Department of Visual Arts

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Lynn Reynolds, Head
Faculty: Baskin, Bee, Fleming, Kelley, Reinauer, Schuh, Temple, Vasterling-McDaniel, Wubben

Purpose

The mission of the Department of Visual Arts is to provide education that will enable graduates to develop their talent and potential as creative artists and future art educators within a liberal arts framework. The Department of Visual Arts offers the Bachelor of Arts in Art with studio concentrations and a secondary are of concentration in Art Education. Through a curricula that provides a breadth of experience and understanding in studio art, graduates learn to analyze the history of art and its function within the evolution of contemporary culture while developing competency in a select area of art studio concentration. Students cultivate skills in critical thinking skills, effective communication, and analyze global community to become better citizens of the world and the community.

Departmental Requirements

Art majors are required to follow the prescribed sequence of studio art courses. The letter grade of “C” will be the minimum prerequisite grade for continuing studio courses in sequence. Students transferring into the program may be required to submit a portfolio of their work.

Sophomore year: Before the completion of 60 credit hours, a formal portfolio review is required for all majors.

Senior year: A candidate for a degree in Art will be required to participate in a group exhibition of works selected by the faculty review committee. The Department of Visual Arts reserves the right to retain a selected work from each graduate for its departmental collection.

Students seeking a second concentration in Art Education—Grades K-12 are responsible for all requirements pertaining to Teacher Education Preparation. Praxis I tests are required for admission to the Teacher Education Program and for certification in the State of Louisiana. Prior to admission into the Teacher Education Program a student must pass the Reading, Writing, and Mathematics portions of the Praxis I. Students must also complete all requirements for the entrance into Teacher Education to include a completing an Education 200 or Education 499 packet. Prior to Student Teaching or Internship a student must pass the Principles of Learning (PLT K-6, or PLT 5-9, or PLT 7-12) and the Art Content Knowledge portions of the Praxis. Students must establish and maintain a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale to remain in the Teacher Education program, student teach, or do an internship. A 2.5 undergraduate GPA is required for teacher certification. It is important to note that studetns seeking a second concentration in Art Education K-12 will be required to complete 122 credit hours in order to fulfill all the requirements for a B.A. in Art and Art Teacher Certification K-12 for the State of Louisiana. Students graduating with the secondary concentration in Art Education will receive the degree of: B.A. Art/Studio Concentration/Art Education.

Students may minor in ART by earning 21 hours of credit approved by the Department Head.

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