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. The Art History program also offers the possibility to minor in the discipline.

Requirements for the Art History 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.

Requirements for the Studio Art 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.

Requirements for the Art History Minor

36 credits, including:

  • at least one 300-level seminar
  • at least 30 elective credits

Minors are required to complete at least six credits in two of three art historical distribution areas: art history of the Western tradition before 1800, art history of the Western tradition after 1800, and non-Western art history.

Art History minors are encouraged to take advantage of off-campus study programs and to explore visual cultural analysis in other departments such as Studio Art, Cinema and Media Studies (CAMS) or Classics. However, no more than one art history course taken outside of the department can be counted toward the minor.

Finally, Senior Art History minors will work closely with Junior Art History majors assisting in the arrangements for the Art History Comps Symposium in Spring Term. This includes preparing response questions to the senior comps presentations.

Art History Courses (ARTH)

ARTH 100 Renaissance, Revolution, and Reformation: The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer "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, IS; Fall; Jessica F Keating
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, IS; Winter; Ross K Elfline, 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 2020-21
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 2020-21
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 2020-21
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; Fall; Kathleen M Ryor
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; Spring; Kathleen M Ryor
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; Winter; Baird E Jarman
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 2020-21
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; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 211 Contemporary Art Program: Critical Issues in Art Now In this survey, students will be exposed to the diverse range of themes, concepts, and mediums that contemporary artists are working with at the present moment. After a brief historical overview of artistic practice since 1960, the course will be divided into a set of thematic concerns. Students will learn about how artists today respond to globalization, market capitalism, issues of racial and ethnic identity, and other issues within our complex contemporary geopolitical situation. Readings will be pulled from contemporary art journals, art blogs, e-journals, and statements by both artists and exhibition curators. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 212 Contemporary Art Program: The Art World and Its Institutions In this course, students will think critically about the institutions that present and frame contemporary art today, including the biennial exhibition, the museum, the commercial gallery, and the art journal. Critical questions include: If biennial exhibitions purport to be global surveys, how do they conceptualize “the global?” How have museums changed the ways in which they present such challenging works, and how do they make judgments about which works to acquire? What role do commercial galleries play in promoting certain artists over others, and has this skewed the survey of global artists toward certain kinds of art or artists? 6 credits; HI; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 213 Contemporary Art Program: Art Criticism in the Digital Age This course is a platform for students to reflect thoughtfully and critically on the works they have encountered abroad, the ideas raised by the visiting speakers, and the broader experiences they have had while traveling through Europe. The primary medium through which students will voice their reactions will be a student-authored art blog. Given that so much cultural criticism now takes place in these virtual forums, students will thus be part of a broader community of art critics and theorists as their contributions add productively to the ongoing virtual conversation around the art of this moment. 6 credits; NE; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 214 Queer Art Beyond surveying the rich history of arts by LGBTQA+ individuals, this course takes as its object of study the ways in which the arts have been used to question, undermine, and subvert the gendered and sexual norms of dominant cultures—in short, to queer them. In so doing, such visual and performative practices offer new, alternative models of living and acting in the world based on liberatory politics and aesthetics. This course will consider topics such as: censorship of queer artists; art of the AIDS crisis; activist performance; the sexual politics of public space; and queer intersections of race, class and gender in visual art among others. Prerequisite: Any one art history course. 6 credits; LA, IDS; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 215 Cross-Cultural Psychology in Prague: Czech 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; LA, IS; Not offered 2020-21
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; Spring; Kathleen M Ryor
ARTH 230 Princesses as Patrons circa 1500 Three remarkable royal women (Queen Isabel of Castile, Anne of France, and Archduchess Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands), linked by blood, marriage, and shifting dynastic alliances, provide a lens to examine patronage networks and collecting culture in France, Spain and the Netherlands circa 1500, at the transition from the late middle ages to the Renaissance. Isabel of Castile was exceptional as a sovereign queen; for most royal women power was indirect, delegated, and carefully masked, while the requirement to produce an heir was paramount. The course will consider the interplay of these constraints and the works of art these princesses commissioned and lived with by looking at topics like palace design, inventories of royal collections and the hierarchies of luxury arts they reveal, portraiture as an expression of dynastic piety and marriage politics, and the new prominence of painting as an independent and collectable medium. Prerequisite: Any one art history course. 6 credits; LA, IS; Fall; Martha A Wolff
ARTH 232 Spanish Studies in Madrid Program: Spanish Art Live This course offers an introduction to Spanish art from el Greco to the present. Classes are taught in some of the finest museums and churches of Spain, including the Prado Museum, the Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofía, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Toledo Cathedral in Toledo, and the Church of Santo Tomé. Prerequisite: Spanish 205 and approved participation in Madrid Program. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2020-21
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 2020-21
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; Winter; 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 2020-21
ARTH 246 What Has Been Happening in Modern Architectural Design? Architecture in our culture has become the art of solving spatial problems with large-scale constructions, at first in drawings but now as patterns on computer screens. This course examines four aspects of this Western building conceptualization during the last two hundred years, beginning with the exploration of it as the art of building and ending in coding--in our digital world today. We will focus on four fundamental moments in this historical development: 1) the emergence of the architect as a new exploring, reasoning figure in European culture in the early nineteenth-century (Labrouste, Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc); 2) transforming into a broad conceiver of whole cities facing the demands of the late-nineteenth century urban “explosion” (Haussmann, Burnham); 3) but rapidly progressing to the abstraction of “building art,” a web of machine-like systems during the first half of the twentieth century (F. L. Wright, Le Corbusier, Hilberseimer); 4) to now sink—with struggles and false-starts—into our new computerized world. Prerequisite: Any one art history course. 6 credits; LA, IS; Fall; David T Van Zanten
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 2020-21
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 2020-21
ARTH 263 Architectural Studies in Europe Program: Prehistory to Postmodernism This course surveys the history of European architecture while emphasizing firsthand encounters with actual structures. Students visit outstanding examples of major transnational styles--including Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Moorish, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Modernist buildings--along with regionally specific styles, such as Spanish Plateresque, English Tudor and Catalan Modernisme. Cultural and technological changes affecting architectural practices are emphasized along with architectural theory, ranging from Renaissance treatises to Modernist manifestos. Students also visit buildings that resist easy classification and that raise topics such as spatial appropriation, stylistic hybridity, and political symbolism. Prerequisite: Participation in OCS Architectural Studies Program. 6 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 264 European Architectural Studies Program: Managing Monuments: Issues in Cultural Heritage Practice This course explores the theory and practice of cultural resource management by investigating how various architectural sites and urban historic districts operate. Students will consider cultural, financial, ethical and pedagogical aspects of contemporary tourism practices within a historical framework that roots the travel industry alongside religious pilgrimage customs and the aristocratic tradition of the Grand Tour. Interacting with professionals who help oversee architectural landmarks and archaeological sites, students will analyze and assess initiatives at various locations, ranging from educational programs and preservation plans to sustainability efforts and repatriation debates. Prerequisite: Participation in OCS Architectural Studies Program. 3 credits; LA, IS; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 265 Planning Utopia: Ideal Cities in Theory and Practice This course will survey the history of ideal plans for the built urban environment. Particular attention will be given to examples from about 1850 to the present. Projects chosen by students will greatly influence the course content, but subjects likely to receive sustained attention include: Renaissance ideal cities, conceptions of public and private space, civic rituals, the industrial city, Baron Haussmann’s renovations of Paris, suburbanization, the Garden City movement, zoning legislation, Le Corbusier’s Ville Contemporaine, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, New Urbanism and urban renewal, and planned capitals such as Brasília, Canberra, Chandigarh, and Washington, D.C. Prerequisite: Any one Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 266 Arts of the Japanese Tea Ceremony This course will examine the history and aesthetics of the tea ceremony in Japan (chanoyu).  It will focus on the types of objects produced for use in the Japanese tea ceremony from the fifteenth century through the present. Themes to be explored include: the relationship of social status and politics to the development of chanoyu; the religious dimensions of the tea ceremony; gender roles of tea practitioners; nationalist appropriation of the tea ceremony and its relationship to the mingei movement in the twentieth century; and the international promotion of the Japanese tea ceremony post-WWII. Prerequisite: Requires concurrent registration in Studio Arts 236. 6 credits; LA, IS; Fall; Kathleen M Ryor
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; Spring; Kathleen M Ryor
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; Not offered 2020-21
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; Not offered 2020-21
ARTH 288 Curatorial Seminar Through a discussion-based format, this course explores the nature of museums, the roles of contemporary curators, and the evolving functions of exhibitions. Theoretical investigations are complemented by practical, hands-on experiences. Working directly with artworks from the Carleton Art Collection, the group will prepare and execute an exhibition to be shown in the Perlman Teaching Museum. Students will conduct artist-specific research, draft interpretive text, formulate exhibition labels, and consider various exhibition formats. In the Fall 2018 seminar, students will create an exhibition that explores the roles text, symbols, and writing play when they are incorporated into visual art. Prerequisite: Any one Art History course or instructor permission. 6 credits; LA; Not offered 2020-21
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; Winter; Jessica F Keating
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 2020-21
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 2020-21
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; Eleanor M Jensen, Daniel P Bruggeman, Juliane Shibata, David H Lefkowitz, Fred Hagstrom
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 114 Architectural Studies in Europe Program: Introduction to Drawing Architecture Suitable for students of any skill level, this course teaches different drawing techniques both in a classroom setting and on location at various architectural sites. The course aims to hone observational and sketching skills and to develop greater awareness of formal characteristics in the built environment. Consideration of line, tone, shape, scale, surface, volume and other foundational concepts and technical skills will be emphasized. Drawing practice will be reinforced with sketching assignments throughout the trip at different locations and types of structures. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
ARTS 116 Ireland Program: Visualizing Ireland In this introductory course, students will explore Ireland through on-site observational drawing, watercolor, and mixed media. The critical observation and artistic rendering of Ireland’s artifacts, tombs, megaliths, artwork, metalwork, fashion, architecture, people, and landscapes will afford students a window into Irish culture as they acquaint themselves with the country’s visual vocabulary. The course will address the technical aspects of drawing, including how to use line, shape, volume, tone, space, and composition effectively. Additional components will include journaling, museum and gallery visits, and artists’ talks. 6 credits; ARP, IS; Not offered 2020-21
ARTS 117 Visualizing Renaissance England In this introductory course, devised for all skill levels, students will explore England through on-site observational drawing, watercolor, and mixed media. The critical observation and artistic rendering of England’s artifacts, artwork, architecture, gardens, and landscapes will afford students a window into British culture as they acquaint themselves with the country’s visual vocabulary. The course will address the technical aspects of drawing, including how to use line, value, composition, and color effectively. Additional components will include journaling, tours of historical sites, and museum and gallery visits (including the National and National Portrait Galleries, Hampton Court Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, etc.). Prerequisite: Participation in OCS Theater & Lit in London program. 6 credits; S/CR/NC; ARP, IS; Winter
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 124 Praxis and Poetics in 3D Art and Design In this course students will combine the fundamentals of 3D design and thinking with conceptual frameworks that incorporate model-making and architectural forms. The course will be composed of different sections of study, each relating to various ways of thinking in 3D, and each grounded in the praxis of informed action within a cultural context. Students will simultaneously develop an understanding of the history, context and generative possibilities of creative 3D work, while also developing a personal voice. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
ARTS 128 Ceramics: Handbuilding Through History This course provides a historical framework through which students will study clay’s crucial role in our everyday lives and in the advancement of civilization. Texts and articles will guide the study of historical objects while videos and discussion provide a glimpse into contemporary studio practice. Hands-on projects in low fire and oil-based clays will put knowledge into action as students create 3D objects and 2D sketches and plans. Various firing processes are dependent on access to the ceramics studio. Use of a digital camera (phone ok) is required. 6 credits; ARP; Winter, Spring; Kelly A Connole
ARTS 130 Beginning Ceramics This course is an introduction to wheel throwing and handbuilding as primary methods of construction for both functional and non-functional ceramic forms. An understanding of ceramic history and technical skills are achieved through studio practice, readings, and demonstrations. Emphasis is placed on the development of strong three-dimensional forms as well as the relationship of form to surface. Coursework includes a variety of firing techniques and development of surface design.  6 credits; ARP; Fall, Spring; Juliane B Shibata, Kelly A Connole
ARTS 139 Beginning Photography In this course students explore photography as a means of understanding and interacting with both the world and the inner self. We will emphasize a balance of technical skills, exploration of personal vision, and development of critical thinking and vocabulary relating to photography. Beginning students will learn how to use analogue and digital cameras, basic studio lighting equipment techniques and print their own photographic work. Instruction includes: use of large format cameras with a hand meter, film scanning, and strobe lighting. Students will learn to develop a portfolio as an ongoing process that requires informed and critical decision making to assemble a body of work. Collectively we will critique, analyze, give feedback on work and discuss readings that are pertinent to the production of images in contemporary times. 6 credits; ARP; Winter; Xavier Tavera Castro
ARTS 140 The Digital Landscape Question the formal, moral and biological implications of your “framed view-point,” as you move your lens across the natural, urban and domestic landscapes of your community. Explore the images of a range of artists, who examine what it means to create representations of our human/ nature relationship. Demonstrations, readings, and discussions will help us create a final portfolio of digital images and text. Harness your own digital camera (smartphone and DSLR) in new ways, while engaging in its connection to analog photographic traditions. Students may borrow cameras from the art department, as needed.

 

  6 credits; ARP; Spring; Linda K Rossi

ARTS 141 Experimental Photography In this course we will explore the rich history of photography’s experimental development through an examination of its lineage within digital photographic processes. Our focus will be on digital experimentation and harnessing experimental creative play with photoshop and the natural world. Demonstrations will cover a wide range of digital photography techniques, highlighting the digital relationship to analog photography, photomontage, digital post-production and its connection to toning, solarization and photograms. Students will harness their own digital cameras (DSLR or smartphone) in new ways to create a visual portfolio amongst writings of their experimental investigations. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Linda K Rossi
ARTS 142 The Book as Art Object With books we understand, in a contained object, specific qualities that an author conveys through composition, sequence, and information in an art form. Students will balance the cultivation of technical skills with exploration of personal vision in the creation and conceptualization of a series of books taking into consideration the diverse students’ disciplines. The class incorporates both digital and analog book technologies. We will analyze an array of publications from classical to contemporary artist book, the journal, the fanzine, the comic book, the pulp, and the pamphlet. We will pay special attention to the conceptual space of the book, sequencing and layout of images, production, materials and distribution of books. Topics include the discussion of the decline and resurgence of the physical book, the poetics of the books, the book as metaphor, the conceptual space of the book, and books as narrative and non-narrative sequences. 6 credits; ARP; Fall; Xavier Tavera Castro
ARTS 150 Elements of 3-D Design This 3-D foundations course will engage students in learning to articulate and dissect the elements of three-dimensional design. Using metal, wire, clay, wood and found objects, students will construct and fabricate three dimensional objects while developing an understanding of visual language and its power to tell a story or convey a message. Students will also study examples of historical and contemporary artists and designers to provide context for their projects.  6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
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 J Saathoff
ARTS 161 Watercolor This five week course serves as a brief introduction to the medium of watercolor painting. Students will develop an understanding of basic color interactions and a wide spectrum of paint application strategies from meticulous refined brushwork to fluid, expressive markmaking. 3 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
ARTS 180 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. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
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 form. Our emphasis this term will be on anatomy, the study of portraiture, and the complexity of hands and feet. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 142 or 211. 6 credits; ARP; Winter; Daniel P Bruggeman
ARTS 211 Topics in Art and the Environment: Drawing the Anthropocene Focused around studio projects emphasizing drawing media, this course explores the complexity and variety of representations of the natural world. Students will be introduced to artists and writers who address the impact of human activity on the environment from a range of historical and topical perspectives. Prerequisite: Studio Arts 110, 113, 114, 142 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
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 ongoing, self-directed drawing in these visual journals. Subjects will include landscape, nature study, figure, and portraits. 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
ARTS 230 Ceramics: Throwing This course is focused on the creative possibilities of the pottery wheel as a means to create utilitarian objects. Students are challenged to explore conceptual ideas while maintaining a dedication to function. An understanding of aesthetic values and technical skills are achieved through studio practice, readings, and demonstrations. Basic glaze and clay calculations, high fire and wood kiln firing techniques, and a significant civic engagement component, known as the Empty Bowls Project, are included in the course. Prerequisite: Studio Art 128, 130, 236 or high school experience with wheel throwing and instructor permission. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Kelly A Connole
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 2020-21
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 236 Ceramics: Vessels for Tea Students will learn techniques used by Japanese potters, and those from around the world, to make vessels associated with the production and consumption of tea. Both handbuilding and wheel throwing processes will be explored throughout the term. We will investigate how Japanese pottery traditions, especially the Mingei “arts of the people” movement of the 1920s, have influenced contemporary ceramics practice in the United States and how cultural appropriation impacts arts practice. Special attention will be paid to the use of local materials from Carleton’s Arboretum as well as wood firing and traditional raku processes.  Prerequisite: Requires concurrent registration in Art History 266. 6 credits; ARP, IDS; Fall; 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. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, 140, 141 or 142. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
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; Fall; Xavier Tavera
ARTS 243 Fundamentals of Photography In this course we will explore photography as a means of understanding and interacting with both the world and the inner self. We will emphasize a balance of technical skills, exploration of personal vision, and development of critical thinking and vocabulary relating to photography. Our own image making will be considered in the context of photographic history, visual literacy, and the universe of imagery in which we live. We will work with Photoshop, scanners, printers, and digital cameras, as well as cell phone cameras, and found images. We encourage students to bring their own digital camera, however we do have some digital cameras to loan out. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, or 142 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Fall; Xavier Tavera Castro
ARTS 252 Metalsmithing: Ancient Techniques, New Technologies This course focuses on lost wax casting, 3D modeling and printing, and stone setting as methods to create jewelry and small sculptural objects in bronze and silver. Specific instruction will be given in the proper use of tools, torches, and other equipment, wax carving, and general metalsmithing techniques. Through the use of 3D modeling software and 3D printing, new technologies will expedite traditional processes allowing for a broad range of metalworking possibilities. Previous experience with metalsmithing is not required but may be helpful. Prerequisite: Studio Arts 151. 6 credits; ARP; Spring; Danny J 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. To ensure maximum flexibility and portability, we will be working in watercolor and gouache (opaque water-based) paints on paper surfaces.  Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114, or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Fall, Spring; David H Lefkowitz
ARTS 273 Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: Printmaking Intaglio and relief printmaking. Students will receive instruction in all of the processes of intaglio and relief printmaking. Students will explore the possibilities of these forms of printmaking in conjunction with their work in the drawing class. Prerequisite: Studio Arts 110, 113 or 114 and acceptance in OCS Program. 6 credits; ARP; Winter
ARTS 274 Printmaking Intaglio and relief printmaking. 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. Prerequisite: Studio Art 110, 113, 114 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Fall, Winter, Spring; Fred Hagstrom
ARTS 275 Studio Art Seminar in the South Pacific: The Physical and Cultural Environment of New Zealand and Australia This course examines how New Zealand and Australia have changed since colonization. Students will study the history of indigenous people and the environment of these countries, noting how the physical landscape has changed through agriculture, mining, and the introduction of non-native species. This course includes readings, films, lectures, meeting with locals, and site visits. Prerequisite: Acceptance to Carleton OCS program. 6 credits; S/CR/NC; SI, IS; Winter
ARTS 293 Throwing Tutorial This tutorial focuses on the creative possibilities of the pottery wheel as a means to create utilitarian objects. Students are challenged to explore conceptual ideas while maintaining a dedication to function. An understanding of aesthetic values and technical skills are achieved through studio practice, readings, and demonstrations. Basic glaze and clay calculations, high fire and wood kiln firing techniques, and a significant civic engagement component, known as the Empty Bowls Project, may be included in the course. Prerequisite: Studio Arts 128, 130, 232 or 236, or extensive non-Carleton experience with wheel throwing and instructor permission with portfolio review. 6 credits; NE; Spring; Kelly A Connole
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; David H Lefkowitz
ARTS 322 Sculpture 2: Form and Context In this intimate and nimble seminar, we will continue our exploration of the many wonders of sculpture, further developing our previous studio-based investigations. During several short and two prolonged problem-based assignments we will work to develop our personal voice and a more nuanced material expression in our art.  We’ll be introducing interior and exterior site-specific installation, casting, advanced woodworking and welding techniques, as well as the potential for interactive robotics and digital media, to the range of possibilities. In Arts 322 you are free to explore the processes that most intrigue you--no specific material or sculptural format will be required. 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; Fall; Stephen Mohring
ARTS 330 Advanced Ceramics Designed to build on previous coursework in ceramics, this course focuses on sophisticated handbuilding and throwing techniques and advanced problem solving. 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. This course can be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Studio Art 128, 130, 230, 232, 234 or 236 or instructor consent. 6 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
ARTS 332 Ceramic Design: The Vase In this seminar students expand on their knowledge of handbuilding and throwing techniques to focus specifically on the creation of vessels to hold flowers. A review of historic and contemporary vase forms will lead to exercises in designing objects that interact with natural materials. Surface design will focus on the use of local materials including clay from Carleton's Arboretum and wood ash from the studio's wood kiln. Prerequisite: Two Ceramics courses (Studio Art 130, 230, 232, 234, 236 or 330) or instructor consent. 2 credits; ARP; Not offered 2020-21
ARTS 339 Advanced Photography In this course students explore photography as a means of understanding and interacting with both the world and the inner self. We will emphasize a balance of technical skills, exploration of personal vision, and development of critical thinking and vocabulary relating to photography. Advanced students will focus on developing a concise body of work independently through two self-directed longer projects. Instruction includes: use of large format cameras with a hand meter, film scanning, and strobe lighting. Students will learn to develop a portfolio as an ongoing process that requires informed and critical decision making to assemble a body of work. Collectively we will critique, analyze, give feedback on work and discuss readings that are pertinent to the production of images in contemporary times.

  Prerequisite: Studio Art 139, 142, 244, 245 or instructor permission. 6 credits; ARP; Winter, Spring; Xavier Tavera Castro

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; Winter; David H 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; Spring; Fred Hagstrom
ARTS 394 Studio Art Research Individual projects in studio arts associated with ongoing research. Projects are untaken with the direct supervision of a faculty member. Regular individual meetings, written progress reports, and group critiques sessions are integrated into the term to develop skills in individual studio practice. Prerequisite: Students will be admitted from the waitlist, instructor consent required. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; NE; Fall; Kelly A Connole, Fred Hagstrom
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; David H Lefkowitz
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. Typically, students register for 6 credits in Fall or Winter.  In rare cases and in consultation with the studio faculty, exceptions may be made to allow comps to be spread over two terms.   1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter, Spring