Studio Art

Major: Studio Art
Minors: Studio Art, Photography
Relatated Major and Minor: Art History
Program Director: John Skelton, Associate Professor of Art
Program Website: Creative Edge

The art program at Wesleyan offers a solid foundation in studio techniques and concept development. Personal, artistic, and intellectual growth are encouraged, and students are provided with the skills needed for professional careers as artists, photographers, illustrators, and graphic designers.

Students may design an arts management program by double majoring in art and business. (This course of study prepares the student for a position as a museum or gallery administrator, or art consultant.) Art students interested in advertising may double major in studio art and advertising and marketing communication.

In the major program, students can concentrate in one of the following areas: painting, drawing, ceramics, computer graphics, photography, sculpture or printmaking.

Students may also choose to minor in photography. Photography minors learn traditional silver gelatin, digital, and non-traditional photographic processes and take courses designed to help them develop the knowledge and skills to analyze photographic imagery and understand the power of the photograph in fine art, commercial art, and popular culture. For information about specific courses offered, please see our Academic Catalogue.

Facilities

The Valeria McCullough Murphey Art Building houses fully equipped studios for drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, ceramics, illustration, computer graphics, and graphic design. The Murphey Art Building also includes an exhibition space, which is used to showcase student works and visiting artists exhibitions. The Porter Fine Arts Building features the Cowles Myles Collier Art Galleries. The west wing houses the college’s permanent collection, and the east wing features both student art exhibitions and exhibits of regional and national artists.

Field Study
Wesleyan’s art majors can intern with local businesses as photographers, graphic designers, advertising layout artists, gallery operators, interior designers, museum curators, and art therapists.

Scholarships
Talented students in the fine arts may compete for scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $16,000 per year. Fine Arts Scholarships in Studio Art are available to students who are interested in being involved in the studio art program as a music major or minor. The scholarships require a commitment from the student beginning the first year. Candidates for fine arts scholarships also may be candidates for academic or leadership scholarships. All scholarships are renewable for up to eight semesters.Those interested in studio art scholarships are required to present a portfolio of eight to ten works of art when applying to the college. Prospective students may contact the Admissions Office at (478) 757-5206 to schedule a portfolio review. More information about Scholarships. Get Tips for a Successful Portfolio Review.

The prestigious Lane Scholars Program provides two scholarships annually to academically superior first year applicants for admission whose intended major is in the area of Fine Arts. Each scholarship recipient receives an annual award valued at $16,000 per year. This program is in honor of Linda H. Lane who was a friend, leader, benefactor, and an associate professor of music at Wesleyan. Eligible candidates must possess high academic credentials and demonstrate their interest, and the ability to engage, in research.

Special Opportunities
The visiting artist program sponsored by the Art Department features contemporary artists who exhibit their work and conduct workshops. The student-organized Art Club has many activities throughout the year culminating in the Juried Student Art Show. The Art Department also regularly sponsors field trips to view exhibitions at galleries and museums throughout the region.

Each senior student in the A.B. program in the studio arts has an exhibition of her work and submits a bound, illustrated catalogue. In Art History each student writes a thesis paper and presents it to the entire department.

The art faculty are professionally active and extremely dedicated teachers. They provide an environment rich in individual attention in order to enhance the students’ natural creativity. Wesleyan provides its students with the unique opportunity to work with faculty on a one-to-one basis.

Postgraduate Opportunities
Job opportunities in the fine arts include painting, sculpture, photography, and crafts. Commercial art jobs include advertising, photography, illustration, graphic design, and computer graphics. Jobs in Art History include museum and gallery curatorship, education, and criticism.

Graduates have pursued careers as designers and illustrators for newspapers, billboards, and magazines, become interior or industrial designers, and entered the fields of fashion, studio art, teaching, and art therapy.

Our recent graduates include the educational director of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the membership coordinator of the Guggenheim museum, a corporate art consultant in New York City, an owner of a graphic design company, newspaper photographers, gallery owners, a computer graphics specialist for AT&T, an advertising sales representative for the New York Times, and art and art history teachers. 

Studio art major Arrin Freeman ’01, for example, draws inspiration from children. As the Art Director at the Georgia Children’s Museum, she offers art instruction, directs an arts enrichment program, plans integrative field trips, assists creatively with the performing arts program, and visually stimulates visitors through her vibrant murals painted throughout the museum. And “on the side,” she claims to have accomplished another major goal.

Faculty

Dennis Applebee Associate Professor of Art and Fine Arts Division Chair. B.F.A. (Printmaking) Illinois State University 1996; M.F.A. (Printmaking) The Ohio State University 1998. My studio interests are in etching and relief printmaking, painting, collage, and drawing. My recent artwork explores the connections, overlaps, and parallels between language, music, and math. Murphey 109 A.dapplebee@wesleyancollege.edu

Elizabeth Bailey Professor of Art. B.F.A. (Drawing and Painting) University of Georgia 1974; M.F.A., (Drawing and Painting) University of Georgia 1976; Ph.D. (Art History) University of Georgia 1992. My area of specialization in art history is Medieval/Renaissance Art in Tuscany. My particular interest in studio art is painting. Murphey 105A. lbailey@wesleyancollege.edu

Frances de La Rosa Comer Professor of Painting. B.F.A. (Studio Art) University of Alabama 1980; M.F.A. (Painting) Tulane University 1984. Oil on canvas and oil pastel on paper are the primary media which I use to explore 2-dimensional abstractions of landscape, while lost wax casting in bronze and silver are my choice for creating nature-based forms 3-dimensionally. Murphey 106.fdelarosa@wesleyancollege.edu

Fernando La Rosa Instructor of Art. B.F.A. (Studio Art) Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, Lima, Peru 1966; M.F.A. (Photography) Tulane University, 1990. In my photography, I use large format cameras with traditional materials combined with scanning and digital output in an exploration of broad subjects from nature to found objects. Murphey 106. flarosa@wesleyancollege.edu

John Skelton Associate Professor of Art and Art Department Chair. B.A. (Studio Art) Mercer University 1995; M.F.A. (Ceramics) University of Minnesota 1998. I work primarily in porcelain and white stoneware and in two different firing processes, wood firing and reduction. My pottery reflects an interest in traditional, historical forms from the Middle East, China, and Japan, often combining elements from different periods and places, creating interesting juxtapositions of surface and form. My work is often embellished with patterns created from wax resist, found objects, and hand-carved stamps. Murphey 105. jskelton@wesleyancollege.edu