Bachelor of Science in Art - Art Studio (Drawing)

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The Department of Art and Design provides an excellent studio art program for its majors, minors and postgraduate students in recently built and renovated facilities utilizing state-of-the-art technology. While students are encouraged to develop their creative, intellectual and technical potential in the visual arts, they also have the opportunity to pursue minors in diverse areas such as anthropology, business, geography, history and more. Drawing is addressed as both a primary focus area as well as an essential course of study for all studio disciplines. The drawing curriculum starts by building a strong technical and conceptual foundation. That way, students can develop their individual voices as they advance through the program with a strong understanding of form and space.As one moves to higher level courses in drawing, its definition expands to be more inclusive: works on paper, displayed on the wall, with a meaningful element done by hand. Hence, our advanced students often explore intersectional means of drawing, blurring the distinctions between painting, printmaking, digital imaging and even sculptural expressions.Those who pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in drawing work within a cohort that often includes painting majors, in which a community of artists meets regularly to support each other and engage in critical discourse outside of class time. Some drawing BFAs choose to pursue dual degrees with a teacher certification in art education.Recently, BFA students who concentrated in drawing have pursued graduate degrees at Indiana University, Washington University and the University of Nebraska.The drawing studios are well lit with natural light, equipped with articulated skeletons, a large collection of still life objects and figurative sculpture casts, and personal storage of drawings in flat files.