Art Course Offerings

ART COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Drawing Lab. Zero units. This weekly figure-drawing session is mandatory for all art majors. Students can use any dry or water-based media. The session allows students to practice the drawing skills they developed in previous classes and to experiment with personal expression and style. The class is monitored and attended by a faculty member, and attendance for the entire three hours every week is required.

AR 103 Design and Color. One unit. A beginning study of basic problems in two-dimensional design and color. Emphasis is on problem-solving projects and learning the vocabulary of design and color. Content includes basic color theory. Offered fall and spring semesters.*

AR 105 Drawing I. One unit. The development of skills in the representation of objects and the figure in terms of line, space, composition, and value. Emphasis is placed on basic drawing techniques and interpretative qualities of various media. Offered fall and spring semesters and summer session.*

AR 106 Ceramics I. One unit. A studio course which introduces the techniques of pottery, including hand-built constructions and forms thrown on the potter’s wheel. Experience with glazing methods. Offered fall and spring semesters and summer sessions.*

AR 114 Photography I. One unit. Fundamental techniques and principles of photography as an art form. Craft (camera know-how, developing, printing) and content (what to put on film) and their relationships in visual communication. Darkroom work. A traditional 35mm, manually operated camera is required. A minimum of two hours of lab time per week will be required plus photography assignments. Estimate three to four hours per week.  Offered fall and spring semesters and summer session.*     www.flickr.com/photos/44815355@N05/

AR 130 Digital Photography. One unit. An introduction to the basic techniques and aesthetics of digital photography including cameras, tools, printing and on-line imaging.

AR 203 Advertising Art I: Computer Design. One unit. The student will create graphics using the Macintosh computer. The making of websites, animation, and print products will demonstrate the knowledge of software concepts and design principles; the use of type, page layout color, digital imaging, and motion. Projects will reflect the student’s personal interests and will form the beginning of a digital portfolio. Offered fall and spring semesters.*

AR 204 Sculpture. One unit. The course introduces students to the working in three dimensions. A variety of media are utilizes including clay, Styrofoam, etc. Offered fall semester.*

AR 205 Drawing II. One unit. The production of studies and finished drawings of the human figure using a wide range of media and techniques. Prerequisite: AR 105 or permission of the instructor. Offered spring semester.*

AR 206 Ceramics II. One unit. A continuation of Ceramics I with a concentration on wheel-thrown forms and ceramic sculpture. Prerequisite: AR 106. Offered as required.*
 
AR 208 Painting I. One unit. This course teaches the basics of oil painting including: how to stretch a canvas and prepare a palette; the study of color relationships; creating space, form and light; understanding the importance of the picture plane; and how to develop a
painting over time. The student will work with a variety of subjects. Examples of the work of contemporary as well as historical painters will be shown in class. Prerequisite: AR105 Drawing 1or permission of the instructor. Offered fall and spring semesters.*

AR 210 Watercolor and Beyond. One unit. This class explores the various water based painting and drawing mediums available to artists, including traditional watercolor, acrylic, monoprint, water based pastel and collage. Emphasis of the class will be on mastery of technique as well as exploring the creative potential of each medium. Prerequisite: AR105 or permission of instructor. Offered as required.*

AR 213 Printmaking I. One unit. Major emphasis on the intaglio and woodcut processes, etching, engraving, dry point, aquatint, and mezzotint. Collograph and monotype, as well as other techniques are explored. Prerequisite: AR 105 or permission of instructor. Offered fall or spring semesters.*

AR 214 Photography II. One unit. A continuation of Photography I. Explores more sophisticated techniques and methods. A traditional 35mm, manually operated camera is required. Prerequisite: AR 114. Offered spring semester.*

AR 221 Museum and Gallery Studies. One unit. This course introduces art and arts administration students to contemporary thought and practice in the making, exhibiting and marketing of visual art. Through essays, class discussions and field trips to local galleries, museums and auction houses, students will explore the importance of context and presentation in how works of art are perceived by the public. Students will assist with hanging and dismantling exhibitions in the Wagner College Gallery. Prerequisite: AR 203 or permission of the instructor. This course is open only to art and arts administration majors. Offered fall semester

AR 240 Basic Video Production. One unit. This course provides an introduction to video and animation production techniques including lighting, shooting and editing. Basic problems in production, the use of equipment and the variety of options available are covered. Students are trained in Final Cut editing software and will edit their films in Mac Lab.

AR303 Advertising Art II: Computer Design. One unit. Continuation of Advertising Art I. Emphasis on Interactive media and on projects that reflect the student’s interests. Prerequisite AR 203. Offered as required.

AR 305 Drawing III. One unit. This class is designed for students who have successfully completed studies in Drawing I and II. The goal of the course will be to further the students’ technical skills as well as to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of the language of drawing. The imagery will derive from a study of still life, the human model, and landscape, but will also rely upon the students’ more personal imagery deriving from sources such as memory and imagination. We will explore, as well, the abstract possibilities of drawing,attempting in our work to take the concept of drawing beyond the idea of a preparatory sketch and investigate the use of drawing as a finished statement. The class size will be limited to encourage a seminar-type atmosphere and free exchange between teacher and students. Prerequisites: AR 105, 205. Offered as required.

AR 308 Painting II. One unit. Figure and advanced painting. Students continue to explore issues of space, color and form with oil paint. Students will work in a variety of sizes and styles, focusing on recognizing and developing their own voice. At least half of the class is dedicated to studying directly from the model (figure painting). In-depth critiques are part of this class, as are occasional field trips to see paintings in Manhattan or New York City. Group work as well as non-representational painting will be explored. Prerequisite: AR 208. Offered spring semester.

AR 313 Printmaking II. One unit. Continues the development of techniques learned in Printmaking I. The major emphasis is on color monotype and colograph. Limited edition printing, presentation, print conservation, and preservation. Prerequisite: AR 213.Offered as required.*

AR 400 Reflective Tutorial in Art. (To be taken in both the Junior and the Senior year) One unit. The senior reflective tutorial culminates in the exhibition of students’ work and production of a written thesis. The experiential component will consist of students working independently in their studios to produce a body of art for public exhibit. During weekly informal group discussions, and three formal critiques, students will reflect on their experiences in the studio and share responses to each others work. Required of art majors in both the junior and senior year (part 2 of the senior learning community. Offered spring term only.

AR 593 Independent Study. One unit. With special permission of the department chair, the course may be taken for two units. Offered as required, consult department chair. Available to art majors only.