Art & Art History

Carleton combines in a single department the creative aspects of art making and the study of art as an historical discipline. The Studio Art program helps students develop their skills in a variety of arts media. It also gives them a critical understanding of the function and process of art that fits well with the goals of the college's liberal arts orientation. The Art History program introduces students to the intrinsic qualities of artistic images and artifacts. Equally important, it considers the conditions of their production and viewing, their functions and meanings, and the roles they play in recording and shaping people, perceptions, events, and cultures.

Both programs serve potential majors, including students who go on to art-related careers, as well as students who take courses as part of their broad liberal arts education.

Requirements for a Major

Art History: 72 credits including:

  • the seminar for art history majors (ARTH 298)
  • the integrative exercise (ARTH 400)
  • two six-credit Studio Art courses
  • 48 elective credits in Art History, including
    • at least six credits in non-Western art history
    • at least six credits in art history of the western tradition before 1800
    • at least six credits in art history of the western tradition after 1800
    • at least one 300-level seminar.

Art History majors are encouraged to take advantage of off-campus study programs. No more than two art history courses taken outside of the department can be counted toward the major. Occasionally one course in a related department such as Cinema and Media Studies or Classics may count as an elective toward the major.

Studio Art: 78 credits including:

Potential majors should enroll in Drawing or Sculpture their first year. Selected Cinema and Media Studies production courses can count toward up to twelve elective credits (two courses) within the major. Consult with your studio art adviser to confirm which courses apply.

Art History Courses (ARTH)

ARTH 100 Renaissance, Revolution, and Reformation: The Life and Art of Albrecht Durer "If man devotes himself to art, much evil is avoided..." This statement, on the divine nature of art, was penned by the German artist Albrecht Dürer. Dürer's artworks--his paintings, his drawings, his woodblock prints, and his engravings--have been construed to be some of the most theologically sophisticated, naturalistically rendered, theoretically informed, classically inflected, and socially engaged of the period we now refer to as the "Renaissance." This thematically organized course will engage the work of Albrecht Dürer, around these issues. Discussions will be integrated with student presentations, analyses of primary and scholarly texts, and writing assignments. 6 credits; WR1, AI, IS; Fall; Jessica F Keating
ARTH 101 Introduction to Art History I An introduction to the art and architecture of various geographical areas around the world from antiquity through the "Middle Ages." The course will provide foundational skills (tools of analysis and interpretation) as well as general, historical understanding. It will focus on a select number of major developments in a range of media and cultures, emphasizing the way that works of art function both as aesthetic and material objects and as cultural artifacts and forces. Issues include, for example, sacred spaces, images of the gods, imperial portraiture, and domestic decoration. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IS; Fall; Jessica F Keating, Meghan Tierney
ARTH 102 Introduction to Art History II An introduction to the art and architecture of various geographical areas around the world from the fifteenth century through the present. The course will provide foundational skills (tools of analysis and interpretation) as well as general, historical understanding. It will focus on a select number of major developments in a range of media and cultures, emphasizing the way that works of art function both as aesthetic and material objects and as cultural artifacts and forces. Issues include, for example, humanist and Reformation redefinitions of art in the Italian and Northern Renaissance, realism, modernity and tradition, the tension between self-expression and the art market, and the use of art for political purposes. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IS; Winter; Jessica F Keating
ARTH 140 African Art and Culture This course will survey the art and architecture of African peoples from prehistory to the present. Focusing on significant case studies in various mediums (including sculpture, painting, architecture, masquerades and body arts), this course will consider the social, cultural, aesthetic and political contexts in which artistic practices developed both on the African continent and beyond. Major themes will include the use of art for status production, the use of aesthetic objects in social rituals and how the history of African and African diaspora art has been written and institutionally framed. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 142 Art of the Ancient Americas This course will survey art from the cultures of ancient Mesoamerica (Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, and Aztec), the center of the Americas (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador), and the central Andes (Chavín, Moche, Paracas, Nasca, Wari/Tiwanaku, Chimú, and Inka). The course will consider a variety of art objects within the contexts of geography and environment, artistic process, socio-political status, sacred space, religion, ritual and performance, and writing. Artistic adaptation to and interactions with traditions coming to the Americas from the East and the West during colonial-era encounters will provide another point of departure. 6 credits; LA, IS; Winter; Meghan Tierney
ARTH 155 Islamic Art and Architecture This course surveys the art and architecture of societies where Muslims were dominant or where they formed significant minorities from the seventh through the nineteenth centuries. It examines the form and function of architecture and works of art as well as the social, historical and cultural contexts, patterns of use, and evolving meanings attributed to art by the users. The course follows a chronological order, where selected visual materials are treated along chosen themes. Themes include the creation of a distinctive visual culture in the emerging Islamic polity; cultural interconnections along trade and pilgrimage routes; and westernization. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 160 American Art to 1940 Concentration on painting of the colonial period (especially portraiture) and nineteenth century (especially landscape and scenes of everyday life) with an introduction to the modernism of the early twentieth century. The course will include analysis of the ways art shapes and reflects cultural attitudes such as those concerning race and gender. 6 credits; LA, IDS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 164 Buddhist Art The Buddhist religion has been a central part of Asian cultures and societies since the third century BC. This course will trace the development of Buddhist art and architecture from its beginnings in India through its migration across the Asian continent. Attention will be paid to both the Mahayana and Theravada traditions in Central East, South, and South-East Asia. Special emphasis will be placed on the relationship between different doctrines, for example, Tantrism or Zen and the development of form and style. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 165 Japanese Art and Culture This course will survey art and architecture in Japan from its prehistoric beginnings until the early twentieth century, and explore the relationship between indigenous art forms and the foreign (Korean, Chinese, European) concepts, art forms and techniques that influenced Japanese culture, as well as the social political and religious contexts for artistic production. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 166 Chinese Art and Culture This course will survey art and architecture in China from its prehistoric beginnings to the end of the nineteenth century. It will examine various types of visual art forms within their social, political and cultural contexts. Major themes that will also be explored include: the role of ritual in the production and use of art, the relationship between the court and secular elite and art, and theories about creativity and expression. 6 credits; LA, IS; Fall; Kathleen M Ryor
ARTH 170 History of Printmaking The course explores printmaking's effects on Western ways of understanding the world; until photography prints were the only exactly repeatable pictorial statements their audiences knew. It examines how prints functioned in their cultures (their originality, production, marketing, collecting). Woodcut, engraving, etching, aquatint, and lithography, c.1400-1930, are studied through such artists as Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Daumier, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cassatt, and Kollwitz. The class works extensively with prints in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (three field trips) and the Carleton Art Gallery. Students taking the course for 4 credits write one fewer paper and a shortened final exam. 4-6 credits; LA, WR2; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 171 History of Photography This course covers nineteenth and twentieth century photography from its origins to the present. It will consider formal innovations in the medium, the role of photography in society, and the place of photography in the fine arts. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 172 Modern Art: 1890-1945 This course explores developments in the visual arts, architecture, and theory in Europe and America between 1890 and 1945. The major Modernist artists and movements that sought to revolutionize vision, culture, and experience, from Symbolism to Surrealism, will be considered. The impact of World War I, the Great Depression, and the rise of fascism will be examined as well for their devastation of the Modernist dream of social-cultural renewal. Lectures will be integrated with discussions of artists' theoretical writings and group manifestoes, such as those of the Futurists, Dadaists, Surrealists, Constructivists, and DeStijl, in addition to select secondary readings. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 180 Medieval Art Survey of architecture, sculpture, the pictorial and decorative arts from the early Christian period to the late Gothic era. Topics include early Christian mosaics, Insular manuscripts, Romanesque monastery and pilgrimage churches, Gothic cathedrals. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 184 Modern American Architecture: Nature vs. History This course will examine how various twentieth-century American architects searched for ways to evade European precedents and instead to base architecture on nature and geometry, two sources that could be radical and conservative simultaneously. Frank Lloyd Wright, the central figure in this search, who popularized the term “Organic Architecture,” will loom large in the course, but we will also study many other architects who were looking for a similarly individual, experimental architecture to be uniquely “American.” 6 credits; LA; Spring; Sidney K Robinson
ARTH 209 Chinese Painting Since the tenth century in China, a tension emerges between art created as a means of self expression and works which were intended to display social status and political power and to convey conventional values. This course concentrates on the primary site of this tension, the art of painting. We will explore such issues as the influence of Confucian and Daoist philosophy on painting and calligraphy, the changing perception of nature and the natural in art, the politics of style, and the increasing dominance of poetry rather than narrative as a conceptual construct for painting. 6 credits; LA, IS; Winter; Kathleen M Ryor
ARTH 215 Cross-Cultural Psychology in Prague: Prague Art and Architecture This course will examine key developments in Czech visual art and architecture from the early medieval to the contemporary periods. Slide-based lectures will be supplemented by visits to representative monuments, art collections, and museums in Prague. Prerequisite: Participation in Cross-Cultural Psychology in Prague program. 4 credits; S/CR/NC; LA, IS; Fall; Ken Abrams
ARTH 220 The Origins of Manga: Japanese Prints Pictures of the floating world, or ukiyoe, were an integral part of popular culture in Japan and functioned as illustrations, advertisements, and souvenirs. This course will examine the development of both style and subject matter in Japanese prints within the socio-economic context of the seventeenth through twentieth centuries. Emphasis will be placed on the prominent position of women and the nature of gendered activity in these prints. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 223 Women in Art The study of art about and produced by women in the west from the Renaissance to the present. Attention to the ways gender identity is constructed in the arts, the conditions under which women have worked, the ideologies and institutions that have shaped their relationships to the arts, the feminist critique of the discipline of art history. Prerequisite: Any one term of art history. 6 credits; LA, WR2; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 225 Religion, Royalty & Romantics: The Gothic and Gothic Revival This course examines Gothic art and architecture, both religious and secular, during the late Middle Ages and then again, with the Gothic Revival, after the Industrial Revolution. The course investigates how the concept of the Gothic evolved, explores how the Gothic style became invested with various cultural connotations, and traces its various deployments in popular culture. In the medieval period, this course focuses on works of art from France, England, Germany and Italy from the twelfth through fourteenth centuries. Discussions of the Gothic Revival from the nineteenth century onward focus more broadly upon Europe and the United States. Approximately half of the class sessions will be held at St. Olaf. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 226 The Gothic Cathedral This course focuses on a selection of high-profile French and English churches built in the Gothic period: the Sainte-Chapelle, Reims Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. Each commission brought together the finest artists working in a variety of media. We will examine architectural developments of the period, and related arts such as stained glass, sculpture, tombs, shrines, and illuminated manuscripts. More broadly, these works provide a lens through which to consider social, religious, and political issues, especially the cult of saints, the Crusades, and the growing powers of the French and English monarchies. Prerequisite: Any art history course. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 228 The Picturesque: Landscape between Nature and Artifice This course will focus upon the emergence of a novel aesthetic approach to landscape design: the Picturesque. During the eighteenth century, the British landscape became the scene of a new way to design the land according to models of a loosened, irregular, composition in contrast to previous rigid geometries that sought to improve nature’s waywardness. Not only gardens but books also took up the call for liberty against tyranny and for the natural against the artificial without giving up convention altogether. 6 credits; LA, IS; Spring; Sidney K Robinson
ARTH 235 Revival, Revelation, and Re-animation: The Art of Europe's "Renaissance" This course examines European artistic production in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century. The aim of the course is to introduce diverse forms of artistic production, as well as to analyze the religious, social, and political role of art in the period. While attending to the specificities of workshop practices, production techniques, materials, content, and form of the objects under discussion, the course also interrogates the ways in which these objects are and, at times, are not representative of the "Renaissance." Prerequisite: One Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 236 Baroque Art This course examines European artistic production in Italy, Spain, France, and the Netherlands from the end of the sixteenth century through the seventeenth century. The aim of the course is to interrogate how religious revolution and reformation, scientific discoveries, and political transformations brought about a proliferation of remarkably varied types of artistic production that permeated and altered the sacred, political, and private spheres. The class will examine in depth select works of painting, sculpture, prints, and drawings, by Caravaggio, Bernini, Poussin, Velázquez, Rubens, and Rembrandt, among many others. 6 credits; LA, IS; Spring; Jessica F Keating
ARTH 240 Art Since 1945 Art from abstract expressionism to the present, with particular focus on issues such as the modernist artist-hero; the emergence of alternative or non-traditional media; the influence of the women's movement and the gay/lesbian liberation movement on contemporary art; and postmodern theory and practice. Prerequisite: Any one term of art history. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IDS; Fall; Ross K Elfline
ARTH 241 Contemporary Art for Artists This course is a survey of major artistic movements after 1945 as well as an introduction to significant tendencies in current art and craft production. The goal of this course is to develop a familiarity with the important debates, discussions, and critical issues facing artists today. By the end of the course, students will be able to relate their own work as cultural producers to these significant contemporary artistic developments. Students will read, write about, and discuss primary sources, artist statements, and theoretical essays covering a wide range of media with the ultimate goal of articulating their own artistic project. Prerequisite: Any two studio art courses or permission from the instructor. Not open to students who have previously taken Art History 240. 6 credits; LA; Spring; Ross K Elfline
ARTH 245 Modern Architecture This course surveys the history of western architecture, chiefly in Europe and North America, from approximately 1800 to 1950, paying particular attention to new building practices spurred by technological innovations arising from the Industrial Revolution. Architectural theory, stylistic concerns, new building typologies (such as skyscrapers and railway stations), urbanization, and the professionalization of architecture receive attention in the context of different cultural and political settings. Architectural movements covered include neoclassicism, the gothic revival, art nouveau, the beaux-arts tradition, the arts and crafts movement, the prairie school, constructivism, art deco, international-style modernism, brutalism and others. Prerequisite: One Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 247 Architecture Since 1950 This course begins by considering the international triumph of architecture's Modern Movement as seen in key works by Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and their followers. Soon after modernism's rise, however, architects began to question the movement's tenets and the role that architecture as a discipline plays in the fashioning of society. This course will examine the central actors in this backlash from Britain, France, Italy, Japan, the United States and elsewhere before exploring the architectural debates surrounding definitions of postmodernism. The course will conclude by considering the impact of both modernism and postmodernism on contemporary architectural practice. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 252 Islamic Art and the Medieval Mediterranean This course investigates the origins and development of Islamic art and architecture from the seventh to the sixteenth centuries, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean basin. Under Muslim rule, patrons and artists produced a distinctive and sophisticated visual culture in religious and secular contexts. Topics to be addressed include the expression of cultural and religious identity through visual arts; palace architecture and Islamic court culture; the development of sacred spaces; and cross-cultural exchange with the Byzantine Empire and the Christian west through trade, travel, and at specific sites such as Islamic Spain, Norman Sicily, and Crusader Palestine. Prerequisite: One Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 255 Islam in the Eyes of the West How have images of Islam impacted European culture? How did existing pictorial traditions/practices frame the ways in which Islam was visualized in Europe? This course will interrogate the ways in which representational technologies facilitated and/or obstructed making sense of Islam from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries. We will explore a wide range of images in diverse media, including, but not limited to, maps, costume books, panel paintings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, popular prints, ethnographic treatises, and early photographs. Prerequisite: Any art history course or permission of the instructor. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17; Jessica F Keating
ARTH 261 English Theater and Literature in London: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Britain With a focus on the intersections of art, culture, and literature, the course explores various aspects of art in the English Renaissance, including patronage, politics and power, religion, and the role of the artist in society. Students will research specific artworks (for example, Holbein's The Ambassadors, Henry VIII's tapestries at Hampton Court Palace, The Banqueting House, St. Paul's Cathedral), visit historical sites and museums, and work with local experts as they develop their understanding and appreciation of Elizabethan and Jacobean art. 3 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 267 Gardens in China and Japan A garden is usually defined as a piece of land that is cultivated or manipulated in some way by man for one or more purposes. Gardens often take the form of an aestheticized space that miniaturizes the natural landscape. This course will explore the historical phenomenon of garden building in China and Japan with a special emphasis on how cultural and religious attitudes towards nature contribute to the development of gardens in urban and suburban environments. In addition to studying historical source material, students will be required to apply their knowledge by building both virtual and physical re-creations of gardens. 6 credits; ARP, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 268 Art History in Kyoto Program: History of Gardens and Landscape Architecture in Japan A garden is usually defined as a piece of land that is cultivated or manipulated in some way by humans for one or more purposes. Gardens often take the form of an aestheticized space that miniaturizes the natural landscape. This course will explore the historical phenomenon of garden building in Japan, with a special emphasis on how cultural and religious attitudes towards nature contribute to the development of gardens in urban and suburban environments. In addition to studying historical source material, students will be required to visit garden sites on a weekly basis. 6 credits; LA, IS; Spring; Kathleen M Ryor
ARTH 269 Art History in Kyoto Program: Projects in Japanese Garden Design and History Reading assignments followed by an independent project related to Japanese gardens. Linked to the work done in Art History 268, this course requires an in-depth study of a particular style of Japanese garden design and its history. 3 credits; LA, IS; Spring; Kathleen M Ryor
ARTH 285 The Art of Death in the Middle Ages Concerns about death, the afterlife, and personal commemoration resulted in rich visual expression in the medieval period. Three main areas of inquiry will be addressed in this class: pilgrimage and the commemoration of saints (the special dead); the death and commemoration of "ordinary" individuals; and depictions of and attitudes toward the body, death, burial, Purgatory, the Last Judgment, and resurrection. Prerequisite: One Art History course. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 286 Legacies of the Avant-Garde: Dada Then and Now By definition, the artistic neo-avantgarde of the post-1945 era looked back to the historical avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century for inspiration and ideological support. This course will examine how one such historical movement, Dada, has continued to play a profound role in shaping how artists define art and use the art object as an active force to radically alter everyday life. In particular, we will investigate the ways in which Dadaists used chance, humor, irony, negation and the ready made to challenge the institution of art, and then trace the legacies of these practices in recent artistic practice. Prerequisite: One Art History course. 6 credits; LA, WR2; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 287 Legacies of the Avant-Garde: Constructivism Then and Now Contemporary artists often look to the historical avant-garde movements of earlier generations for inspiration and ideological support. This course will examine how the strategies of one such historical movement, Constructivism, continue to resonate in the art world as artists question both the definition of art and its broader role in society. In particular, this course will consider how Russian artists in the 1920s and 30s used monochrome painting, industrial materials, installation art, public demonstrations and propaganda to alter the institution of art. We will then trace the legacies of these disruptive practices in art of the recent past. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 288 Curatorial Seminar Organize an exhibition, and get grounded in curatorial practice and theory, with this small team-based seminar. The exhibition, a collaboration with the Hillstrom Museum at Gustavus Adolphus College, with some input from the Flaten Art Museum at St. Olaf, will feature American art works organized around themes identified by students and collection curators. This seminar offers a unique opportunity to work directly with art works and to contribute to multiple aspects of an exhibition and related programs. Prerequisite: Any one Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA; Spring; Laurel E Bradley
ARTH 289 Special Projects: The Carleton Art Collection This small seminar invites students to work with the Carleton Art Collection, currently numbering about 2300 objects and recently located to the Weitz Center for Creativity. Student research and writing will be directed toward donor histories and collection strengths. In addition to guided individual projects, each student will create a brief narrative video highlighting works from the collection. These collection "tours" will be posted on the Perlman Teaching Museum website. 3 credits; NE; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 298 Seminar for Art History Majors An intensive study of the nature of art history as an intellectual discipline and of the approaches scholars have taken to various art historical problems. Attention as well to principles of current art historical research and writing. Recommended for juniors who have declared art history as a major. 6 credits; LA; Spring; Ross K Elfline
ARTH 307 Rome: The Art of Michelangelo and Caravaggio Early Modern Rome flourished as a center of art and architecture, reviving its position in classical antiquity. This course is organized around three major artists, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Bernini, and secondarily Annibale Carracci and Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi in Rome, and such foreign artists as Rubens, Velazquez, and Poussin. Recurring themes will include the mechanisms of patronage, concepts of the naturalistic, artistic self-definition, church renewal, the urban landscape, and the interdependence of architecture and society. The major question throughout the term: What difference does it make that this art was produced in Rome? Prerequisite: Any art history course. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 321 Arts of the Chinese Scholar's Studio During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in China, unprecedented economic development and urbanization expanded the number of educated elite who used their wealth to both display their status and distinguish themselves as cultural leaders. As a result, this period experienced a boom in estate and garden building, art collecting and luxury consumption. This course will examine a wide range of objects from painting and calligraphy to furniture and ceramics within the context of domestic architecture of the late Ming dynasty. It will also examine the role of taste and social class in determining the style of art and architecture. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 323 Idolatry Idolatry is an issue that has often determined how human beings interact with and conceive of the world around them. Focusing on the Judeo-Christian formulations of idolatry this course draws on a range of media, from the Hebrew Bible to the bones of saints and popular prints, as we analyze verbal and visual representations of the sacred and the profane. The driving questions will be: how have idols and idolaters been recognized in the past, and how have these various textual and visual formulations of idolatry shaped works of art from the ancient, medieval, and early modern worlds? Prerequisite: 200 level Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 333 Visual Culture and the Civil War How did images reflect and shape popular attitudes towards the events and issues of the American Civil War? This seminar will investigate various visual media, ranging from printed ephemera to fine art, seeking answers to this question. The course will analyze reportage and artworks portraying specific events, such as the Battle of Gettysburg and the assassination of President Lincoln, as well as examine pictorial treatments of subjects such as slavery and emancipation, secession and union, military camp life and the home front. Later thematic directions for the course will be influenced by individual student research projects. Prerequisite: 200 level Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA, WR2, IDS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 340 Theories of Postmodernism In this discussion-based seminar, students will look closely at a series of key texts that have come to epitomize the historical rupture between modernism and postmodernism in visual culture. As "postmodernism" refers neither to a cohesive movement, nor to a specific style, we will investigate the web of various theories and political positions that represent a fundamental re-thinking of modernism's aims. Specifically, we will consider the following themes as they relate to cultural practices from the 1960s to the present day: deconstruction, the death of authorship, post-feminism, simulation, post-colonialism and globalization. Prerequisite: Two Art History courses. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2016-17
ARTH 341 Art and Democracy What does it mean to say that a work of art is “democratic?" For whom is art made? And who can lay claim to the title “artist?" These questions animate contemporary art production as artists grapple with the problems of broadening access to their works and making them more socially relevant. In this course we will consider the challenges involved in making art for a sometimes ill-defined “public.” Topics to be discussed include: activist performance art, feminism, public sculpture, the Culture Wars, queer visual culture, and the recent rise of social practice art. Prerequisite: Any two Art History courses, or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA, IDS; Fall; Ross K Elfline
ARTH 400 Integrative Exercise The integrative exercise for the art history major involves an independent research project, on a topic chosen by the student and approved by faculty members, resulting in a substantial essay due late in the winter term. One credit is awarded, usually in the spring term, for a formal presentation that contextualizes the project and summarizes the argument of the essay. The other five credits may be distributed in any fashion over the fall and winter terms. Art History 400 is a continuing course; no grade will be awarded until all six credits are completed. 1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring

Studio Art Courses (ARTS)

ARTS 110 Observational Drawing A beginning course for non-majors and for those who contemplate majoring in art. The aim of the course is to give the student an appreciation of art and of drawing. An understanding of aesthetic values and development of technical skills are achieved through a series of studio problems which naturally follow one another and deal with the analysis and use of line, shape, volume, space, and tone. A wide range of subjects are used, including still life, landscape and the human figure. 6 credits; ARP; Fall, Winter, Spring; Daniel P Bruggeman, Fred Hagstrom, David Lefkowitz, Ed Charbonneau
ARTS 113 Field Drawing A beginning drawing course for students who are interested in developing their skills in drawing from nature. Much of the classwork will be done outdoors and deal directly with drawing from plant forms, geological sources, and the landscape as subjects. Emphasis will be placed on the development of the technical skills needed for visual note-taking and development of journals. Problems will deal with the analysis of space and objects through line, shape, volume, and tone. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Daniel P Bruggeman, Eleanor M Jensen
ARTS 120 Art, Interactivity, and Robotics In this hands-on studio centered course, we'll explore and create interactive three dimensional art. Using basic construction techniques, microprocessors, and programming, this class brings together the fundamentals of computer science, sculpture, engineering, and aesthetic design. Students will engage the nuts-and-bolts of fabrication, learn to program computers, and study how robots think. Collaborative labs and individual projects will culminate in a campus wide exhibition. No prior building or programming experience is required. Students who have taken Studio Art 122, Computer Science 111, IDSC 120, or any higher numbered Computer Science course are NOT eligible to enroll. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 122 Introduction to Sculpture The ability to build structures that reflect or alter the environment is a basic defining characteristic of our species. In this class we explore creative construction in three dimensions using a variety of media, including plaster, wood, and steel. Using both natural and architectural objects for inspiration, we will examine and manipulate form, space, and expressive content to develop a deeper understanding of this core trait and reawaken our experience of the spaces we inhabit. 6 credits; ARP; Fall, Winter, Spring; Stephen Mohring
ARTS 140 The Digital Landscape Study nature aesthetics and examine your assumptions about the landscape photograph. Question the formal, moral and biological implications of your "framed view-point," as you move your lens across the prairies, woods and farmer's fields of Northfield. Reflect on the ways in which nature has been visually represented in the classroom, creating a three-way intersection between art, science and technology. In particular, what are the effects of two-dimensional representation on our estrangement from nature itself? Demonstrations, readings, discussions and field trips will help the student create a final portfolio of digital prints and text. Student must provide their own digital camera. 6 credits; ARP; Fall, Spring; Linda K Rossi
ARTS 141 Experimental Photography In this course we will explore the rich history of photography's experimental development through the use of light and chemistry. Our focus will be on black and white darkroom experimentation and color scanning and digital printing. Demonstrations will cover a wide range of materials and techniques such as; the making of pin hole cameras, paper negatives, photograms, photomontages, and the use of toning, solarization and liquid emulsion on paper and glass. Students will create a portfolio and recipe book of their experimental investigations. 6 credits; ARP; Winter, Spring; Linda K Rossi
ARTS 151 Metalsmithing A basic course in metal design and fabrication of primarily jewelry forms and functional objects. Specific instruction will be given in developing the skills of forming, joining, and surface enrichment to achieve complex metal pieces. Students will learn to render two-dimensional drawings while exploring three-dimensional design concepts. The course examines how jewelry forms relate to the human body. Found materials will be used in addition to traditional metals including copper, brass, and silver.   6 credits; ARP; Fall; Danny Saathoff
ARTS 178 Sustainable Approach: Papermaking and Pulp as a Material of Choice This class introduces students to the fundamentals of handmade paper with special emphasis placed on sustainability, harvesting as content, and its potential uses for the two dimensional surface and three dimensional form. Cellulose fiber preparation (both environmentally harvested and culturally harvested), colorants, additives, sheet formation, drying techniques, large scale sheet formations, spraying, stencils, pulp painting, embossing, and casting, mixing with clay and spraying over armatures will additionally be covered.  6 credits; ARP; Winter; Rebecca Hutchinson
ARTS 185 Critical Studies in Public Space with N55 In this course, students will work in collaboration with Danish art and design collective N55, who have been invited to campus as part of the Lucas Lectureship in the Arts. N55's practice embraces a critical investigation of how public spaces function in our contemporary era. Who has access to public space? Who has the right to build, and where? What is an environmentally ethical way to occupy the land? This winter, students will work alongside N55 to develop a speculative proposal for some aspect of the Carleton campus and will fabricate models or prototype structures to support this innovative scheme. 3 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 210 Life Drawing Understanding the basic techniques of drawing the human form is fundamental to an art education and is the emphasis of this class. Humans have been engaged in the act of self-representation since the beginning of time. The relationship artists have had with drawing the human body is complex and has been the subject of religious, philosophical and personal investigation for centuries. Concentrating on representational drawing techniques we will explore a variety of media and materials. Supplemented by lectures, readings and critiques, students will develop an understanding of both contemporary and historical approaches to drawing the human figure. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 142 or 211. 6 credits; ARP; Fall; Daniel P Bruggeman
ARTS 212 Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: Mixed-Media Drawing This course involves directed drawing in bound sketchbooks, using a variety of drawing media, and requires on-going, self-directed drawing in visual journals. Subjects will include landscape, figure, portraits, and nature study. The course will require some hiking in rugged areas. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114 or 142 or previous comparable drawing experience approved by the professor. Participation in OCS program. 6 credits; ARP; Winter; Fred Hagstrom
ARTS 213 Elaborating on Perception: Drawing Drawing has always been characterized by two dominant narratives: one of appearance, the other of conception. In both cases, drawing can be defined as an engagement with the hand, the drawing material and the surface, with consideration given to a visual and/or conceptual subject. In this course we will develop both our perceptual and reflective skills through a series of projects that will challenge the student to explore and refine both traditional and unconventional drawing strategies. This course is part of the OCS winter break New York Program, involving two linked courses in fall and winter terms. This course is the first in the sequence. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114 or 142. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 214 Elaborating on Perception: Drawing (Part 2, Field Investigation and Portfolio Development) This course is the second part of a two-term course sequence beginning with ARTS 213. The course begins with a two-week visit in December to New York City. Field-work will include daily drawing requirements and visits to the studios of working artists, museums, galleries and art performances. In regular weekly meetings during the winter term on campus, our experiences will be synthesized into a series of drawing projects that will be presented in an exhibit in The Weitz Center. Prerequisite: Studio Art 213. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 230 Ceramics: Throwing This course is an introduction to wheel throwing as a primary method to construct both functional and non-functional ceramic forms. An understanding of aesthetic values and technical skills are achieved through studio practice, readings, and demonstrations. Basic glaze and clay calculations, kiln firing techniques, and some handbuilding methods will be covered. Prerequisite: Studio Art 128, 130, 236 or high school experience with wheel throwing and instructor permission. 6 credits; ARP; Fall; Michael C Helke
ARTS 232 Ceramics: Handbuilding This course is an introduction to handbuilding as a primary method to construct both functional and non-functional ceramic forms with a focus on experimentation. An understanding of aesthetic values and technical skills are achieved through studio practice, readings, and demonstrations. Basic glaze and clay calculations, kiln firing techniques, and basic throwing methods will be covered. Prerequisite: Studio Art 122, 128, 130, 150, 151, 236 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 234 The Figure in Clay This course is an introduction to the figurative and narrative potential of clay as a sculptural medium. Through hands-on demonstrations, lectures, readings, and assignments students will develop an understanding of both contemporary and historical approaches to forming the human figure in clay. The relationship artists have with the human body is complex and has been the subject of religious, philosophical and personal investigation for centuries. This course will analyze this relationship while developing technical skills in construction and firing techniques specific to ceramics. Prerequisite: Studio Art 122, 128, 130 or instructor's consent. 6 credits; ARP; Winter; Kelly A Connole
ARTS 238 Photography I This course introduces the student to the operation of the 35mm camera, film processing and black and white printing techniques. Through lectures, demonstrations, readings, field trips and critiques we rigorously view and question the nature of photography. Assignments will cover a range of photographic genres. A personal investigation of these photographic experiences will result in a final portfolio of finished prints and accompanying field guide. Manual film cameras provided, check with instructor. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, 140, 141 or 142. 6 credits; ARP; Fall; Linda K Rossi
ARTS 240 Introduction to Film and Digital Photography Learn the fine art of both black and white and color photography through the use of light sensitive silver and pigmented ink. Like the alchemist we will separate and join together the materials, concepts and technology of the past with today's digital image. As we transition between chemicals in the darkroom and Photoshop in the digital lab we will explore the creative and cultural nature of photography. Studio production will be promoted through field trips, readings and critiques. We encourage students to bring their own digital camera, however we do have some digital cameras to loan out. Film cameras will be provided. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, 140, 141 or 142. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 252 Metalsmithing: Casting and Color This course focuses on casting, enameling, and stone setting as methods of creating jewelry and small sculptural objects in copper and silver. Specific instruction will be given in developing the skills of forming, joining, and surface enrichment to achieve complex metal pieces. Previous experience with metalsmithing is not required but may be helpful. Prerequisite: Studio Arts 151. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Danny Saathoff
ARTS 260 Painting The course serves as an introduction to the language of painting. Students develop a facility with the physical tools of painting--brushes, paint and surfaces--as they gain a fluency with the basic formal elements of the discipline--color, form, value, composition and space. Students are also challenged to consider the choices they make in determining the content and ideas expressed in the work, and how to most effectively convey them. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Winter, Spring; David Lefkowitz
ARTS 262 English Theater and Literature in London: Visualizing the Renaissance What did the English Renaissance look like? Through on-site observational drawing, watercolor and gouache painting, and/or digital photography, students will investigate the paintings, ceramics, woodwork, metalwork, textiles, fashion, heraldry, architecture, and landscape gardening of early modern England. The critical observation and artistic rendering of these objects and spaces will afford students a window into the culture of the English Renaissance as they acquaint themselves with the visual vocabulary of the past. 3 credits; ARP, IS; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 274 Printmaking Winter Term: Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: Printmaking  (Off Campus Studies Program) Intaglio and relief printmaking using the facilities of host universities. Students will receive instruction in all of the processes of intaglio and relief printmaking. Students will explore the possibilities of this form of printmaking in conjunction with their work in a drawing class. Spring Term: Printmaking (on Campus) Students will work in one of the four primary media of printmaking: intaglio, relief, lithography, or silkscreen. After students make their choice of which process they will use, demonstrations will be offered in each area.  The goal includes building upon skills that were established in the pre-requisite drawing class.  Each print media affords great potential in experimentation. 6 credits, ARP. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Winter, Spring; Fred Hagstrom
ARTS 274 Printmaking Winter Term: Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: Printmaking  (Off Campus Studies Program) Intaglio and relief printmaking using the facilities of host universities. Students will receive instruction in all of the processes of intaglio and relief printmaking. Students will explore the possibilities of this form of printmaking in conjunction with their work in a drawing class. Spring Term: Printmaking (on Campus) Students will work in one of the four primary media of printmaking: intaglio, relief, lithography, or silkscreen. After students make their choice of which process they will use, demonstrations will be offered in each area.  The goal includes building upon skills that were established in the pre-requisite drawing class.  Each print media affords great potential in experimentation. 6 credits, ARP.

  Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113 or 114 and acceptance in OCS Program. 6 credits; ARP; Winter; Fred Hagstrom

ARTS 275 Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: The Physical and Cultural Environment This course examines how Australia and New Zealand have changed since colonization. Students study the physical and environmental beginnings of these countries and learn about the history of their indigenous people, noting how the physical landscape has been changed through agriculture, mining, and the importation of non-native species. This course will include readings, meetings with visiting artists and lecturers, and visits to cultural centers. Prerequisite: Acceptance to Carleton OCS program. 6 credits; S/CR/NC; SI, IS; Winter; Fred Hagstrom
ARTS 278 Paper Arts: Binding and Two-Dimensional Applications This class introduces students to the fundamentals of handmade paper with special emphasis placed on its use as a substrate for printing, drawing, painting, and other media. Colorants, additives, fiber preparation and finishing techniques will be examined as will various sheet formation techniques including the use of stencils and pulp painting. The second half of the course will introduce students to a variety of binding techniques. Sewn single- and multi-signature bindings will be presented as will various adhesive bindings, decorative spine book structures, traditional Japanese bindings, hard cover formats, historical designs and non-traditional embellishment techniques. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110 or 113. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 280 Bookbinding This class will introduce the fundamentals of hand bookbinding with special emphasis on making journals and albums. We will learn several different binding methods using historical and non-traditional techniques and a variety of different materials, tools and adhesives. In addition we will cover basic box making. Boxes, like books, serve many purposes, one being to house and protect valuable and fragile objects. We will make slipcases and clamshell boxes to protect books and prints. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110 or 113. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 298 Junior Studio Art Practicum Required for the studio major, and strongly recommended for the junior year, this seminar is for student artists considering lives as producers of visual culture. At the core of the course are activities that help build students’ identities as practicing artists. These include the selection and installation of artwork for the Junior Show, a presentation about their own artistic development, and studio projects in media determined by each student that serve as a bridge between media-specific studio art courses and the independent creative work they will undertake as Seniors in Comps. The course will also include reading and discussion about what it means to be an artist today, encounters with visiting artists and trips to exhibition venues in the Twin Cities. 3-6 credits; S/CR/NC; NE; Spring; Kelly A Connole
ARTS 322 Sculpture 2: Form and Context In this seminar we will expand on our exploration of sculpture--further developing the studio based investigation of Arts 122 while adding interior and exterior site specific installation, robotics, and digital media, to the range of possibilities. Prerequisite: Studio Art 122, 150, 151, 232 or instructor permission. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Stephen Mohring
ARTS 327 Woodworking: The Table This class explores the wondrous joys and enlightening frustrations of an intensive material focus in wood. From the perspective of both functional and non-functional design, we will examine wood's physical, visual, philosophical, and expressive properties. Several short projects will culminate in an examination of the table as a conceptual construct, and six week design/build challenge. Prerequisite: Studio Art 122, 222, 322 or instructor permission. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 330 Advanced Ceramics This course is a continuation of either or both beginning courses, focusing on sophisticated handbuilding and throwing techniques and advanced problem solving in ceramics. Development of a personal voice is encouraged through open-ended assignments deepening exploration into the expressive nature of clay. Glaze calculations, kiln firing theory, and alternative firing techniques will broaden approaches to surface design. Prerequisite: Studio Art 128, 130, 230, 232, 234 or 236 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Juliane B Shibata
ARTS 339 Advanced Photo: Digital Imaging This course will explore the technical, aesthetic and critical issues of digital media. The student will work with digital cameras, scanners, printers and the Photoshop program. Through specific assignments, field trips and personal experimentation students will broaden their understanding of this new media. Students will need their own digital camera. Prerequisite: Studio Art 139, 142, 244, 245 or instructor permission. 6 credits; ARP; Winter; Linda K Rossi
ARTS 340 Advanced Film and Digital Photography In advanced photography we will study the work of a broad range of contemporary photographers, who utilize both medium and large format cameras and studio and natural lighting, to create important and compelling works of art. We will build upon the skills and concepts you learned in Introduction to Film and Digital Photography through the use of new photographic tools and ideas. Increasing our Photoshop skills we will learn to both edit and sequence images, to create a photographic book and portfolio. Students will need their own digital camera. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110 or 113 and 238 or 240. Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 360 Advanced Painting and Drawing This course is designed for students who want to explore these 2-D media in greater depth. Students may choose to work exclusively in painting or drawing, or may combine media if they like. Some projects in the course emphasize strengthening students' facility in traditional uses of each medium, while others are designed to encourage students to challenge assumptions about what a painting or drawing can be. Two major assignments make up the core of the course--one focuses on art making as an evolving process and the other on a critical engagement with systems of visual representation. Prerequisite: Either Studio Art 260 or two of the following courses: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, 210, 212, 273, 274. 6 credits; ARP; Fall; David Lefkowitz
ARTS 374 Advanced Printmaking and Book Arts This course is a continuation from the introductory level print courses, offering instruction in any of the print media--intaglio, relief, silk-screen, lithography and letterpress. In addition, several binding techniques are taught, and some of the assignments can be fulfilled by book-based projects. Prerequisite: Studio Art 273 or 274. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2016-17
ARTS 398 Senior Studio Art Practicum Required for the studio major in the senior year, this seminar is designed to prepare emerging artists for continued studio practice. This class engages students in the process of presentation of artwork in a professional setting (the senior art exhibition) and in various other capacities. Students engage with visiting artists, readings, and exhibitions as they begin to develop their own independent paths towards studio work outside of the academic setting. 3 credits; S/CR/NC; NE; Spring; Kelly A Connole
ARTS 400 Integrative Exercise The integrative exercise for the studio arts major consists of an independent research project involving experimentation, reflection, and deep engagement in the production of a cohesive body of artwork. The comps process is designed to give students the opportunity to develop ideas over the course of a term with close advice and support of the studio faculty and fellow students. Class of 2024, students register for six credits in Fall or Winter term. In rare cases and in consultation with the studio faculty, exceptions may be made to allow comps to be spread over two terms. Class of 2025 the department highly recommends students take five credits of comps fall or winter term of the senior year and one credit in the spring term of the senior year. Class of 2026 will be required to take five credits of comps fall or winter term of the senior year and one credit in the spring term of senior year. 1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring