Art

Faculty

Pamela M. Parsons, M.F.A., Chair

Steven Alexander, M.F.A.

Steven Brower, M.F.A.

Dennis Corrigan, M.F.A.

Ashley Hartman, Ph. D., ATR-BC, R.M.H.C.I.

Christa Irwin, Ph.D.

Sue Jenkins, M.F.A.

Chris Medley, M.F.A.

John Meza, M.F.A.

Nikki Moser, M.F.A.

Samuel Olfano, M.F.A.

Collier Parker, M.F.A.

Stephanie Wise, M.A., ATR-BC, L.C.A.T.

Goals

The Art Department is an active participant in the mission and philosophy of Marywood University. Department goals include preparation of individuals experienced in diverse creative processes through various art media. Students are involved intensely in self-discovery, self-evaluation, artistic research (affective and cognitive), and professional presentation of products. As a result, art students develop a sense of responsibility, empathy, and professionalism. Graduates exhibit commitment and involvement as professionals in the larger community. It is this growing sense of responsibility for quality communication, balanced with creativity that will enrich future generations.

The programs are designed to:

provide comprehensive quality education in studio art and design so that students attain a measurable degree of technical skill and proficiency;
prepare students to challenge themselves and others creatively and to continue that process into the future;
raise art students’ consciousness of creative activity throughout the entire university curriculum and enable them to value the richness of such creative processes;
facilitate an appreciation for and recognition of the importance of past and present aesthetic and cultural values;
expose students to a broad range of creative attitudes, illustrating the diversity of creative thinking and processes within a perspective of global concerns.

Overview

Specifically, the Art Programs prepare students for specialized study in graduate school as well as for careers in the arts.

Academic Progress and Graduation Requirements

During their course of study, students will be expected to maintain a QPA of 2.50 in their major and are required to achieve this minimum for graduation. Periodically, they will submit examples of their work for faculty review and evaluation. Prior to graduation, Art majors present public exhibitions of their work in the Mahady Gallery, Suraci Gallery, and various areas in the Insalaco Studio Arts Center.

The Art programs at Marywood University involve an integration of the liberal arts and an in-depth curriculum of professional studies.

Accreditation

Marywood University is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). This association was established in 1944 for the purpose of improving educational practices and helping to maintain high professional standards in art and design education. Included in the membership are outstanding independent schools, universities, and colleges that teach art and design. These institutions have proven, through their membership and activity in the Association, their deep interest in fostering high standards for art and design education. Through its annual meeting, NASAD provides a national forum for discussion of the broadest considerations involving the education of the artist and designer. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design is the only national professional accrediting agency for educational institutions in the visual arts recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the United States Department of Education.

Special Features

Art Study Abroad

Because success in the field of visual art depends not only on technical expertise, but on breadth of experience and depth of insight, the Marywood Art Department encourages all students to experience firsthand the global nature of our cultural tradition. Through a variety of options, students may study for a semester, a summer session, or a shorter study tour in Italy, France, Ireland, Scotland, or Australia.

The centerpiece of our study abroad program is Marywood’s Italian host program for outstanding art students at Studio Arts College International (SACI) in the heart of Florence, Italy. Through the Marywood/SACI Program, students may apply to study in Florence for a semester or a summer session and may choose from a full curriculum of offerings. This program also includes organized field trips to many important locations throughout Italy. All courses are taught in English, and the program is geared toward an easy assimilation of Italian culture.

Visiting Artists Program

Throughout the year, the Visiting Artists Program enables the art student and the Marywood community to participate with numerous guest artists in their creative processes by lecture/demonstrations and exhibits. In the past, Marywood has been visited by many artists and craftspersons, including fabric artists, wood workers, metalsmiths, sculptors, painters, photographers, potters, graphic designers, illustrators, installation artists, and others.

Art Galleries

Located in the Shields Center for Visual Arts, the Marywood University Art Galleries provide the Marywood community and northeastern Pennsylvania with noteworthy cultural events. All exhibitions, receptions, and accompanying events are free of charge and open to the public. Accessible to those with disabilities, the galleries have weekday, evening, and weekend hours.

Mahady Gallery

Throughout the year, the Mahady Gallery offers a varied program of group and solo shows by visiting artists, juried regional competitions, Marywood art faculty, and curated national exhibits. The gallery also presents graduate and undergraduate group exhibits in fulfillment of degree requirements. Featured exhibitions are accompanied by artist’s slide lectures, gallery talks, workshops, or demonstrations.

Suraci Gallery

The Suraci Gallery maintains Marywood’s permanent collection of fine and decorative arts. The Asian Collection consists of paintings, furniture, ivories, tapestries, and ceramics. Bronze and marble sculpture, furniture, and paintings make up the Nineteenth-century Collection. In addition, European ceramics, glass, and other decorative arts are displayed. Feature exhibitions, highlighted throughout the year, showcase regional artists, selections from the permanent collection, and recent work by the art faculty.

The Maslow Collection Study Gallery for Contemporary Art

The Maslow Collection focuses on contemporary art, primarily American, with an emphasis on major prints by the most recognized and important American artists of the 60s and 70s, as well as works by emerging painters and sculptors who were exhibiting in New York art galleries during the 80s and 90s.

The Maslow Collection is housed at Marywood University in the Shields Center for Visual Arts where it is utilized as a learning laboratory, providing fieldwork experiences, internships, and opportunities in curatorial and exhibition studies for Marywood students through the Arts Administration program. The collection also enables faculty in art history and studio arts to request individual works or two-week selected exhibitions for presentation and student discussion in the Maslow Study Gallery for Contemporary Art. At Marywood, The Maslow Collection continues to be a major resource to the larger community, loaning works to regional and national exhibitions, as well as being available for professional research and study.

Fieldwork Experience

Fieldwork experience gives the student firsthand knowledge of job opportunities, equipment, and skills necessary to be creative and productive in the professional world.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design majors with emphasis in Graphic Design and Photography must earn at least three credits of professional fieldwork experience. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art offers the option of fieldwork with artists and organizations pertinent to future pursuits. Typically, students are placed in studios representative of the content of the major professional area: printing, graphics, or photographic studios; newspapers; graphic design companies; interior design studios, departments, and companies; museums; and architectural firms. The Bachelor of Arts Program in Arts Administration provides professional training and fieldwork experience for those who have an appreciation for the arts and an aptitude for management. B.A. Art Therapy students participate in a 90-hour internship that exposes students to the use of art in service to others.

General Requirements – All Students

The Undergraduate Core Curriculum requirements include three credits in the Fine Arts. Courses that fulfill the requirement are listed at the end of the section on course descriptions for the Art Department.

Requirements for Majors Foundation Program

The foundation program, taken during the first year, provides beginning art students with a core curriculum of studies in drawing, color, painting, computer graphics, and two- and three-dimensional design. Basic materials, equipment, and techniques that will be used throughout the program are introduced, and health and safety issues are addressed. Integrated into the foundation courses is a study of artists and their works. Of significant value is the student’s introduction to the visual inquiry process: visual thinking and problem-solving, as well as development of visual communication skills. Knowledge of major artists and art movements is integrated with the studio component.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Program has majors in Design and Studio Art, in Graphic Design, Photography, Illustration, Painting, Ceramics, and Sculpture.

All Bachelor of Fine Arts majors must fulfill at least 7576 credit hours in Art, including the following: foundation program, Art History, and specific requirements pertinent to the area of emphasis.

Transfer students must receive at least 39 credits of their Art sequence at Marywood.

Requirements for Minors (18 credits)

Minors are available for 18 credit hours in Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, and Art History.

An Art History minor is open to all undergraduate students, regardless of the major field of study. ART 113, ART 114, and ART 218 are required, in sequence. Nine additional credit hours of art history will be selected to complete the minor. Seniors may be eligible to take advantage of Marywood’s post-graduate program in art by registering for graduate level Art History courses. Students should consult with Art History professors to tailor their programs to their specific needs and to assure sufficient breadth in Western, non-Western, and ancient to contemporary art areas. For students interested in pursuing graduate work or careers in art history, special emphasis will also be placed on adequate course preparation in languages, history, and enhanced writing skills.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the initial professional degree in Studio Art and Design. Its curricular goal is the development of persons with technical skills, conceptual abilities, and artistic sensitivity to the past, present, and future role of art in addressing the needs of humankind. Within the Art Department at Marywood, there are several B.F.A. tracks available to students, including graphic design, photography, painting, illustration, ceramics, and sculpture.

Course requirements are listed according to areas of emphasis: Studio Art (2-D, 3-D), Design (Graphic Design, Photography). All students are required to take foundation courses participate in Foundation/Sophomore/Junior/ Senior portfolio reviews and complete their studies with a culminating Professional Contribution.

Students receive program/course sequence sheets and are assigned academic advisors at the beginning of their studies so that they follow a sequential course of study incorporating requirements of each program.

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts degree is a liberal arts degree that provides professional preparation for art therapy or arts administration. The Art Therapy Program will offer the student introductory, foundation studies in art therapy combined with studio courses. This pre-professional program will integrate the arts and psychology with attention to social, spiritual, and cultural dimensions, providing a solid base for graduate study in art therapy. The Bachelor of Arts Program in Arts Administration, a cooperative program with the Business, Music, and Communication Arts programs, prepares students for advanced study and for a variety of positions in organizations concerned with artistic presentations.