The fine art program in Central Texas must provide instruction in the essential knowledge and skills identified for fine art by the State Board of Education. One of the most popular classes in the department is Art Appreciation. This class is designed for students who are just starting to explore the arts. Through images, small art projects, and engaging debates, students will learn how to interpret and understand art, as well as why it is created.
They will also gain an understanding of key individual artists and diverse international art styles. The School of Art and Design at Central Texas promotes the understanding of art in culture by providing a learning environment that encourages critical and creative thinking, diverse perspectives, and individual artistic expression. The teaching staff comes from a variety of educational, professional, and cultural backgrounds. The School of Art and Design strives to help students achieve excellence in their individual, artistic, and professional goals through effective teaching. All students who specialize in Art and Design are encouraged to participate in the annual student exhibition and take advantage of the Texas State Galleries and the art and design conference series. Additionally, an active internship program is available to all qualified Art and Design students. Students enrolled in the School of Art and Design B.
A. Programs must maintain high academic standards and develop a command of the knowledge and methods of their respective disciplines. They are expected to demonstrate their emotional and mental aptitude in their interactions with others, use skills and methods that are generally accepted in the profession, and conform to the code of ethics of their respective disciplines as well as the university's code of honor. Accepting a student into any program does not guarantee that they will remain in that program. Faculty members use their professional judgement to continuously evaluate students' physical fitness and performance.
The criteria used by faculty to make such judgments include instructors' observations on student performance in class or in course-related activities. Students who are not progressing satisfactorily or who do not meet the program's standards should consider withdrawing from the program. This is based on an academic judgment made with respect to the physical fitness and performance of the student, not on any violation of valid rules of conduct. Disciplinary matters are referred to the Student Justice. This course presents practical and theoretical content in the disciplinary and interdisciplinary practices of art and design. Through thematic collaborative projects, students will use various materials, methods, tools, and concepts in 2D, 3D, and 4D independently as well as in relation to each other.
This course builds on the interdisciplinary practices introduced in Core I.By creating and interacting with archives and collections, students will create a personal archive of inspiration and source material that they can use for different methods of research and work from the five programmatic areas of the School of Art and Design. Students use this personal archive to create a series of interdisciplinary results. Introduction to hand-painted signs and letters is another popular course. It explores historical foundations, proven techniques, materials, and iterative processes associated with hand-painted signs and letters. Guerrilla advertising art direction strategies are also discussed; students will develop non-traditional advertising concepts that promote social causes, consumer products, public events, etc., integrating various types of media including social media interactions with their target audience. This class presents a variety of media and techniques for exploring descriptive and expressive possibilities in drawing.
Introduction to color as a descriptive and expressive element of art is also covered; it focuses on the perception and application of color. A study of the history of painting, sculpture, architecture from prehistory to the Middle Ages is offered as well as a study on art from 14th century to 21st century. This course introduces students to the history and practice of art criticism while providing them with relevant tools to develop their own body of art criticism. In this course, students examine stylistic trends, aesthetic issues, evolving philosophies of modern art in Europe & Americas from 1850-1965; emphasizing cross-cultural characteristics & connections to its social & historical contexts. The history of photography from its first manifestations to present day is also explored. A study focused on specific topics on various forms & concepts in contemporary art creation practices mainly from US from 1965-present is offered. Movements in history of design from 19th century to 21st century are discussed; graphic design falls within contexts such as architecture & media & other design disciplines. The impact ideology has on design & how design generates or reinforces social/political/cultural values at particular places & times is examined; topics include importance European avant-garde; new typography; mass-market magazines; propaganda/war/revolution; Olympic design; postmodernity & more. This course provides an introduction to American art & visual culture from ancient times to 1950s while examining rich & varied visual art Latin American & Caribbean countries from wars independence to present day with focus on recurring themes resonating with art across region such as modernism/internationalism/nationalism/race/identity/political activism. A study on pre-Columbian sites & cultures Mesoamerica & Central Andes from prehistory-European conquest is also offered as well as transnational study various forms & concepts contemporary art creation practices mainly US 1965-present.
