to take full advantage of traditional and contemporary tools in pursuit of creating significant, conceptually rigorous artwork. Photo / Andi Valentine
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M FA I N P H OTO G R A P H Y/ D I G I TA L M E D I A The MFA program in Photography/Digital Media is a three year program recognized for its comprehensive approach to creative lens, media and time-based artwork. Aesthetic diversity and the development of individual artistic vision are emphasized and discussed in regular individual critiques and as a part of the group dialog in a seminar offered each semester. Graduate students are provided with their own studio spaces within a studio complex equipped with digital workstations. In addition, students have broad access to medium and large format cameras, DV/HD video equipment, well-equipped wet lab and studio facilities, and also eligible to have individual black and white enlarger suites of their own.
B FA I N P H OTO G R A P H Y/ D I G I TA L M E D I A BFA students are expected to develop their own artistic identities supported by a solid grounding in the technical, historical, and critical approaches to studio practice. Classroom technical instruction focuses on a thorough study of digital photography and video art, but also includes studio lighting, traditional photographic forms and large format photography. Technical skills are fortified with historical and theoretical studies, and an examination of current practices in lens-based media. Most importantly, the PDM curriculum and pedagogy is aimed at developing in our students the ability to adapt to an ever-changing media environment.
Photo / UH Graphic Design
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Houston is a great city for photography. The Houston Center for Photography and numerous commercial galleries exhibit photography and media on a regular basis. Additionally, every two years the entire city focuses on photography for Houston’s Fotofest. During this bi-annual conference, photography enthusiasts flock from around the world to see exhibitions, share their portfolios and attend lectures. Nearly every commercial and non-profit gallery space participates with a photography related event or exhibition during the conference.
P RO G R AM I N T E R N S H I P S Internships with Houston-based exhibition spaces are encouraged. Advanced undergraduate students whose Studio Art GPA are 3.0 or better, and MFA students may submit proposals to the area coordinator to do internships with alternative spaces, non-profit arts organizations, or museums for 3 semester credit hours. FotoFest continues to be a major resource for student internships. Other organizations that have participated are the Houston Center for Photography, Southwest Alternate Media Project, DiverseWorks, the Blaffer Gallery, Project Row Houses, the Aurora Picture Show and the Contemporary Art Museum Houston.
/ P H OTO G R A P H Y
STUDENT WORK / left Andi Valentine SHOPNONHUMAN 2015 Photography *Featured in Texas Design Now! / right Allyson Huntsman A Mark of Grace 2015 Photography
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The Sculpture Program is an open laboratory for the investigation and manipulation of the world around us. The exploration begins with the physical world of objects and materials and extends through the conceptual realm of ideas and cultural dialogue. An interdisciplinary approach allows for all forms of creative expression and encourages collaboration and hybridization in the practice of art. A well-equipped facility, a diverse faculty of reputable artists, an active visiting artist program and strong connections with Houston's vibrant art community provide a lens into the world of contemporary sculpture.
/S C U L P T U R E BFA | MFA
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Photo / UH Graphic Design
/S C U L P T U R E
B FA I N S C U L P T U R E
STUDENT WORK
Students preparing for the sculpture program are encouraged to explore a range of artistic disciplines. Fundamentals and processes courses provide knowledge in the tools, techniques and formal principles underlying the production of sculpture. Intermediate and advance level classes expand the conceptual understanding of sculpture through a variety of topics and artistic practices. Critical feedback and discussions on contemporary issues in art encourage the development of personally meaningful and critically viable work in all classes. Further development of individualized work is facilitated by an intensive three semester "block" of Jr. and Sr. level studio courses. Sculpture majors at this level are provided studio space and personal instruction by area faculty. Group critiques and class discussions provide a dynamic atmosphere for critical discourse. Lectures by visiting artists and exposure to Houston's vast resource or museums, galleries and nonprofit organizations further enhance the undergraduate experience.
Photo / UH Sculpture
/ left Deanna Rodriguez / right Jessica Hamilton
M FA I N S C U L P T U R E The graduate program in sculpture provides the space and critical guidance for developing uniquely personal and critically viable work. Private studios and access to a wide range of technical facilities affords the opportunity to investigate a variety of sculptural mediums. Inter-media and hybrid work is encouraged through contact with a diverse group of faculty, students, visiting artists and critics. Exposure to Houston’s vibrant art community provides exhibition opportunities and real life experience in becoming a professional artist. MFA candidates have 24-hour access to their own private studios as well as to fabrication facilities in the sculpture area. Support is available to MFA candidates through financial aid, scholarships, internships, assistantships and teaching fellowships.
I N T E R N S H I P S/ I N D E P E N D E N T S T U DY Sculpture majors with a studio art GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible for internships in area museums, alternative spaces and galleries including DiverseWorks Artspace, Lawndale Art Center, the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts. Interns learn about the operation of for-profit and nonprofit institutions by working as gallery assistants, curatorial and research assistants, and in educational programming and preparations departments.
S C U L P T U R E A R E A V I S I TO R S On average the sculpture area brings in 4-5 visiting artist, critics, curators and arts professionals each semester. Through lectures, critiques, workshops and site-specific projects, students are exposed to a variety of artistic perspectives and provided first hand experience into professional art making practices.
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"anything that brings disparate minds together is inherently valuable because we’re breaking some boundaries." Rex Koontz, Director 18
/IPEF
/IPEF
I N T E R D I S C I P L I N A RY P R A C T I C E & EMERGING FORMS MFA
Photo / UH Graphic Design
The influence of ubiquitous information, geopolitics and technology has profoundly changed the ways in which we understand and engage the world. Fields of artistic practice have expanded to respond to those influences with new languages, tools, and hybrid forms.
STUDENT WORK
M FA I N I P E F The MFA program in Interdisciplinary Practice and Emerging Forms (IPEF) recognizes that contemporary practice is often located between or beyond traditional disciplines, and defines art-making as a series of approaches supported by theory, analysis and conceptualization. IPEF functions as an inter-media laboratory with students working collaboratively and individually in an intensive, critical environment. Students are encouraged to explore and combine systems of knowledge, to challenge conventions of production and presentation, to identify new fields of investigation as well as new media, and to embrace experimentation as an operating premise. Studios include focused workshops in live performance, sound, experimental writing, 3D design, site-practice, robots and sensors, interactive agents, networks, geolocative media, animation and gaming, among other topics. Seminars support the refinement of critical and contextual awareness – essential tools in the development of both art and artist.
RESOURCES Photo / UH Graphic Design
/ top Deanna Rodriguez Loop / bottom Daniel Haas Platonic
The IPEF program is supported by unique resources and collaborations across the university including the Faculty Affiliate Network (FAN) and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. FAN is a network of faculty from across the university who are interested in collaboration, mentorship, sharing expertise, and establishing meaningful interface with artists. Affiliates are leading scholars drawn from, but not limited to research units such as Architecture, Biology, Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Psychology, Religion and Anthropology.
ADMISSION Admission to IPEF is based primarily on the applicant’s portfolio and statement of purpose. We encourage not only candidates holding degrees in new media or emerging fields, but also candidates who are motivated, enthusiastic, experimenters involved in original research.
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/ P RO G R AM S
/art history
/art Photo / UH Graphic Design
A D D I T I O N A L CO N C E N T R AT I O N S
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A R T H I S TO RY
BA | MA
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
The Art History program at the University of Houston provides graduate and undergraduate students with a firm grounding in the discipline of art history within a Tier-1 research university, alongside close contact with the collections of major arts institutions. The University of Houston is profoundly engaged in the city, a dynamic urban cultural center and gateway to the international art world. With generous electives options, our programs are designed to enable students to craft an educational experience best suited to their individual needs and interests and to take advantage of significant internship opportunities. The Art History program faculty are dedicated to a close mentoring process in art historical research and writing. We have research specializations in Art of the Ancient Americas, Northern European and Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art, 17th-Century Northern European Art, Modern and Contemporary European and American Art and Design, Latino American Art and Urbanism, Art Criticism, and the History of Photography. Additional courses taught by visiting faculty and museum curators further enrich our regular course offerings.
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/A R T H I S TO RY
B A & MA I N A R T H I S TO RY The Art History program is located in the School of Art, where students have the unique privilege of developing their expertise in conversation with a peer group that includes designers and artists working across the fields of painting, sculpture, photography, digital media, and experimental, interdisciplinary practices. In addition to a rigorous grounding in art history, curatorial theory/practice and art criticism are among the program’s specialties, and students have access to dedicated curatorial spaces for course or MA thesis-related projects.
“We use the city of Houston as context to study art history. We strive to be savvy in art and our visual culture.�
C R I T I C A L S T U D I E S/ V I R T UA L C U R AT I N G During this course, students will collectively develop the concept for a large-scale exhibition of contemporary art: deciding on a theme (chosen, through discussion and voting, from among proposals made by each student), conducting extensive research, selecting artists and works, writing catalogue essays, assembling images biographical material. The virtual nature of the course will place more emphasis on the ideas surrounding curatorship than on practical concerns. In a period when the role of the curator has taken on ever greater importance, Virtual Curating seeks to understand the implications of the curatorial process. Readings include texts by Boris Groys, Jean-Hubert Martin, Geeta Kapur, Young Chul Lee, Dave Hickey and others.
Sandra Zalman, Art History Area Coordinator
Photo / UH Graphic Design
The program provides additional opportunities for financial support including salaried Instructional Assistant and Graduate Writing Fellow positions, which prepare students for teaching careers through involvement with undergraduate education within the Art History program. The program also provides competitive travel awards to support fieldwork and travel to present student research at national and international conferences. Scholarships are furthermore available to provide non-local and international students with in-state tuition rates.
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S T U D E N T & FAC U LT Y WO R K INTERNSHIPS Beyond a rigorous training in art history and related disciplines, the Art History program values applied art historical work as an integral part of the educational experience and maintains strong relationships with many of Houston’s worldclass arts institutions. For graduate students, year-long funded internships are awarded each year at the Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Project Row Houses. Graduate students also regularly hold a funded position as arts editor of UH’s highly-regarded literary journal Gulf Coast. Graduate and undergraduate internships are additionally available at UH’s Blaffer Art Museum and many other museums and alternative art spaces around the city.
CAREERS Through wide-ranging coursework options and internship opportunities at diverse institutions throughout the Houston area, the Art History program empowers our MA and BA students to pursue an exciting variety of career options. Our graduates have gone on to complete PhDs and secure tenure-track professorships. Others have taken on curatorial, educational, and directorship positions in public museums and private galleries, or have entered editorial positions with established art publications. Our graduates have also pursued careers in arts librarianship, arts management, and arts education.
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Photo / UH Critical Studies
/ top left Sandra Zalman, Ph. D. Consuming Surrealism in American Culture Published 2015 / top right Rex Koontz, Ph.D. Lightning Gods and Feathered Serpents Published 2009 / bottom Cultural Studies class work in progress
/A R T
BA IN ART The Bachelor of Arts in Art degree program is designed for those students who want to combine a broad-based liberal arts education with a cursory study of various art-making methods. Students will experience the visual arts through a variety of disciplines, approaches, and tools, introducing them to the skills and languages of visual expression. The study of art history, art criticism, and theory, complement art coursework, providing the context for understanding contemporary art and culture. Because it is a BA degree, students study foreign language and take a variety of courses from departments through the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Fulfilling a minor program is a popular option and gives the student the opportunity to pursue a field of individual interest.
MINORS Students have many minor programs from which to choose. Some students pursue the minor in Education through the College of Education, which includes courses that are part of the teaching certification program. Certification requirements include broadbased content examinations. Therefore, students choosing the Education minor should refer to the supplemental information sheet available through the School of Art to help them select courses in preparation for these exams and future teaching. Other students may select minors in fields of personal interest, including foreign languages or the humanities. Building on courses in the major program, some students may be interested in the minors in Interdisciplinary Arts (IART), or the 18-hour Art History minor. Another option is to explore minor programs in other colleges, such the College of Technology’s offerings in Computer Graphics Technology and Graphic Communications Technology.
/A R T BA
Photo / UH Graphic Design
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/ FA C U LT Y The SOA faculty is comprised of 26 permanent full-time and numerous visiting, adjunct, and clinical members who are practicing, professional artists, designers and art historians. / ART HISTORY
School of Art faculty have received grants from prestigious foundations such as the Guggenheim Foundation, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Foundation and many others. In addition to receiving extensive commissions, residencies, awards and critical attention, studio faculty have exhibited their works in major museums and galleries around the world, and in important exhibitions including the Whitney Biennial, the Sao Paulo International Biennale, and the Venice Biennale. The art historians publish widely, conducting research both in the United States and abroad, and the designers receive awards and recognition for their contributions to their respective fields. We teach by example.
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Natilee Harren Assistant Professor noharren@central.uh.edu Rex Koontz Professor and Director rkoontz@uh.edu Jessica Locheed Instructional Assistant Professor jalocheed@uh.edu H. Rodney Nevitt, Jr. Associate Professor rnevitt@uh.edu Judith Steinhoff Associate Professor & Area Coordinator jsteinhoff@uh.edu Sandra Zalman Assistant Professor szalman@uh.edu Roberto Tejada Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor ( Joint Appointment with Creative Writing) rjtejada@uh.edu
/ AFFILIATES Affiliates offer additional course in African, Byzantine, Italian Renaissance, and 19th century Art, and Film and Visual Media on a periodic basis. Candace Clements Affiliate cclements4@uh.edu Luisa Orto Affiliate lorto@uh.edu
/ CRITICAL STUDIES Raphael Rubinstein Professor rrubinstein@uh.edu
/ FAC U LT Y
/ PHOTOGRAPHY
/ GRAPHIC DESIGN
Keliy Anderson-Staley Assistant Professor Kanders7@central.uh.edu
Cheryl Beckett Associate Professor Area Coordinator cbeckett@uh.edu
/ PAINTING
Beckham Dossett Associate Professor bdossett@uh.edu
Michael Ray Charles Professor mrcharles@uh.edu
Sibylle Hagmann Professor shagmann@uh.edu
Jack Hanna Associate Professor jhanna@uh.edu
David L. Jacobs Professor Area Coordinator dljacobs6@sbcglobal.net
Fiona McGettigan Associate Professor mcgettigan@uh.edu
Rachel Hecker Associate Professor rhecker@uh.edu
Delilah Montoya Professor dmontoy2@central.uh.edu
Aaron Parazette Professor Associate Director Area Coordinator apar@uh.edu
David Politzer Assistant Professor dpolitzer@uh.edu
Gael Stack Professor Kelli Vance Affiliate ksvance@uh.edu
Stephan Hillerbrand Associate Professor UH Honors College Society Fellow schillerbrand@uh.edu
/ IPEF Abinadi Meza Assistant Professor ameza@central.uh.edu John Reed Professor jreed@uh.edu
/C R E D I T S
COVER AND BOOK DESIGN Tracy Ngo PHOTOGRAPHY Allyson Huntsman Photography allysonhuntsman.com Andi Valentine Photography andivalentine.com Beckham Dossett Photography smallprojectoffice.com University of Houston Graphic Design Photography includes Candice Cantu Roxy Dominguez Enrique Garza Grace Gossen Ray Hernandez Raafia Jessa Yoko Kristiansen Helen Nerio Tracy Ngo University of Houston Sculpture University of Houston Critical Studies
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School of Art University of Houston 4188 Elgin Street Houston, TX 77204-4019