The Visual Arts Program is dedicated to helping students meet the challenges of contemporary art making through assigned lessons that address critical thinking and problem-solving, the consideration of historical parallels, and the application of rigorous studio art practices. All students are assigned a major emphasis and a minor studio, based on the interests they indicate on their application forms. The department offers studio classes in painting (acrylic only--no spray paint), printmaking, sculpture, clay work, digital media and photography. In addition, all students participate in required classes of figure drawing, design, and a lecture/guest artist(s) seminar course entitled "Art and Culture". Special workshops and performances by a number of distinguished visiting artists may be offered, along with field trips to local museums, private galleries and artists' studios.  Studios are open in the evenings for students to complete class projects and accomplish personal work.

Majors and Minors

The program is designed to give each student a comprehensive experience in the Visual Arts. Indicating a first and second choice of interest will assist the schedule programmers.  Majors are courses meeting 4 days a week and minor courses meet 2 days a week.  All efforts will be made to give applicants their first choice major, but at times applicants may be scheduled into a 4-day course for their second choice and given a 2-day course in their first choice. 

PAINTING:

Color theory, composition, scale and diverse painting approaches are important components of study and exploration for painting students at CSSSA. Problem solving with respect to materials and content/concept is emphasized. A variety of painting surfaces, including canvas, are used. High quality acrylic paint and mixed media materials are used in all painting studios.

PRINTMAKING:

Through the use of dry point, monotype and/or relief printing and alternative processes, printmaking students develop a broad understanding of the historical and innovative paths artists have taken to produce substantial works of art. Photographic and book arts techniques are occasionally applied as a means of integrating broader concepts within the discipline.

SCULPTURE:

Students in this area learn to incorporate scale and form, varied contemporary materials and personal narrative as a means of developing major works that pertain to contemporary sculptural forms and ideas. Instruction in the use of equipment and materials is included in the general classroom work. Field trips to museums, slide lectures and discussions augment the development of practical skills.

CLAY WORK:

Students in Clay Work investigate the formal elements of building sculpture, taking ceramics to new levels of creativity. They construct large hollow sculptures through the process of coiling and cylinders and learn basic glaze chemistry as under-glazes, colored slips, and line blends. Individual experience, interpretation, and understanding of the material helps students experiment with the medium of clay as a fine art.

DIGITAL MEDIA:

The goal of the Digital Media studio at CSSSA is to give students an understanding of techniques and concepts surrounding digital arts, graphic design and on-line communities.  Students learn digital imaging, 2-D drawing and painting, digital printing, use and creation for the Web, and motion arts. 

PHOTOGRAPHY:

At CSSSA, Photography is a rigorous field of study, exposing students to idea-driven photographic image making based on personal experience and perception. This program is designed to provide students with a basic foundation and understanding of traditional film-based photography techniques including: exposure control, black & white film development, film scanning, black & white and color darkroom printing, digital archival pigment printing, studio lighting, and archival processing techniques.

Please note: There are a limited number of spaces for Digital Media and Photography majors, and not all requests can be accommodated. Do not expect to participate in  both.  If you indicated Photography as your first choice major, you must then select a second choice minor that is not Digital Media.

Required Classes

FIGURE DRAWING:

All students take rigorous figure drawing classes, augmenting their major and minor fields of study. The basic elements of form and volume, light and shadow, gesture and contour, texture and scale are all addressed. Time is spent on alternative drawing concepts and applications. Materials include charcoal, pencil, ink and brush, collage, etc.

DESIGN:

All students take a course emphasizing problem-solving with respect to scale, spatial relationships, color architectural elements, volume and bas-relief design fundamentals. The focus of the curriculum is to broaden each student's understanding of the principles and elements of design as a language for communication.

ART AND CULTURE:

All students and faculty attend the Art and Culture course that meets two days per week over the four-week program. Art and Culture brings major artists from throughout the nation to a forum of presentation, discussion and interaction. Challenging material presented in the course helps stretch the student to a more developed sense of all of the arts.