Art
2011-12 General Catalog
Elena Baskin Visual Arts Studios
Room E-104
(831) 459-2272
visart@ucsc.edu
http://art.ucsc.edu
Program Description
The Art Department offers an integrated program of study in theory and practice exploring the power of visual communication for personal expression and public interaction. The department provides students with the means to pursue this exploration through courses that provide the practical skills for art production in a variety of media within the contexts of critical thinking and broad-based social perspectives.
The art program at UCSC is composed of courses in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, print media, intermedia, critical theory, electronic art, public art, and interactive technologies. Baskin visual arts studios provide world-class facilities for art production in these areas. The Art Department is committed to pursuing a continuing dialogue about what constitutes basic preparation in the arts while offering students experience in established practices, new genres, and new technologies. Foundation courses are open to all non-art students after priority enrollment. Art and pre-art majors have enrollment priority in all art courses. Non-art majors may enroll in art courses on the first day of class if space permits.
Students graduating with a major in art may become professional artists or pursue careers in such diverse areas as arts management, museum and gallery practices, communication technologies, public school teaching, media arts, and publishing. Many students who want to teach at the college level continue their education in graduate school.
Declaring the Pre-Art Major—Frosh
Students must declare the pre-art major in order to enroll in introductory studio courses. Students should declare their pre-art major in the first quarter of their freshman year to insure their ability to enroll in studio courses. Students who declare early in their sophomore year may not be able to complete the major in three years. Students may declare the pre-art major at any time. Please note that students who have declared the pre-art major still need to follow the procedure for acceptance to the full major; a student may not graduate as a pre-art major.
Acceptance to the Art Major—Frosh
Students may apply for admission to the art major after completing at least three lower-division studio courses at UCSC (not foundation courses) with grades of B or better. If one of these classes is graded B- or lower, the student must take a different lower-division studio course and receive a B to be eligible to declare art. Students cannot take more than four lower-division studio classes to obtain the requisite B grades. Failure to achieve three Bs in four attempts triggers a process of advising whose outcome is either an alternative path to success or exclusion from the major. While completing this lower-division course work, it is critical that each student meet with a faculty adviser regarding the student's potential to proceed to the major level.
Acceptance to the Art Major—Junior Transfer Students
Junior transfer students are accepted into the art major for fall quarter after passing a portfolio review in early April. Their acceptance is contingent upon their acceptance to UCSC. Acceptance to UCSC does not guarantee admittance to the art program, nor does passing the portfolio review guarantee that UCSC will accept the student to the university. Transfer students must identify themselves as potential art majors when applying to the university in order to receive information on the portfolio review deadlines and the materials required for the review. All junior transfers will be required to take Art 160, Forms and Ideas, and Art 150C, Critical Issues in Contemporary Art in their junior year at UCSC in lieu of the first-year foundation program requirements. Junior transfer students who do not pass the portfolio review will not be allowed to take art classes at UCSC during the fall, winter, and spring quarters. Consequently, if accepted to UCSC, it is imperative that students realize they must pursue another major. Students will be notified of the results of the review before they need to submit their Statement of Intent to Register for UCSC.
Requirements for the Art Major
The minimum requirements for frosh art majors are completion of six lower-division and eight upper-division courses and satisfaction of the senior comprehensive requirement. Junior transfer students complete four lower division and eight upper-division courses and their senior comprehensive requirement. A maximum of three courses total from outside the Art Department (including UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) courses) may be substituted for regular art courses with the approval of a major adviser. In these courses, students must have received a grade of B or higher. Students should plan carefully when using this option.
Students plan their course of study in consultation with a faculty adviser.
Lower-Division Requirements
Students complete six courses as follows:
- the foundation series consists of two courses: 80C, Introduction to Visual Arts (winter quarter), and 10G, 2-D Foundation (spring quarter)
or
10H, 3-D Foundation (fall quarter)
- three courses from the following list (with a grade of B or better):
21 Introduction to Computer Art
22 Introduction to Electronics for Intermedia
23 Intermedia I
24A/B Introduction to Painting. A: Oil, B: Acrylic**
25 Relief Printmaking
26 Introduction to Printmaking
27 Monoprinting/Mixed Media Printing
28 Figurative Sculpture
30 Introduction to Photography for Art Majors
33 Introduction to Screen Printing
36 Relief / Mixed Media Printmaking
37 Material Metaphor I
38 Digital Printmaking
39 Public Art I: Community, Site, and Place
40 Sculpture I
80A Introduction to Drawing
80D Introduction to Photography
- One course from either Art 80F, Introduction to Issues in Digital Media; Art 80V, Issues and Artists; or a history of art and visual culture (HAVC) course.***
* Students may use Advance Placement Courses (AP) in drawing with a score of 4, 5, or 6 in lieu of Art 20.
** Students may apply either 24A or 24B, but not both, toward the lower-division course requirements for declaring the full art major.
*** Students may use Advance Placement (AP) in Art History in lieu of the history of art and visual culture requirement.
Upper-Division Requirements
Students complete eight courses as follows:
- Five upper-division (100+ numbered) studio courses;
- 10 credits of senior studio courses or two upper-division studios in the area of focus;
- One art writing class from: 150C, Critical Issues in Contemporary Art; Art 170W, Writing for Artists; Art 171W, Writing in the Arts; Art 172W, Writing and Vocabulary Power for Visual Artists.
The last three quarters of course work for the major must be completed in residence at UCSC.
Art Major Planner
The following is a recommended academic plan for students to complete during their first two years as preparation for the art major.
| Year | Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (frsh) | ART 10H* | ART 10G* | ART 80C |
| low-div studio | low-div studio | ||
| low-div studio | |||
| 2nd (soph) | HAVC** | ||
| *Students take only one foundation course of their choice **Courses from history of art and visual culture or art breadth: Art 80F, Intro to Issues in Digital Media or Art 80V, Issues and Artists |
|||
Lower-Division Requirements (Junior Transfers)
- Three lower-division studios (equivalent to those found in the above list) should be taken at the community college, college, or university in preparation for the mandatory portfolio review prior to acceptance to the art major. Please remember that three studios is a minimum requirement and may not be enough studio work undertaken to pass the highly competitive nature of the portfolio review.
- One course from history of art and visual culture may be taken at the community college, college, or university, if available, or at UCSC.
Upper-Division Requirements (Junior Transfers)
Students complete eight courses as follows:
- Art 160, Forms and Ideas;
- Four upper-division (100+ numbered) studio courses
- 10 credits of senior studio courses or two upper-division studios in the area of focus;
- Art 150C, Critical Issues in Contemporary Art.
The last three quarters of course work for the major must be completed in residence at UCSC.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement in art is satisfied by completing Art 149A or 149B, Contemporary Visual Media: Issues of Theory and Practice; 150C, Critical Issues in Contemporary Art; Art 170W, Writing for Artists; Art 171W, Writing in the Arts, or Art 172W, Writing for Power Vocabulary for Artists. (Courses 170W, 171W, and 172W are offered in summer only.)
Comprehensive Requirement
Senior majors should meet with their faculty adviser about this requirement. Students may satisfy the comprehensive requirement with one of the following two options:
- Completing 10 credits of senior studio course work;
- Completing 10 credits of upper-division studio course work in the area of focus; and
a. Presenting an exhibition and, by appointment, meeting with a faculty member for review and critique of the exhibition; or
b. Submitting a portfolio and, by appointment, meeting with a faculty member for review and critique of the portfolio.
Study Abroad
The UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) offers students the opportunity for study abroad. Art majors may participate in EAP in their junior year. Pre-art majors are not approved to study abroad. Art students may not go abroad in their senior year because the last three quarters of course work must be in residence at UCSC. When considering attending EAP, the student should be mindful that only three courses may be substituted in the art major and each must receive a grade of B or better.
Materials Fee
Art students should be aware of the materials fee required for some studio courses. The fee is billed to the student's account for specific course materials purchased by the Art Department through the university. Fees generally range from $5 to $150 per course. Students may incur additional expense purchasing individual supplies.
Revised: 8/13/12
