Professor: Dustyn Bork
Assistant Professors: James E. Berry II and Maggie Gayle


The art major offers a rich and diverse range of investigations across the disciplines of art practice and art history. Integrating extensive liberal arts offerings with a broad studio experience, majors will balance exploration with a focus on future goals. The art major prepares students for graduate school applications and works in art-related fields. It develops in students the necessary knowledge, technical skill, and commitment to work as an artist today. Students are immersed in a creative learning environment and encouraged to cultivate an approach to art-making that is informed by traditional two- and three-dimensional art practices, experimental approaches, and new digital technologies.

NOTE

* Students may use  ART 201 and ART 202 to satisfy core requirements. 

* Students must complete requirements for a Major in Art and select one area of focus. 

** To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree from Lyon College, students must successfully complete a minimum of 120 semester credit hours comprised of our required Core curriculum (44-48 hours), the requirements of at least one major (credit hours vary per major), and a selection of our Liberal Arts electives. They must also earn at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average for all work taken at Lyon College and a 2.00 cumulative grade point average in their major, minor, and concentration.

Degrees

Courses

ART 101: Introduction to Visual Arts

Class Program
Credits 3

An introduction to understanding and appreciating the visual arts. Students will learn to analyze art works according to their formal elements, context, and history.

ART 110: Drawing Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

An introductory course for the development of basic drawing skills and practices with various drawing materials. Students will explore drawing as a process of seeing, develop technical skills, and engage in the use of drawing media as materials for communication. Course assignments will acquaint students with the basic elements and principles of design and emphasize discovering the “art” of drawing while perfecting the mechanics and skills required.

ART 120: Two-dimensional Design

Class Program
Credits 3

An introduction to the basic elements and principles of design and color theory as well as a wide range of problem-solving strategies. Working with balance, proportion, contrast, and color, students will develop the skills needed for more advanced work in their major area.

ART 201: World Art I

Class Program
Credits 3

A survey of Western and non-Western art from prehistory to the 13th century. Students will study cross- cultural influences and regional stylistic attributes.

ART 202: World Art II

Class Program
Credits 3

A survey of Western and non-Western art from the 14th century to the present. Students will study cross-cultural influences and regional stylistic attributes.

ART 204: Ceramics Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

An introduction to the tools, techniques, and materials of ceramics. Students will explore a combination of hand-building and wheel-thrown forms.

ART 211: Photography Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

An introduction to foundational photographic techniques including camera operation, image editing and manipulation, and printing. Students will cultivate the aesthetic and conceptual skills of photographic image-making. Success in this course is measured in the understanding of basic camera functions, basic imaging skills, conceptual development, and a final portfolio. (Same as JRN 102),

Prerequisites

ART 110 or 120

ART 220: Digital Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

Focused study of digital imaging techniques and the industry standard software applications used by professional graphic designers, photographers, and multimedia artists. Students will learn how to use pertinent software and hardware through a series of in class tutorials and weekly assignments. This course is designed to introduce art majors to a wide breadth of digital arts.

Prerequisites

ART 110 or ART 120

ART 230: History of Modern Art

Class Program
Credits 3

Focused study of modern art movement from Realism to the present with emphasis on artistic innovation during this time of social, political, technological, and religious revolution. The course will cover major movements, including Expressionism, Surrealism, Pop Art, and Minimalism and closely inspect painting, sculpture, photography, and architecture.

ART 232: Painting Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

Introduction to the conventions and material concerns of painting. These conventions of painting include color mixing, paint application, and the creation of imagery through sketching and the design process. Students will investigate both representational and abstract forms.

Prerequisites

ART 110 or ART 120

ART 233: Printmaking Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

An introductory course designed to initiate a basic understanding of printmaking as an art form through the study and execution of monotype, relief, and intaglio processes.

Prerequisites

ART 110 or ART 120

ART 234: Three-dimensional Studio I

Class Program
Credits 3

An introduction to a wide range of three-dimensional materials. Course emphasis is on basic skills and craft as the building blocks for communication and conceptual expression in three dimensions. This course also introduces and encourages students to participate in the critique process, which teaches critical thinking and evaluation in order to improve the quality of student work.

Prerequisites

ART 110 or ART 120

ART 299: Art in Context

Class Program
Credits 1

A travel course that allows students to engage with artworks, learn about the exhibition and museum culture, and visit artist studios in the major artistic centers of the United States. The seminar portion of this class will include readings, discussions, and research presentations on special topics related to the travel itinerary. Repeatable for credit.

Prerequisites

ART 101, or 201, or 230, or 308, and permission of instructor.

ART 300: Drawing Studio II

Class Program
Credits 3

An advanced exploration of drawing skills and materials. Students will explore drawing as a process of observation, further develop technical skills, and engage in the use of drawing media as materials for communication.

Prerequisite Courses

ART 301: Painting Studio II

Class Program
Credits 3

Further investigation of the skills developed in ART 232 with the introduction of media and experimental techniques. Students will learn more advanced techniques in painting with an emphasis on individual interpretation and improvement of technical ability.

Prerequisite Courses

ART 304: Ceramics Studio II

Class Program
Credits 3

A further exploration of the tools, techniques, and materials of ceramic art production. Students will explore a combination of hand-building and wheel-thrown forms.

Prerequisite Courses

ART 305: Gallery Practicum

Class Program
Credits 2

Preparation for the professional practices of gallery management. This course explores how galleries and arts venues operate. Topics include types of exhibition spaces, exhibition development, budgeting, and financial considerations, marketing, and cultivating patrons and audiences. Activities include practical experience in curating, writing exhibition materials, curatorial exercises, creating marketing materials, and visits with galleries, curators, and arts administrators.

Prerequisite Courses
Prerequisites

ART 201 or ART 202, and permission of instructor

ART 308: Renaissance Art

Class Program
Credits 3

Exploration of the artistic development of 15th and 16th century Europe with emphasis on Italian art and artists. Key topics will include patronage, urban development, perspective techniques, humanism, and the changing roll of the artist.

ART 310: Photography II

Class Program
Credits 3

Further investigation of the photography skills developed in ART 211.

Prerequisites

ART 211 or JRN 102

ART 320: Digital Art Studio II

Class Program
Credits 3

Further investigation of the digital imaging skills developed in ART 220. Students will study advanced techniques and hone their skills using industry-standard imaging software

Prerequisite Courses

ART 323: Moving Image

Class Program
Credits 3

An introduction to the production, application, and interpretation of time-based visual images such as film, video, and new media. Students will gain experience operating movie cameras, recording video and audio, and editing with computer software. They will also have opportunities to experiment with techniques such as analog filmmaking, animation, installation, projection, multimedia, and web applications. Emphasis will be placed on the application of time-based media within a Studio Art context, and students will cultivate both aesthetic and conceptual skills as makers of moving images. (Same as FMS 323 Moving Image)

Prerequisites

ART 101, or ART 110, or ART 120, or FMS 150

ART 333: Printmaking Studio II

Class Program
Credits 3

Further investigation of the skills developed in ART 233 with emphasis on concept and subject continuity with respect to modes of personal expression.

Prerequisite Courses

ART 334: Three-dimensional Studio II

Class Program
Credits 3

Further investigation of the skills developed in ART 234. Students will continue to develop technical proficiency and further develop their ability to think critically and communicate visually. Students will be encouraged to mix media and incorporate nontraditional materials into their process. Assignments will be student driven with emphasis on careful planning, execution, and the completion of projects.

Prerequisite Courses

ART 340: Film Studies

Class Program
Credits 3

An examination of various classic and noncanonical films through close visual and diegetic analysis. Students will acquire the basic vocabulary necessary to analyze film as a visual medium and narrative discourse. They will examine major critical approaches to film through readings in secondary scholarship. Attendance at weekly evening screenings is required.

Prerequisites

ART 101, ENG 105, or THE 101, or permission of instructor. (Same as ENG 340).

ART 440: Advanced Studio Concepts

Class Program
Credits 3

Students work at an advanced level in the medium of their choice and develop the conceptual dimensions of their work through research on contemporary art.

Prerequisites

ART 320, ART 333, ART 310, or ART 332. May be taken more than once for credit.

ART 490: Senior Project

Class Program
Credits 3

An independent project designed by the student with the guidance of art faculty. The student will produce a body of work that synthesizes the knowledge and skill acquired during their course of study in the art discipline. The course should result in a show that exhibits a well-developed body of work.

Prerequisites

ART 440 and Senior Status