Art
The Department of Art and Art History is dedicated to developing students’
expressive, analytical and critical skills, their creativity, knowledge
of aesthetics, and awareness of our western and non-western art heritage.
The Bachelor of Arts degree offers emphases in: ceramics, computer-based
art, drawing, glass design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture,
and weaving/fibers. Painting and drawing courses may be combined for a
single emphasis for the BFA degree.
The Master of Arts emphasis is art history. The Master of Fine Arts emphasis
areas include: ceramics/glass design, printmaking, drawing, painting, and
sculpture
Faculty
Department of Art and Art History faculty members are a dedicated group
of artists and scholars deeply involved with art, both student work and
their own work. As teachers, they pride themselves on maintaining high
standards that employ both well-tested and innovative methods. In class
and individual critiques, they tend to integrate the investigation of aesthetic,
political, historical, and moral issues.
Committed to fostering a sense of community which enables students to be
simultaneously nurtured and challenged, faculty make themselves easily
accessible—ready to explore ideas and give advice. They encourage students
to gain skills in traditional media such as oil painting and watercolor,
as well as in new technologies related to photography and computers.
As artists, members of our faculty are nationally known, and some are recognized
on the international scene. Our artists, scholars, and designers have won
significant public commissions, shown with well-established galleries,
received awards for distinguished teaching, written for key journals, and
have been speakers and panelists at conferences in the United States and
abroad.
In addition, renowned visiting artists, art historians, and critics introduce
challenging concepts in special lectures, exhibitions, workshops, and critiques
of student work.
Facilities
Art students work in well-equipped labs and studios for ceramics, sculpture,
printmaking, weaving, painting and drawing, interior design, and computer-based
art. Well equipped woodshops and welding shops are available (safety training
required). The Ira LaTour Visual Resources Center houses a collection of
100,000 slides covering western and non-western art. Library holdings in
art (print and non-print) are substantial and are regularly augmented by
a generous bequest from the Walter Kohn Art History Endowment. The University
Art Gallery, Janet Turner Print Gallery, and Lew D. Oliver Rotunda Gallery
mount exciting shows of historical and contemporary art every semester;
both the university and the Turner Galleries maintain permanent study collections.
Three on-campus galleries frequently display student work, as do many private
galleries in the community. On-campus sculpture sites are increasing. The
main university library has a large art book collection and computerized
catalog.
Career Outlook
Degrees in art, with their emphasis on problem-solving, creativity, imagination,
and a strong liberal arts component, lead to a wide variety of career opportunities.
CSU, Chico Department of Art and Art History alumni now work as professional
studio artists, teachers at levels ranging from grammar school to university,
gallery owners, museum curators, travel agents, arts administrators, muralists,
medical illustrators, fashion designers, commercial artists, and designers.
Interior design graduates often work as residential or contract designers
for design companies, architectural firms, or department and furniture
stores. They can also work as renderers, set designers, kitchen designers,
wholesale market representatives, lighting designers, and historic preservation
design specialists. Others are involved with computer graphics, film and
video production, art publishing, art restoration, and the design and production
of high quality crafts.
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