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TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY (printable header) TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY
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Students work closely with the Career Center to identify approriate internships and apprenticeships, which are vital learning experiences.

Degree Worksheets

BA: Art
BFA: Studio

Objectives

Degree programs in the Art Department are defined by the faculty and were developed through the following objectives:

  1. To offer programs of concentrated study that are sensitive to the needs of students and relate to the overarching goals of the university.
  2. To ensure well-organized, coherent programs that provide opportunities for synthesis and integration across courses within those programs.
  3. To help students assimilate the knowledge delivered within the programs and develop the capacity to focus on methods of inquiry and analysis that will enable them to use that knowledge.
  4. To encourage students to develop a critical perspective that will enable them to learn about and from the variety of views existing within their chosen field of study.
  5. To guide students in the cultivation of liberal learning by helping them perceive and appreciate the connections among courses in their major and those in other disciplines.
  6. To assure practical support and encouragement for students' intellectual and creative growth and development by providing opportunities for interaction and dialogue in an environment conducive to learning.
  7. To present students with a culturally diverse approach to art and to acknowledge biases that may be inherent within the discipline.
  8. To prepare students for graduate study or employment opportunities within the field.

BA: Art/BFA: Studio

Student Work Gallery

Studio Programs

Ceramics
Students who graduate from Truman State with a BA or a BFA in Ceramics are well-prepared to enter a graduate program in Ceramics, set up a shop and produce creative work in clay, or explore Ceramics related fields while continuing to make expressive personal work.

All aspects of the medium are explored in Ceramics classes, and students experience many facets of running the shop including glaze mixing, and loading and firing kilns. Students study the history of Ceramics and the role of Ceramics in various cultures, and become familiar with work that is being produced by contemporary artists in clay. A wide range of clays including earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware are explored and many surface possibilities are introduced including majolica and other earthenware glazes, reduction glazes, salt surfaces and many other types of glazed and unglazed surfaces. Utilitarian vessels and sculpture are of equal concern as each student finds a unique avenue of self expression in the medium.

With guidance, advanced students follow their own creative choices to develop a personal statement in clay.

Instructor: Associate Professor of Art, Wynne Wilbur

 

Fibers
The Fibers program is housed in a studio equipped with wet and dry areas, 7' printing tables, large table and floor looms, Janome New Home sewing machines, and a Bernina Industrial Sewing Machine. The fibers area offers spacious facilities for printing, dyeing, weaving, and fabric construction.

Coursework
The predominant focus of the curriculum is on surface design. Students are involved in using a wide variety of dyeing, sewing, fabric manipulation, and construction techniques. Weaving and hand work are also included in the curriculum, with ample opportunity for individual exploration in a variety of fiber media. Computer programs and digital imagery are used to enhance understanding of structural textile design.

BFA and BA Fibers graduates of Truman have gone on to the MFA program in Fibers at the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Arizona, SIU Edwardsvile, Kansas State, and other schools.

Instructor: Assistant Professor of Art Julia Karll

 

Painting
The Painting program centers on the development and maturation of the artist as a critical thinker and a skilled technician. There is no preferred style; the student is encouraged to produce work that reflects his or her unique stance in the world. Along with personal stylistic development, students are required to articulate the concepts and motives that inspire and inform their artistic creation. To support professional development, painting students are required to enter at least one regional or national juried competition each semester.

Coursework
Painting I focuses on the materials and techniques of the painting process. This provides the foundation and knowledge base for further exploration into the possibilities of the medium. The intermediate and advanced areas of the painting program are designed around models of student-centered or student-based learning. In these classes, individuals work independently, and are required to bring their paintings to group critique. Students engage in critical thinking about their own work as well as the work of others. Informed criticism and objectivity are encouraged, therefore selected readings are given to the students to enhance their knowledge base and provide exposure to past and current aesthetic theory and criticism. Finally, students are required to write reflective essays about their work and the affect of criticism and readings upon that work. Models used for experiential learning are based on the work of David Kolb and Charles Bonwell, among others. For more information see:

http://ericae.net/edo/ED340272.html
http://www.active-learning-site.com

Instructor: Professor of Art John Bohac

 

Printmaking
The printmaking program is located in studio facilities equipped with eight presses allowing comprehensive investigations in Relief, Intaglio, Lithography, Screenprint, Letterpress, Photo-based Processes, and Papermaking. The printshop has excellent lighting and is situated next door to the Drawing and Painting Studios, ideally placed to facilitate cross-course projects. Equipment in the print studio includes a lithograhic press with bed size 30" x 50", an etching press with bed size 36" x 60", and a letterpress with platen size of 10" x 14". Students in Printmaking use both traditional and new technological processes to produce both monochromatic and multi-colored prints. Through their courses, students develop competencies in relief, intaglio, lithographic, and screen processes; and in their upper level courses, they develop thematic series, culminating in a show in the University Gallery.

Instructor: Professor of Art James Jereb

 

Sculpture
The Sculpture program is located on the first floor of Ophelia Parrish. The facilities contain equipment for working with metal (foundry and welding), wood, plaster, and plastics media.

Department Office: 100 E. Normal | Ophelia Parrish 1109 | Kirksville, Missouri 63501
Phone: 660.785.4417
Fax: 660.785.7463