Visual Art Concentration
This concentration, directed towards the practice of art, is broadly based in the studio areas of painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, and digital imaging. Courses in art history combine with these to frame the direction of the concentrator's work and provide skills in critical thinking. Students are encouraged to develop their own directions and to cultivate informed and thoughtful individual perspectives.
Requirements
The concentration program consists of thirteen courses.
Introductory Course Requirements (3 courses)
1. VISA0100 Studio Foundation or VA0110 Advanced Studio Foundation. Prerequisite for all studio and RISD courses; does not count as one of the 7 studio concentration requirements.
2. VISA0120 Foundation Media: Sound and Image. A new concentration requirement starting with the Class of 2011; qualifies as one of the 7 studio concentration requirements.
3. HIAA0010 Introduction to the History of Art & Architecture (or HIAA0020, or HIAA0030).
Unless waived, these courses are concentration requirements.
Concentration Program Requirements
1. HIAA0880 Contemporary Art I or HIAA0890 Contemporary Art II. Should be taken by the first semester of the junior year.
2. Seven studio courses. A minimum of four studio courses must be taken at Brown University, and one must be drawing.
3. One upper-level History of Art & Architecture course.
4. One elective course in History of Art & Architecture, Visual Art, or Modern Culture & Media. Certain related courses or acceptable RISD courses may also be approved.
5. Senior Thesis Exhibition. Does not carry academic credit, but is required for graduation. Usually presented during the seventh or eighth semester.
Graduation with Honors in Visual Art
Each year, there are some students whose academic records have been outstanding and who wish to integrate their studies in a special two-semester project in order to graduate with Honors in Visual Art. Past recipients have combined their studies in this concentration with philosophy, religious studies, computer graphics, literature, and political interests, among other areas of interest, using the knowledge acquired in these other fields of study to enrich their visual practices.
Applications are submitted and reviewed by Visual Art faculty in April of the applicant's junior year.
Download the Honors Application
Applications should include:
- An up to date academic transcript
(available at the Registrar's Office and takes about two weeks to process) - Projected list of courses to be taken
- Written description of the proposed project
- Samples of related studio work presented on a CD
(drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, etc.; low-resolution preferred for digital viewing)
The applicant must seek a faculty member who will act as an advisor. The student should work with the faculty member in formulating and developing the Honors proposal, and the faculty member should sign off when the proposal is complete.
The visual art faculty will determine the admission to Honors candidacy on the basis of academic and artistic excellence of work already completed within the concentration program, as well as on the feasibility and promise of the proposed project. If the project is approved by the full faculty committee, the faculty sponsor will serve as the student's Honors advisor for the two semesters of the student's senior year.
Fall semester Honors students will register for Honors Seminar VA1800C-S01. This course will meet weekly for readings, discussions, and group critiques, as well as take monthly trips to New York. During Semester II, students will continue working on their honors projects as Independent Study Projects under the supervision of their faculty advisors. At the end of Semester II, Honors candidates will be evaluated by the faculty, who will make recommendations for Honors to the College Curriculum Council.
The project is a two-semester enterprise and will count as two courses taken for graduation credit. These courses are taken IN ADDITION TO the 10 courses needed for the Visual Art concentration; they do not fulfill any of the regular VA concentration requirements.
Students who are planning to graduate in December must apply for Honors by Dec. 5 of the previous year.
Candidates will be expected to meet with their advisors on a regular basis. At the end of the first semester of the project, the Visual Art faculty will review the progress of each candidate and determine whether the candidate will be allowed to continue the project.