Department of Fine Arts

Undergraduate Programs

Degree Programs

The Department of Fine Arts offers contemporary, comprehensive Indiana University degrees. The Bachelor of Fine Arts’ four-year program provides graduates with skills that enable them to pursue professions within the art field. The Bachelor of Arts in Education (art education) prepares students who are looking for employment teaching at the K-12 educational level. The four year Bachelor of Arts degree is a liberal arts degree designed for the student wanting a more well rounded and flexible criteria in their studies. The fine arts minor is offered to majors outside the Department of Fine to enrich a major area of study. The minor in art history is available for art majors and non art majors alike.

Department of Fine Arts: (IU Degrees)

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)
Bachelor of Arts in Art Education (B.A.)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Minors in

Bachelor of Arts in Art Education (B.A.)
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

IPFW Department of Fine Arts students also benefit from the unique artistic expertise of a world-class faculty. At IPFW, students study and work one-on-one with dedicated and professionally active faculty specialists. The department provides students with multiple opportunities for artistic development such as:

regular contact with full-time faculty
personalized advising and mentoring small classes taught by nationally and internationally recognized artists
state-of-the-art classrooms, studios, and equipment
daily experience practicing what is taught in the classroom
broad education in the liberal arts combined with specialized studio experience
ongoing exhibitions of student and faculty work
sound base for advanced art training
access to a vibrant regional art community

Department of Fine Arts Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Fine Arts is to educate students and the community in Fine Art. Degrees offered are Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Arts in Art Education, Minor in Art History, and a Fine Arts Minor. A comprehensive explanation of each of the above programs is laid out in the IPFW 2006-2008 Undergraduate Bulletin. Students successfully completing the requirements of the Fine Arts degrees should be able to:

Understand the non-verbal language of art
Develop responses to visual phenomena, and organize perceptions and conceptualizations both rationally and intuitively
Become familiar with and develop competence in a number of art skills
Make valid assessments of quality in works of art
Become familiar with the major achievements in the history of art, including the works and intentions of leading artists past and present
Understand and evaluate contemporary thinking about art

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.)

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed for exceptional students who are interested in pursuing a professional career in the field of fine arts. They must have demonstrated superior ability and motivation in a particular studio art discipline. Students within the B.F.A. program can concentrate in ceramics, drawing, metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, or sculpture.

During the first year of classes, students complete the comprehensive studio foundation program, comprised of drawing, and 2-D and 3-D design. This sequence is designed to provide a broad understanding of visual arts and development of basic technical skills. Following the foundation courses, students must take the 200 level Fundamentals classes in ceramics, figure drawing, metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture plus the Department of Visual Communications and Design’s computer art and design class. Students will then submit their portfolio to the fine arts faculty for formal clearance into the B.F.A. degree program while selecting a study emphasis area. This intensive studio experience will normally amount to an extra year beyond the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program for most B.F.A. majors.

All students in the Department of Fine Arts start as B.F.A. candidates and then petition for formal entrance into the B.F.A. program after the completion of 200-level requirements. Each student is subject to a portfolio review, judgment of grades, and a personal interview with faculty for admission to the B.F.A. program. Students may not enroll in any FINA courses 300 or higher unless above requirements are met. All B.F.A. students must maintain a 3.0 GPA within the fine arts classes of the B.F.A. program. Students should schedule classes within the B.F.A. program under the guidance of a fine arts advisor. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is divided into two parts, 33 credit hours of General Education classes, and 90 credit hours of Art History and Art Studio classes. A total of 123 credit hours of study are required for graduation.

B.F.A. General Education Requirements
The B.F.A. degree requires 33 credit hours of General Education classes. A listing of classes that fulfill each Area of General Education requirements is at the front of both the Schedule of Classes catalog or the IPFW Undergraduate Programs catalog. The areas and their required credit hours are listed below. Art majors can not use FINA prefixed classes to meet General Education requirements. For a complete listing of required classes refer to the Department of Fine Arts Student Handbook or the IPFW 2006-2008 Bulletin.

B.F.A. Portfolio Review
Each student must submit a portfolio of 100/200 level work to attain formal acceptance into the B.F.A program. No studio classes at the 300 level or above can be taken until acceptance into the B.F.A. program. Each student will receive notice of when they are to apply within a specific semester. Students must at this time present a portfolio for review. Each student applying for acceptance will declare which area of studio concentration they intend. The portfolio should consist of 10-15 works, with at least two works from each 100 level foundation course.

Consideration of work will be given in accordance to each student’s intended concentration area. i.e., printmaking majors should be able to show strong drawing skills. It is highly recommended that students seek faculty advice, especially from faculty whose area they are intending to apply, on which works to submit for review. Faculty evaluations will be based on a student’s strong knowledge and skills in:

showing competence in representational drawing of volume, pictorial space, and the depiction of the human figure. An understanding of linear perspective should be evident.
the ability to compose aesthetic element of line, tone/value, shape, texture, color, and 3D form in space.
demonstrating technical and aesthetic excellence (for the 60 credit level) in your chosen major; i.e. drawing, ceramics, metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, or sculpture.
(for 2D majors) drawing, painting, printmaking as well as the demonstration of competence and serious investigation in 3D media.
(for 3D majors) ceramics, metalsmithing, and sculpture with competence and serious investigation in 2D media.

B.F.A. Portfolio Resubmission
If a student is either deferred or denied from entry into the B.F.A. program, a maximum of 6 credits of additional studio classes toward the degree requirements may be taken along with the recommended remedial classes during the next semester, subject to the approval of the department chair. A deferred or denied student may re-submit their portfolio for B.F.A. consideration. If a deferred or denied student shows no improvement of earlier cited weaknesses and the student fails to pass review a second time, the student may not submit to the B.F.A. program except on approval of the Fine Arts chair.

B.F.A. Senior Project and Exhibition
The Senior Project is a two-semester course in a student’s major area during their senior year. Students must be signed into these classes by the acting chair of the Department of Fine Arts. During this year, students will be part of at least three full time faculty critiques of their work. Each student will be asked to also partake in discussions of other student’s work during the critiques. The goal is to initiate and participate in a group discussion of each student’s work, ideas, and progress. Seniors can also use this opportunity to discuss ideas about presentation of their work. Students must also choose a full time fine arts faculty to work with as an advisor between the designated group meetings. Evaluations of senior work will be based on the following criteria:

Body of original and ambitious work
Evidence of depth of thought
Evidence of research
Sufficient technical virtuosity
Ability to explain ideas
Participation in all departmental senior events
Professional attitude
Keeping abreast of new developments in the field as they pertain to your work

B.F.A. Senior Project Documents
Students are required to complete two written documents each semester of the Senior Project year.

The Senior Projection document should be ready for all faculty by the beginning of their first semester of Senior Project. It should address the ideas they plan on dealing with and developing for the senior year. The quantity of work can be negotiated with the faculty.
The Self Critique document will be required at the end of each semester as a critical self evaluation of a student’s senior project experience. The critique should include ideas about the project and how it helped clarify their artistic direction.

B.F.A. Exhibition
At the end of the second Senior Project semester, the student must exhibit for graduation. The Fine Arts Senior Exhibition will be at the end of the spring semester of each school year. Students can expect to work with the Department of Fine Arts gallery coordinator and the College of Visual and Performing Arts marketing and public relations specialist regarding publication materials and arrangements for their senior exhibition.

Bachelor of Arts in Art Education (B.A.)

The Department of Fine Arts, in cooperation with the School of Education, offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in art education and certification to teach at all grade levels. Students will learn the teaching fundamentals of the visual arts, as they prepare to meet the art education needs of schools nationwide. The IPFW art education degree provides a convenient, high quality, and affordable program for the students of northeastern Indiana.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art Education degree allows a graduate to teach elementary, middle school/junior high or high school art. This program is designed to give a student a solid foundation in the arts as you come to understand the role of the artist/educator. If you already hold a degree in Fine Art, it is possible to obtain certification to teach through the addition of the appropriate education courses providing you meet general university requirements.See your advisor.
A 2.5 GPA in the content field (see IPFW Bulletin) and overall is required.
The Art Education degree is divided into 3 parts, 39 credit hours of General
Education, 51 credit hours of Art Studio work, and 38 credit hours of
Professional Education classes. A total of 128 credits are required for
graduation.

Mission Statement
The Art Education program at IPFW promotes and cultivates the role of artist/teacher as the ideal educator of the arts in schools today. With a solid background in studio arts, student teachers use their experience as artists to develop a philosophy that aims to create authentic art making conditions in their future positions as art educators. Art educators learn to advocate for the arts and are given learning opportunities both in school and museum contexts as they grow to share learning and understanding of visual arts education.

Bachelor of Arts in Art Education General Education Requirements
The Bachelor of Art in Art Education requires 39 credit hours in General Education. A listing of classes that fulfill each Area of General Education requirements is at the front of both the Schedule of Classes catalog or the IPFW Undergraduate Programs catalog. The General Education Areas and their required credit hours are listed below. For a complete listing of required classes refer to the Department of Fine Arts Student Handbook or the IPFW 2006-2008 Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program is based on the humanist tradition of developing an artistic awareness through visual expression. It is designed to enable students to see, formulate, and articulate concepts through the manipulation of form and materials, the art-making practice is experienced through several art studio disciplines offered at IPFW. They are ceramics, metalsmithing, drawing, painting, printmaking, or sculpture. The IPFW B.A. program is a broad-based liberal arts degree with wide-ranging interest in and out of the Fine Arts. Students can choose to concentrate in a specific art discipline, or may explore a wide range of artistic disciplines. Students in the Fine Arts B.A. must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA within the Fine Arts classes. The Bachelor of Arts degree is divided into three parts, 33 credit hours of General Studies, 60-72 credit hours of Art Studio and Art History classes, and 21-33 credit hours of General Liberal Arts. A total of 123 credit hours of study are required for graduation.

B.A. General Education Requirements
A Fine Arts B.A. degree requires 33 credit hours of General Education classes. A listing of classes that fulfill each Area of General Education requirements is at the front of both the Schedule of Classes catalog or the IPFW Undergraduate Programs catalog. The Areas and their required credit hours are listed below. Art majors can not use FINA prefixed classes to meet General Education requirements. For a complete listing of required classes refer to the Department of Fine Arts Student Handbook or the IPFW 2006-2008 Bulletin.

Minors

Minor in Art History
A student may earn a minor in Art History by completing 18 credit hours of FINA Art History courses. The 6 classes must include H111 and H112. For a complete listing of required classes refer to the Department of Fine Arts Student Handbook or the IPFW 2006-2008 Bulletin.

Minor in Fine Arts
A Fine Arts Minor is designed for IPFW students outside the Department of Fine Arts. IPFW students can earn a minor in art by completing 15 credit hours within the Department of Fine Arts while maintaining a 2.0 GPA within the classes. For a complete listing of required classes refer to the Department of Fine Arts Student Handbook or the IPFW 2006-2008 Bulletin.