Visual Arts - Studio (VAST)

An exciting introduction to studio art through an exploration of drawing media. Class critiques and discussions, insure the beginning student of a solid introduction to the creative process. Students work with charcoal, ink, graphite, watercolor pencils and other drawing materials. The course includes intensive sketchbook work as well as larger drawings based on observation. In addition, students acquire skill in figure drawing by working from the model. Taught by the studio staff and a prerequisite for many intermediate courses.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

For students who are interested in an introduction to the physical world of sculptural art. Students explore the basic tools, processes and approaches to 3-Dimensional art through wood, clay wire, cloth and found objects.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

A hands-on introduction to digital art making processes on Macintosh computers. Generate and manipulate images and files within an artistic context. Think creatively, work digitally and examine the potential of digital art making as a new form of art. In addition to class projects and critiques in the media lab, students discuss contemporary artists who use the computer in their work.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Annually

The experience of architecture, structure, form and space will be the consistent theme for this drawing course. This course is geared to introduce students to basic drawing concepts such as: line, volume, shape, perspective, texture, value and composition. There will be a strong emphasis on observational methods to learn these basic concepts. The students will also engage in exercises that encourage use of imagination and dialogue that make you question their preconceived notions about drawing. This course does not require previous experience. The course fulfills the same requirements of Drawing Fundamentals. It is offered to beginning level students, as a second drawing course, or for Architectural Studies students looking to build a portfolio.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Annually

This course is an introduction to digital photography, with a particular emphasis on understanding images made through camera-based techniques. Students will learn the rudimentary aspects of the medium through regular assignments culminating in a final portfolio project. Topics include proper camera use (camera settings), exposure, editing, printing, and presentation. Class time will be devoted to lab demonstrations as well as critical discussions of student work. Also, through lectures and discussion, students will become familiar with aesthetic trends and notable practitioners, both historical and contemporary.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

This course focuses on the techniques and theory of video production. Through a series of assignments, students will learn the basic technical elements of still and moving image productions. A variety of production formats will be discussed; focusing primarily on creative, lens-based documentary-style productions. Class time will be divided between equipment demonstrations, discussions, and critique. Topics include proper camera use, sound recording, editing, and presentation. Through critical readings and selected screenings, students will gain familiarity with the historical and contemporary trends in visual storytelling through moving images. Students will develop a set of production skills that will culminate in a collaborative group project.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Alternate Years

A sketchbook is invaluable for experimentation with drawing, recording memories, practicing instinct and observation and connecting art with the everyday world and experience. This course will explore both studio work as well as Worcester and Holy Cross sites each week and use these sites to build upon fundamental drawing concepts in order to create unique and personal artist sketchbooks. Line, value, shape, form, perspective, measurement, composition and other elements are included using direct observation. A variety of methods and materials of drawing will be investigated and used to explore both contemporary and historical perspectives to make on-site drawings within the parameters of the sketchbook. The course will also investigate the various formats and concepts of both contemporary and historical sketchbooks.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Alternate Years

Explore the expressive potential of the natural world in this introductory drawing course. Trees are more than just landscape elementsthey are dynamic, living structures with deep-rooted symbolic significance across human history. We begin the semester outdoors in the campus arboretum, learning to translate the complex architecture and gestures of individual trees into line and value. When the weather turns, we retreat to the studio to synthesize our observations into larger, content-driven compositions that delve into the metaphoric life of trees. Students will experiment with a versatile toolkit, including graphite, charcoal, and inks, developing both a rigorous sketchbook practice and resolved observational works. Drawing Trees serves as a foundational gateway to intermediate-level art courses and will fulfill the ARTS common area requirement.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

This class explores the study of flora and fauna specimens using beginning drawing concepts of line, gesture, value and composition. With close observation of Nature's forms and structures, students sharpen their ability to both observe natural phenomena and also describe the world around them. The class will experiment with different field-drawing techniques, animal skeletal and taxidermy study, and natural pigments. Numerous drawing expeditions will produce a collection of images to use as seeds for further study in Studio Art and creative research. Students are encouraged to experiment with a variety of materials and create an individual final project in one or more of the drawing media covered in the course.There will be an emphasis placed on investigations into sketch journal practice, research incontemporary and historical fine arts, and exploring our local natural resources. Weekly readings, slide lectures and exercises will place assignments in historical and contemporary context. Discussion, critique, studio, and homework assignments are all integral to the development of a student's mixed media drawing practice.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

This studio course explores photographic processes and non-silver image-making techniques. Students will experiment with hand-coated surfaces, painted emulsions, natural materials, unusual cameras, and other experimental methods. Open to students with backgrounds and interests in photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, and digital media, the course encourages experimentation and research into unconventional photographic materials. Students will explore the material and conceptual potential of overlooked image-making techniques from the nineteenth century to today. Open all as an introductory course, and it will count toward the sequence requirement for the major.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

This course introduces students to photography as a means of exploring landscapes, places, and the cultural histories embedded in built and natural environments. Combining studio work with critical reading and discussion, students examine how landscapes are influenced by social values, economic forces, environmental pressures, and historical human interventions. They will study key texts on landscape and representation, analyze both historical and contemporary photographic work, and develop their own photo series focused on a local or regional site. Emphasizing visual analysis, historical exploration, and creative practice, the course encourages students to consider how photography can enhance our understanding of the connection between people and the land. Whileprior photography experience is welcome, it is not necessary. This course also fulfills the sequence requirement for the major.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

An introduction to the principles, methods, and materials of oil painting in both historical and contemporary contexts. Emphasis placed on developing an understanding of form and space in pictorial compositions, strengthening perceptual abilities, and increasing knowledge of the use of color as it pertains to painting. Supplemental readings and field trips provide further connection and investigations of the history and process of Painting.

Prerequisite: One previous studio art course

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

A continuation and expansion of the skills acquired in Painting 1. Students are introduced to a wider range of experimental painting methods using oil based media, and will be working in large as well as small scale formats. The context of painting in contemporary art will be heavily emphasized in this course.

Prerequisite: VAST 200 or VAST 211 or by permission.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Annually

Color is the most dynamic and complex of all the visual elements. In this course students explore color theory as it applies to a variety of media, including painting, collage, digital media and installation. Discussion of color and its relationships to composition through harmony and contrast is emphasized. In addition students explore applications of color that are symbolic as well as cultural. Students working in all media will benefit greatly from a solid understanding of color relationships, and will gain the skills to apply their knowledge to any chosen medium.

Prerequisite: VAST 105, VAST 199 (Digital Art Design) or VAST 199 (Studio Digital Art).

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

An explanatory approach to the next level of using digital processes as a fine art medium. Building upon the skills learned in Digital Art Studio 1, students will examine the impact of digital processes on art and artists, research the work of artists who use digital process to produce art, and create computer-based artworks in formats ranging from large format digital prints to web-based art and digital objects.

Prerequisite: VAST 105

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

New Media radically explores diverse and contemporary methods of digital production and output (including but not limited to computer graphics, computer animation, Internet art, and interactive technologies, on platforms ranging from computer monitors to projections, video game consoles to portable electronic devices), raising issues regarding the nature of the physical art object, the expanding role of emerging digital processes in artistic production, and the role new media art plays in the production and dissemination of contemporary artistic practice.

Prerequisite: VAST 105.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

Drawn to Nature explores the natural world as a source of inspiration, as well as a point of departure to develop artistic investigation. Fundamental drawing skills such as line, texture, value, space, and scale will be practiced through visual engagement with the natural world. Subject matter will include plant and animal forms, trees and landscape, specimens in the studio and science lab, and objects viewed through the microscopic. Students will work with a range of dry and wet media, as well as traditional and experimental approaches to drawing. The practice of observational sketching and field journaling will provide source material to develop larger, resolved works. Numerous site visits to various locales on campus, as well as in the surrounding region will provide a variety of subjects for inspiration. The semester will culminate in a final project that develops personal exploration and builds upon the themes explored in the course.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Every Third Year, Fall

Emphasis is on a structural understanding of the figure and an expressive approach to drawing . The class also examines contemporary figurative artists. Students draw from the nude model in each class session, using a range of media including charcoal, pencil, ink, paper and oilbar. In addition to class work, students develop independent projects.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Typically Offered: Annually

Collage is a method for interweaving complex shapes and images. Visual fragments from flat fibers and images are combined to create interlocking forms of both actual and perceived shapes. The course will place an emphasis on how edges join in both a physical and illusory way. Students will learn to consider the most sophisticated way to join parts, whether it is gluing, wrapping, weaving, sewing, or using hardware. Collage refers not only to the technique of combining objects and or images in a new way but also to new attitudes and ideas about how the world is perceived and re-contextualized. As a primary medium of the 20th century, the processes of Assemblage and Collage reflect the modern age oftechnology and culture. The students will be introduced to the major artists using these techniques from the 18th century to the modern age. Issues of copyright will be discussed also.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Printmaking is closely linked to drawing, but with a different range of marks, textures, and line quality. This course introduces the printmaking process by focusing on woodcut, monotype and screen printing, Projects are designed to examine different sources of artistic content and engage with the process of making multiples. You are encouraged to improvise, layer, and experiment. Your goal is to find out which materials, techniques and strategies can best realize your individual ideas.

Prerequisite: One previous drawing course or with permission of Instructor.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

Mixed Media is an intermediate studio art course in which students will explore a variety of experimental and mixed media painting and drawing techniques through the use of collage, found objects, digital media and image transfer. We will be using acrylic paints and mediums predominately in this course, and some assignments may call for the student to obtain additional "non-art" materials from home. This course will encourage improvisation and experimentation in student's work, and introduce them to a wide variety of options beyond traditional applications of painting and drawing, and will lay the groundwork to developing independent and self-directed works. Formal elements such as form, color, paint application, and composition will be emphasized throughout each assignment, as will content and thematic exploration.

Prerequisite: VAST 101 or VAST 200 or VAST 210 or VAST 222.

GPA units: 1

Explores the tradition of handmade artists' books and more recent experimental book forms. How do images work together in a sequence? What kind of narrative can be created by blinding images and text into a book form? What are the possible physical forms for the book? In addition to making conventional and experimental books in the print studio, students make a digital book in the Millard Media Lab. Through readings and discussions, this course examines the emergence of the "artists' book" in the 1960's and the work of contemporary artists.

Prerequisite: One previous studio art course

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Alternate Years

Textiles have long been treated as a substrate for imagery. Many artists choose fabric as a medium to explore repetition, collage, and scale. Textile-based imagery can be decorative or loadedit can adorn the world around us and tell potent stories through its pictures and patterns. Textiles can raise questions of utility, presenting images that are made to be touched and handled as well as seen. Working with fabrics can also teach us to improvise, and to creatively juxtapose different materials within a cohesive larger vision. In the first half of this course, we will print on fabric using block printing and silkscreen processes. Then, students will learn basic quilting techniques which they will use to incorporate their printed samples and other found textiles into a final, small-scale quilt of their own design. Design concepts such as color, texture, and composition will guide students process as they integrate fabric samples into this final project. Throughout the semester, students work will express themes of their own choosing, resulting in a final project that is personal, specific, and reflective of their own conceptual interests.

Prerequisite: One previous studio art course

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Sculpture 1 explores the elements of 3-Dimensional expression in projects of varied media. Students are exposed to sculptural issues via slide presentations on past and present works in sculpture. Class critiques allow students to refine both concepts and expression to create a personal synthesis.

Prerequisite: VAST 102

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

This course continues to build basic drawing skills and fosters the development of an individual drawing style. The content of Drawing I includes drawing in color, and other drawing forms such as collage and sequential drawing, making longer timed drawings as well as an introduction to abstraction. Students are encouraged to explore new content in their work and examine contemporary themes of drawing. Course includes readings, sketchbook work and research of contemporary artists and their drawings. This course was previously known as VAST 121 - Drawing 1.

Prerequisite: VAST 101

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

A study and practice of the principles of digital design and rapid prototyping tools necessary for bringing 2D and 3D artwork off of the computer screen and into the physical world. Students will learn to use Adobe Illustrator, Fusion 360 and handheld 3D scanners to design content that will be produced using CNC technologies such as laser cutters, Vinyl cutters and 3D printers.

Prerequisite: VAST 102 or VAST 105.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

This is an advanced course on the fundamentals of creative photography. Class time will be devoted to lab demonstrations as well as critical discussions of student work. Through regular lectures and discussion, students will become familiar with aesthetic movements and notable practitioners, with a focus on contemporary trends in the medium. An emphasis will be placed on the development of the student's own ideas about photography as demonstrated through a multi-week project culminating in a final printed portfolio. Students will be expected to acquire an intermediate level of technical skill within a digital workflow by refining their image editing skills utilizing Adobe Creative Cloud applications to create inkjet prints. Additional topics will include darkroom processing and large format printing. Students are required to supply their own digital camera with manual controls (DSLR or equivalent), although specialty equipment (such as film-based cameras, tripods, and lighting equipment) will be available for student use.

Prerequisite: VAST 130

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

Environmental Sculpture is a visual arts studio course that focuses on creating three-dimensional sculptural works informed by investigations into environmental issues, including ecological systems, sustainability, place, and human impact on the natural world. Through research, discussion, experimentation, and hands-on studio practice, students explore how environmental concepts can influence artistic process, material choice, and form. Emphasis is placed on developing technical skills, conceptual thinking, and creative problem-solving in three-dimensional space.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Drawing and printmaking are closely connected. Properties of drawing such as gesture, line, and mark making lend themselves naturally to printmakings various image transfer processes. For artists who work with 2D imagery, printmaking can be a way to amplify texture, color, and layering while using drawing skills. In this course students will sample a range of print processes (monotype, silkscreen, and intaglio) that center and transform drawing techniques. This course encourages experimentation with singular, unique imagery, as well as making prints in multiples.

Prerequisite: One previous drawing course or permission of the instructor.

GPA units: 1

This intermediate studio course explores the theory and practice of installation art. Students will begin by analyzing Rosalind Krausss seminal essay, Sculpture in the Expanded Field, and the work of key postmodern and contemporary artists working in the expanded field (e.g., Robert Smithson, Richard Serra, Rachel Whiteread, Doris Salcedo). The course will then transition into a hands-on, collaborative studio environment. Working in groups, students will use the College campus as a laboratory to propose, design, and fabricate site-specific installation art. Students will explore fabrication techniques, including wood, welding, 3D printing, and earthen construction. Projects will challenge traditional notions of art objects, focusing instead on spatial intervention, viewer experience, and the dialogue between artwork and its environment. The course culminates in the public installation of these group projects at chosen sites across campus and/or Worcester.

Prerequisite: VAST 102 or with permission of instructor.

GPA units: 1

In this studio-based course, we will take a hands-on approach exploring how AI is reshaping art and image making. Working with traditional media alongside AI tools, we will create work that centers human creativity, direct experience, and reflection, while building a nuanced, critical perspective on the technology. Because the field is evolving, projects will adapt as new tools emerge. Beyond image generation, we will look at data visualization, AI as an assistive technology and how image training sets are created. Situating AI in the history of art following in the tradition of Dada, Fluxus and artists use of systems, we will study the work of contemporary artists who engage with AI in both critical and creative ways. As we learn how AI sees our world, what it gets wrong and what it reveals about us, we will ask, will AI ever truly make art?

Prerequisite: VAST 105, VAST 130, or VAST 225.

GPA units: 1

Contemporary Themes in Painting is an intermediate studio art course designed for both experienced and beginning painters. In a society shaped by ideas, current events, community identity, popular culture, and spiritual beliefs, painting serves as a powerful medium for expression. Throughout this course, each project will focus on a relevant contemporary topic while incorporating essential skill-building techniques. As we progress, students will gradually develop their abilities, culminating in a series of paintings that reflect their personal interests. Experienced painters will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge from the very first project, while beginners will learn the fundamentals of form, color, and paint application at a comfortable pace. We will explore themes inspired by the diverse stylistic approaches of contemporary painting, including The Everyday Fantastic, Narrative and Identity of the Figure, and The Spiritual in Abstraction. The course will use an engagement grading method, and a studio fee will cover the cost of your materials. One previous Studio Art course required.

Prerequisite: One previous studio art course

GPA units: 1

This course examines the power of comics, graphic novels, and zines to articulate personal stories through pictures, words, and printed matter. We will look to a diverse range of material for inspiration, from autobiographical comics to small, independent print publications on a variety of topics. Students will develop their own content through writing and drawing exercises, which they will refine through digital design processes, screenprinting, and basic bookmaking. Through it all, we will consider how text, illustration, pacing, and sequence support each other in visual storytelling. Students will be encouraged to look to their own interests, knowledge, beliefs, identities, and autobiographies as source material for the comics, zines, and chapbooks that we will produce together.

GPA units: 1

Common Area: Arts

Focuses on developing a "subject " or idea that can serve as the basis for a concise body of artwork reflecting the studio major's individual viewpoint and distinct aesthetic voice. In creating this body of work, students are challenged to take risks and experience both the discovery and failure that is the basis of the creative process. Each student has an individual space in Millard Art Center for intensive work. Students may work in any combination of media that serves their ideas. Critiques, trips, readings and discussion address the process of developing a body of work as well as issues of professionalism as an artist. Student work is evaluated at the end of fall semester for admission into the Studio Concentration Seminar II.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

In the second semester of the Studio Concentration Seminar, you are asked to take the culmination of the first semesters efforts and hone it into a mature and cohesive body of work. The second semester of the Concentration Seminar differs from the first in that it is much more goal oriented and schedule driven, due to the fact that you will be working towards the Senior Exhibition. Regardless of the fact that the exhibition will dominate the experience of the seminar, the true goal of this course is to engage with and produce a mature, thoughtful, and strong body of independent work. The exhibition should be a by-product of this ultimate goal. Frequent critiques with Studio faculty and outside visiting artists will help students refine their work. Students will also prepare for the exhibition by further refining their artist statements, and preparing for a public gallery talk about their work during the Academic Conference. After the exhibition, all students will design a professional-quality artist website that can be used for promotional purposes beyond the exhibition.

Prerequisite: VAST 300. Enrollment limited to 4th year VAST Majors.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Annually

This course explores the intricate world of analog imaging, delving into various light-based techniques for creating unique photographic objects in a darkroom. Students will experiment with multiple black-and-white processes, transcending the boundaries of traditional photography by combining elements of drawing, painting, and printmaking. Through hands-on demonstrations, thoughtful discussions of selected readings, and critiques, students will develop a deeper appreciation for the artistry and science behind darkroom work. They will also explore how these techniques have shaped ideas throughout the 19th century and into the present day.

Prerequisite: VAST 130, VAST 230, or instructor approval.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Alternate Years

Tutorials relate to all areas covered by Visual Arts Studio 200 courses.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Tutorials relate to all areas covered by Visual Arts Studio 200 courses.

GPA units: 1

Typically Offered: Fall, Spring