Visual Art, B.A.

Visual Art Mission Statement
The mission of Visual Art at Westminster College is to provide a breadth of making experiences, creative and process-based, supported within the framework of a liberal arts curriculum. The visual, technical, and conceptual experiences gained in our program promote critical thinking and effective communication through the processes of aesthetic expression. The interdisciplinary nature of a liberal arts college enables students studying visual art to combine diverse interests to meet their artistic and professional goals. The art program is therefore designed for students wishing to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to their creative interests through the media and artistic practice we teach, combined with the tools of various liberal arts disciplines.

Learning Outcomes

1. Ability to generate, identify, and solve aesthetic problems.
2. Understand and apply the elements and principles of design within visual compositions.
3. Communication of content through visual means.
4. Apply observational and analytical thinking skills to create and interpret works of art.
5. Gain widely applicable and transferrable technical skills through the art making processes of various media.
6. Explore interests in diverse subject matter to develop personally relevant creative products and experiences.
7. Employ writing skills within contexts that allow for observation, interpretation, and analysis of works of art.
8. Ground the pursuit of creative expression within an awareness and understanding of contemporary and historical modes of artistic practice: process, media, subject matter, content and communication.

The visual art major is designed to meet the needs of the student who is interested in pursuing study in a variety of studio areas. Students are introduced to diverse art forms through foundation studies. First-year students must take the foundation courses prior to electives or upper-level courses. Art electives enable students to focus upon a specific concentration prior to taking the senior capstone course.