Division of Visual Arts

Website: http://www.twu.edu/visual-arts/

Division Head: Colby Parsons, Professor
Location: ART 107A

Phone: 940-898-2530
Fax: 940-898-2496
E-mail: visualarts@twu.edu

Graduate Degrees Offered

Our graduate curriculum provides a safe but challenging environment to approach interdisciplinarity in the arts. We embrace new technologies and pedagogies, while also considering self-empowerment, community impact, and/or social justice. M.F.A in Art (concentration in Studio Art) and M.A. in Art (concentration in Art History and Visual Culture) students participate in an end-of-year review after the second long semester (18+ semester credit hours) in the division in order to advance to the next level; at which time, each student is appointed a graduate advisory committee to assist and counsel their progress. M.F.A. students also have a review after their fourth long semester (36+ semester credit hours) after which they suggest their own selections for their advisory committee.

The M.F.A. degree is granted through the Federation of North Texas Area Universities.

For further information, please visit the Visual Arts website.

Certificates

Additional Courses for Post-Baccalaureate Students Seeking Certification in All Level Art

In addition to seeking a M.A.T. with an emphasis in Art Education to secure All Level Art Teacher Certification, students can alternatively elect to pursue All Level Art Teacher Certification via a Post-Baccalaureate individualized program. Students interested in this program to secure All Level Art Teacher Certification should contact the College of Professional Education for detailed information on requirements for admission and certification.

Faculty

*GRIFFITHS, MEGAN, Associate Professor of Visual Arts, B.A., University of Texas at Austin; M.F.A., Savannah College of Art & Design
*LIBERSAT, JULIE, Associate Professor of Visual Arts, B.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art; M.A., University of North Texas; M.F.A., University of North Texas
*PARSONS, MATTHEW COLBY, Professor of Visual Arts, Division Head of Visual Arts, B.Ph., Miami University; M.F.A., Southern Illinois University
*PETERSEN, MICHELE, Associate Professor of Visual Arts, B.F.A., Missouri State University; M.F.A., Savannah College of Art and Design
*SYNAR, TANYA M., Associate Professor of Visual Arts, B.F.A., Colorado State University; M.F.A., University of Washington
*VALDERAS, MICHAEL GIOVANNI, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts, B.F.A., University of North Texas; M.F.A., University of North Texas

Courses

ART 5003. Critique Seminar. Progressive development and conclusion of self-assigned projects, bringing together students from all disciplines in the visual arts to analyze and discuss their work in group critiques. May be taken for up to fifteen hours credit, but not as an elective. Prerequisite: Accepted into one of the graduate programs in Visual Arts. Three seminar hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5053. Book Arts. Bookmaking as an art form. An overview of historic and contemporary book forms. Technical problems dealing with design, typography, paper, printing presses, and binding styles. May be repeated once for additional credit (up to six hours credit total). Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5063. Theories of Art. Theories of art and beauty in Western culture. Organized chronologically beginning with ancient and concluding with 19th and 20th Century theories. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5123. Interdisciplinary Ceramics. Development of artwork and design incorporating ceramics and other art media or processes. Use of clay as a means to examine how the medium itself adds potential meaning to an artwork in ways applicable to other media. Examination of associative meanings of clay-based on historic, aesthetic, cultural, and other references. Focus on art-making, supported by research, readings, and discussion. May be repeated once for additional credit (up to six hours credit). Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5223. Graphic Design. Special topics relating to graphic design, theory, and practice. Special emphasis placed on graphic design as a medium of visual communication. May be taken for up to twelve hours credit. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5353. Curriculum in Art Learning and Practice. Curriculum theory, design, approaches, and assessment in art education. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5503. History of Art. Individual study of selected topics in the history of art. May be taken for up to twelve hours credit. Prerequisite: Twelve hours of history of art. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5533. Art and Social Movements. Role of visual culture and art in social movements. Research methods and practices to support the study of historical and contemporary image production connected to activist, political, and socially conscious efforts. May be repeated when content varies. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5543. Art and Decoloniality. Visual art's role in the history of colonial and imperial projects and contemporary decolonizing efforts. Research methods and practices to support the study of topics concerning Indigenous art, diaspora, and land use. May be repeated when content varies. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5573. Reshaping the Art History Canon. Critical examination of Western art history knowledge production and pedagogy. Recent artistic, curatorial, and/or scholarly interventions in the Western art history canon. Three lecture hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5613. Printmaking. Special problems in lithography, relief, and/or intaglio. May be repeated once for additional credit (up to six hours credit). Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5653. Creative Photography. Special problems in the advanced study of creative and experimental photography; exhibition techniques. May be taken for up to fifteen hours credit. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5663. Alternative Photographic Process. Study of alternative photographic processes. Surveys a variety of historical and contemporary experimental processes including pinhole, cyanotype, vandyke, xerox, and transfers. Processes are done with sunlight and paint on emulsions. May be taken for up to six hours credit. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5693. Academic Practices in Art. Preparation of students for a career in the arts in academia. Pedagogical techniques; academic careers; diversity, equity and inclusion; career options in higher education; teaching philosophies and course materials development; advising and mentoring. Prerequisite: Admission to M.F.A. or M.A. in Art programs. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5703. Painting. Study in oil, acrylic, and mixed media. Emphasis on development of personal work with a particular regard to contemporary painting. May be taken for up to fifteen hours credit. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5743. Sculpture and the Environment. Critical exploration of environmental and ecological-oriented visual art. Historical and contemporary overview of emerging political, community, and cultural topics. May be repeated once for additional credit (up to six hours credit). Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5753. Sculpture. Advanced study of sculpture; execution of a major project; concentration on media; research. May be taken for up to fifteen hours credit. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5793. Professional Practices in Art. Professional and practical aspects of careers in art, art institution relations, business (contracts, finance, and copyright practices), media presence, and ongoing artistic development strategies. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the MFA or MA in Art programs. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5843. Art-Based Research Writing. Development of writing and research leading to the M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition. Prerequisites: Admission to the M.F.A. program. May be taken by M.A. in Art students with Departmental approval. Must be taken the semester before the final semester, or after completion of 42 hours in the degree program. Two independent study lecture and four independent study studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5883. M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition. Completion of M.F.A. thesis exhibition, artist statement, thesis paper, committee review, and oral exam. Prerequisite: ART 5843 or ART 5943. Two independent study lecture and four independent study studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5903. Special Topics. Study of selected advanced topics in art. May be taken for up to twelve hours credit. Lecture and studio hours vary by topic. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5911. Independent Study. Individual study of advanced technical problems in art. May be taken for up to three hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Credit: One hour.

ART 5913. Independent Study. Individual study of advanced technical problems in art. May be taken for up to twelve hours credit. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5943. Art-Based Research Writing. Development of writing and research leading to the M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition. Prerequisites: Admission to the M.F.A. program. May be taken by M.A. in Art students with Departmental approval. Must be taken the semester prior to the final semester, or after completion of 42 hours in the degree program. Two lecture and four studio hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5953. Internship. Nine practicum hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5963. M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition. Completion of M.F.A. thesis exhibition, artist statement, thesis paper, committee review, and oral exam. Prerequisite: ART 5843 or ART 5943. Two lecture and four laboratory hours a week. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5973. Professional Paper/Project. Prerequisite: ART 5983. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5981. The Professional Portfolio. Development of a professional portfolio by students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program demonstrating the student's growth in the Learner-Centered Competencies. Pass-fail grade only. May be repeated. Credit: One hour.

ART 5983. Prospectus. Designed to assist in developing a prospectus for the thesis, M.F.A. studio exhibit, or professional paper/project. Credit: Three hours.

ART 5993. Thesis. Prerequisite: ART 5983. Credit: Three hours.