2014-2015 University Catalog 
  
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2014-2015 University Catalog

■ School of Art

Art and Design Building, Room 2050
Phone: 703-993-8898
Web: soa.gmu.edu

Faculty

Peter Winant, Director

Professors: Carbonneau, Frederick, Kravitz, Linton, Sandell

Associate Professors: Ashcraft, Cooley, Crawford, Endress, Feerick, Frenn, Rothstein, White, Winant (director), Wrbican (associate director)

Assistant Professors: Constantine, Cui, Del Popolo, Feuer, Karametou, Sheridan, Stanley, Starr

Adjunct Faculty: Beach, Benassi, Bisese, Booth, Bourke, Bradley, Brugnoli-Whipkey, Carr, Cheney, Cushner, Guerrieri, Hankin, Hicks, Isham, Kenney, Petrine, Porrata, Quinones, Rodriguez, Salyards, Skowron, Thacker, Watson

Mission

The School of Art offers students an environment in which the pursuit of a degree is a commitment to a way of life that centers on creative thought processes and the production of artworks. The curriculum and the faculty focus on cultivating students’ appreciation of and expertise in studio and digital arts. Students are encouraged to dedicate themselves to academic excellence, skilled artistry, and employing visual literacy within an atmosphere of creative freedom. The faculty’s ongoing engagement with artistic practice forms a vital part of the student-instructor relationship. By offering instruction in traditional and contemporary technologies for art making, faculty members help students develop a strong foundation to realize their personal and professional goals.

A principle that underlies the School of Art Program is its focus on fostering student understanding and experience of the interdisciplinary nature of inquiry and practice in the visual arts. This focus is important because art today crosses the boundaries of traditional disciplines and integrates traditional and technology-based media into the creation of new art forms. This interdisciplinary focus is introduced to all AVT majors in required Foundations and Core courses and is reinforced throughout the AVT curriculum.

Course Work

The School of Art offers all course work designated AVT in the Courses  section of this catalog.

Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate studio degrees offered by the School of Art include the bachelor of arts (BA) and the bachelor of fine arts (BFA), and an honors program for selected AVT majors. The school also offers undergraduate minors in art and visual technology, graphic design, and web design.

Neither the BA nor the BFA program satisfies all requirements for those seeking accreditation for teaching in the public schools. Undergraduate students interested in this field should contact the school’s art education advisor to learn more about teacher preparation.

All George Mason University students are welcome to enroll in course work in the School of Art. Consult the course listings for prerequisites.

Undergraduate Admission to School of Art

All students are admitted to School of Art programs of study separately from their admission to the University by portfolio review. All students who have applied to the University who intend to be candidates for either the BA or BFA in Art and Visual Technology must complete a portfolio review before they are accepted in the School of Art Program.

  • All transfer students who intend to become candidates for a BA or BFA in Art and Visual Technology must complete a portfolio review as a part of their general application to the University.
  • Students who are applying to the University as freshmen must apply to the School of Art BA or BFA program through a portfolio review upon admission to the University after submitting an application to the University.
  • Portfolio reviews are scheduled through periodic Admissions Office events or through scheduled dates designated by the School of Art. Please call the main office to schedule an appointment (703-993-8898).
  • Digital portfolios may be submitted by applicants who live more than 75 miles from the George Mason University Fairfax campus. However, face to face reviews are preferred.

For all candidates, consideration for admission to the BA and BFA programs are competitive and require the following:

  • Portfolio of 10 to 15 original examples of current or college level work
  • One-page, double-spaced essay that describes the candidate’s interest in a studio art degree
  • 3.00 cumulative GPA overall

In addition, for all transfer students the following are required:

  • Transcripts of all college-level study

For current Mason students in the Art and Visual Technology BA program who wish to change to the BFA program or other current Mason students who wish to change their major to Art and Visual Technology, application deadlines are at the end of the sixth week of the fall and spring semesters each year

Artsbus Requirement

All AVT majors must meet the school’s requirement of travel to galleries and museums through the Artsbus program. Students meet this requirement by enrolling in AVT 300 Artsbus Attendance.  The procedure and requirements for enrollment in AVT 300 are the same as for any other class.

Freshmen who enroll as AVT majors must accumulate five AVT 300 credits during their course of study. Transfer students and students who change their majors to AVT must take AVT 300 for the equivalent of each semester they are enrolled at Mason, up to a maximum of five semesters. Semesters of enrollment in AVT 300 do not have to be consecutive. Students may take AVT 300 up to three times in a semester if they wish to accelerate their completion of the requirement although this is strongly discouraged.

All rules and requirements to AVT 300/Artsbus participation are posted on the Artsbus web site: http://artsbus.gmu.edu.  Students are responsible for being familiar with and following the posted rules and requirements for Artsbus.  The site also provides pertinent information for each trip regarding exhibits as well as reviews and articles for exhibitions.

Visual Voices Requirement

All AVT majors must fulfill three credits of Visual Voices, AVT 301, in order to graduate unless they are enrolled at Mason for fewer than three semesters.  If enrolled for less than three semesters, students are required to have one AVT 301 credit per semester in which they are enrolled.  Visual Voices is an intrinsic part of the major, offering students a chance to meet with and hear nationally and internationally recognized artists speak about their work.  The procedure and requirements for enrollment in AVT 301 are the same as for any other class.

Writing-Intensive Requirement

Mason requires all students to complete at least one course designated “writing intensive” in their majors at the 300 level or above. AVT students fulfill this requirement by successfully completing AVT 395.

Upper-Level Credits

All undergraduate students are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits of upper-division courses at the 300–499 level.

Major GPA

All School of Art BA and BFA majors, AVT minor, and Graphic Design minor students must earn a grade of C or better in required AVT coursework, including Studio Foundation, Critical Analysis and Contemporary Practice, Breadth and Experience, Synthesis and Concentrations.  All School of Art undergraduate students must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in their major.  To graduate with a BA or BFA in Art and Visual Technology with a concentration in Graphic Design, students are required to maintain a 2.40 GPA in concentration classes.  Students who fail to maintain this minimum may either retake core classes (an earned higher grade replaces the old one) or take concentration special topics classes in order to raise their average to the threshold.  The effect of this change will be that very weak students will have to return to required classes to master core skills, and marginally weak students will be able to meet the requirement while expanding the breadth of their education.

Studios

The School of Art program is located in the Art and Design Building which houses well-equipped studios for drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture, as well as six computer-equipped studios that cross platforms and are installed with current software applications used for two-dimensional imaging, three-dimensional modeling, animation, video production, sound editing, multimedia authoring, photography, and web publishing.

Policies, procedures, and schedules for studio use are established by the AVT studio faculty and are posted in the studios.

School of Art Honors Program

Students interested in the Honors Program in School of Art should contact the director of the school. Both BA and BFA students are eligible to apply for admission to the program. Honors students must complete at least 4 credits of AVT 394 Honors Seminar.  They must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 and at least 3.50 in AVT 394 and the AVT major.

Graduate Programs

The MA in Graphic Design offers students a comprehensive study and preparation for the graphic design profession.  The program calls for 36 credits, which includes courses in typography, web design, image making, and brand design.  The broad range of study is intended to develop professionals prepared for an ever-expanding graphic design field.  This degree is the only MA in Graphic Design in the Capital region.

The Art Education Licensure Certificate is a post-baccalaureate program designed for those who currently hold a graduate degree in an art-related field along with those who want a more immediate entrance into the art teaching profession.  This “licensure only’ program, which results in a pre K-12 art certification in the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a 21 credit program consisting of graduate education courses, area endorsements, student teaching internships and seminar.  There is a MAT Graduate Degree option with an additional 9 graduate credits.

The Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education is a preservice degree program that prepares students with a BFA degree or equivalent for pre K-12 art licensure by the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Using a studio-based approach to art education and working closely with area public school systems, the MAT degree consists of 30 credits of graduate art education, school practicum experience, studio work, and preservice teaching internship and seminar.

The MFA is a terminal degree that prepares students to become professional artists, work in technology or arts-related fields, and teach at the university level.  Candidates are required to complete 60 credits, of which 45 credits are made up from both core and studio requirements.  An additional 15 credits are based on comprehensive experience.

MFA students may choose an emphasis in digital arts, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or InterArts.  The latter offers students the opportunity to combine art forms in interdisciplinary projects that may be installation, performance, publishing, time-based, or writing-based; and combine creative and critical approaches to their work.

While it is anticipated that students will move through the MFA as described in this catalog, individuals with extensive professional accomplishment may, upon recommendation of the SOA Graduate Committee and with prior approval of the CVPA dean, craft an individualized program that meets curricular requirements.

Academic Policies

Please see College of Visual and Performing Arts  academic policies.

Programs

    Undergraduate Degree(s)Bachelor’s Level Certificate(s)Undergraduate Minor(s)Master’s Degree(s)Master’s Level Certificate(s)