The Painting Department prepares its students by developing strong visual skills, keen critical reasoning and a broad historical and social overview so that they may engage in an individual seach for meaning and representation in the broader culture. The department recognizes that art originates as a tentative concept that takes form as artists clarify their ideas by investigating possibilities. It encourages the freedom and discipline necessary for this process by offering flexible programs, a favorable working environment and a committed faculty with a wide range of aesthetic attitudes. All of these elements, combined with the acitve involvement of peers, create a supportive atmosphere.

The program begins sophomore year with courses in basic concepts and techniques. Skill development continues into the junior year with the cultivation of content and meaning. Senior year, as you gain increasing control over the direction of your work and your thought processes, you are required to produce an independently conceived senior degree project subject to evaluation by the painting faculty, your peers and outside critics.

Follow this link to the Painting Department’s independent web site.