Image by Beth McElhannon
Studio Art at TCU
The studio art course of study provides thorough education in the visual arts with concentration in painting, photography, printmaking or sculpture. Students with this major are prepared for professional careers in art. The studio art faculty presents the basic elements of the discipline, trains students to use this knowledge and encourages them to develop appropriate skills and intellectual abilities. Each year several studio art majors pursue graduate education at such schools as University of California at San Diego, Ohio State University, University of Connecticut, Yale University, Temple University, San Francisco Art Institute and the University of Florida
Concentrations
Painting
The painting faculty encourages students to develop a personal approach to painting. Private and class critiques, instruction in technical skills, conceptual concerns and the exploration of art materials are essential elements of the curriculum. Discussions concerning contemporary issues and historical perspectives stimulate each student’s development of a mature visual language.
Photograph by Ethan Wang
Photography
The photography concentration prepares students for professional achievement in the field of fine art photography. The faculty strives to provide each photography student with an understanding of the subtle aspects of visual information, and of the craft and process of the photographic medium. The faculty emphasizes students’ creative development through photography and the understanding of their roles as intelligent critical consumers of visual information.
Printmaking
The printmaking faculty instructs students thoroughly in technique, and encourages each student to pursue further creative inquiry. In addition to the four basic printmaking processes-lithography, wood cut, intaglio and screen-printing-the printmaking concentration also offers study of digital processes. Instruction is available in up-to-date photomechanical processes, papermaking techniques and archival/curatorial care of art paper. The printmaking concentration offers instruction in something few universities provide: the technically and aesthetically inventive artist book.
Sculpture
The sculpture faculty encourages students to explore relationships between ideas, materials, perceptions, criticism and contemporary as well as historical issues. Students are expected to develop a conceptual and technical base for their visual vocabulary. The sculpture concentration also emphasizes fabrication and casting skills. The faculty introduces and discusses professional aspects of art. Because of the versatility of the facilities, students may utilize virtually any medium. Sculpture maintains well-equipped areas for clay and clay modeling, metal casting, mold making, stone and wood carving, steel and wood fabrication and welding.