The Studio Art Core curriculum exposes students to a variety of experiences ranging from rigorous classroom critiques and discussion, to seminars, workshops, visiting artist lectures, and exhibitions. Students gain familiarity with major achievements and ideas in the history of art and design, and develop critical acumen in preparation for advanced study in their major area of emphasis or minor, or in conversation with other disciplines. Projects bridge manual and digital forms of projection, and student learn how to approach materials and tools as complex sites of discovery. The core of UGA’s art program is meant to prepare students as interlocutors, citizens, and makers within a complex world. Ultimately, Studio Art Core aims to enable students to practice with empathy and to develop an individual voice that will serve them during a lifetime of participation in the visual arts.

Studio Art Core coursework includes two survey courses in art history, three introductory-level studio courses, an intermediate course concerned with conceptual development and ideation, and two upper-level courses focused on thematic inquiry and professional practice. Introductory studio courses in drawing and two- and three-dimensional design promote curiosity, help students adapt to a disciplined studio-based practice, and promote creative awareness of different materials and techniques. These initial courses explore a range of modes of representation and processes for observation and spatial thinking, supported by a broad introduction to techniques and materials. First-year Studio Art Core courses include:

• ARST 1050 Drawing I
• ARST 1060 Color and Composition
• ARST 1080 Three-Dimensional Design
• ARHI 2300 Art History I *
• ARHI 2400 Art History II *
  * taken in fulfillment of a Humanities and the Arts requirement of Area IV, World Languages and Culture, Humanities and the Arts, of the Franklin College core requirements

The first-year Studio Art Core experience is immersive and encourages students to more closely examine and begin to tackle the complexities of an increasingly visual world. Initial studio courses are experiential and project-based, aiming to establish a common visual vocabulary that engages perceptual, conceptual, intuitive, and divergent thinking. Students investigate visual strategies for communicating concepts and ideas, and explore processes and media. They are exposed to approaches for interpreting visual images and messages common in art, design, and popular culture. 

Intermediate Studio Art Core

At the intermediate level Studio Core engages the heart of creative practice through a course designed to explore how innovative ideas are generated and the numerous approaches to the working processes of artists and designers (ARST 2020 Ideation and Methodology). This practice-based course allows students to work with the media of their choice while working in an interdisciplinary studio addressing concepts and methods that are shared across disciplines.

Upper-Level Studio Art Core

At the upper level Studio Core brings students from across the school together in shared dialogue through a studio course that explores one of a wide range of rotating themes (ARST 4915 Thematic Inquiry in Contemporary Art & Design) and a professional practices course that provides the tools and professional connections to support student transitions from academia into creative professions (ARST 4990 Exhibition and Professional Practices).

Project Space

An experimental exhibition space dedicated to showcasing student work from Studio Art Core courses. Functioning as an extension of the classroom for collaborative projects that at times culminate in formal gallery shows, the space offers students an opportunity to share their work with a wider a wider audience. 

Students who have declared an Art Major prior to spring 2017 will complete the first-year Studio Foundation coursework in lieu of Studio Art Core. See your advisor with any questions.