The Art program at Longwood is located in the Bedford Building. Bedford is one of the buildings in the Fine Arts Complex. The Bedford Building includes studios for graphic and animation design, printmaking, book arts, textiles, ceramics, crafts, painting, stained glass, jewelry, paper making, photography and drawing, as well as outdoor work areas, and exhibition galleries.
Mission Statement for the Art Program
The Art programs at Longwood University are dedicated to the development of emerging artists, designers, historians, and art educators by providing an environment that fosters creative, conceptual, and intellectual growth with a high level of formal and technical skills, through close interaction with a faculty of working artists, designers, and educators.
Vision Statement for Art Program
The studio arts program at Longwood University is dedicated to the development of the next generation of confident and innovative artists, designers, and scholars.
Our exceptional studio facilities, coupled with our dedicated, supportive, professionally-active faculty establishes Longwood as the premier central Virginia university studio art program in the Commonwealth.
Longwood students graduate with a comprehensive understanding of artistic traditions, a high level of technical proficiency, a keen visual literacy, and a strong knowledge of their place within contemporary art. Graduates not only develop the relevant artistic knowledge and skills but also the confidence and tenacity to forge their own career path in the arts. Our graduates have successful careers in a variety of fields including art education, art galleries and museums, professional art studios, art conservation, arts administration, freelance designers, and creative marketing.
Student Assessments
Core Competencies for Art Program
- Communication Skills: Develop and employ the ability to write and speak about art, design and art history with clarity and logic, and be able to form and support critical judgments about art, design and art history.
- Formal and Technical Skill: Acquire and demonstrate technical mastery of the relevant materials and tools, and the terminology, theories, and practices relevant to the student’s field of study.
- Conceptual Skills: Develop and demonstrate the ability to generate, support, and utilize individual thoughts and ideas.
- Critical Thinking and Research Skills: Develop and demonstrate the ability to do research in art design and art history, and the competence and knowledge to analyze and think critically.
- Historical and Contemporary Relevance: Acquire and utilize an expanding knowledge of historical achievements and contemporary thinking, trends, processes, and issues in art and design.
- Thematic Body of Work: conceive, design, and create a coherent, high-quality body of work in the major area of study.
- Professional Skills: develop competencies in professional practice in the student’s field of study.
As a graduation requirement, all students must participate in, and pass each of the five levels of the Art program’s portfolio assessments. At each of the five assessment levels, students must present work that is predetermined by the faculty. The assessment evaluations are scored as either pass, no-pass, or conditional no-pass. See “Evaluation scores explained” for definitions of each evaluation score.
Each student must register for the appropriate zero-credit class for each level of assessment. The zero-credit classes are used to prevent students who have failed an assessment from continuing to take either Art classes (in the case of First-year Assessment) or in the student’s area of concentration(in the case of Second-year Assessment). Since the class is zero credit, it does not affect the student’s GPA. Each student will register for the appropriate zero-credit class when they register for classes in each of their Assessment semesters. Beginning with the Second-year Assessment, students will register for the appropriate section of the zero-credit class in their area of study.
Zero-credit Class Schedule
ART 183 - First-Year Assessment Zero-Credit Course
ART 283 - Second-Year Assessment Zero-Credit Course - choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
ART 383 - Third-Year Student Assessment Zero Credit Course - choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
(Participation in the Junior Art Show is mandatory to pass third-year Assessment.)
ART 423 - Senior Project Mid-Assessment Zero Credit Course - choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
ART 483 - Senior Project Final Assessment Zero Credit Course - choose the section specific to the student’s area of study.
(Participation in the Senior Art Show is mandatory to pass Senior Assessment.)
Transfer students must contact the Theatre, Art and Graphic and Animation Design Department Chair, who will route them to the appropriate faculty, who will determine what assessments the students must complete for graduation. This contact is the responsibility of the student and should occur shortly after the student is admitted into a Longwood program. A review of the transfer student’s portfolio may be required to determine which assessment is the appropriate placement for the student. The First-year Portfolio Assessment is waived for those transfer students who have received Longwood credit for ART 120 , ART 223 , and either ART 130 or ART 131 .
The five assessment levels progress as follows:
- First-year Portfolio Assessment usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. Five art works from the student’s first year are assessed; one work, each, from ART 120 , ART 130 , ART 131 , and ART 223 , as well as an additional piece of the student’s choosing are required. The First-year faculty will determine which works are assessed.
At each of the next four assessment levels, art education students must present work that is predetermined by the faculty.
- Second-year Portfolio Assessment usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. Five to seven works from the student’s concentration are assessed.
- Third-year Portfolio Assessment usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. The focus of this assessment is the evaluation of the student’s Senior Project Proposal, although additional work from the student’s third year may be assessed. Participation in the Junior Show is mandatory to pass third-year assessment.
- Senior Project Mid-Assessment usually takes place in mid-October just after Fall Break. The focus of this assessment is the evaluation of the student’s Senior Project at its mid-point.
- Senior Project Final Assessment usually takes place in mid-March prior to Spring Break. The focus of this assessment is the evaluation of the student’s completed Senior Project. Participation in the Senior Art Show is mandatory to pass Senior Assessment.
Evaluation scores explained
- A pass permits the student to progress to the next level and continue to take Art classes.
- A conditional no-pass is granted only if the assessing faculty members believe the problems with the work can be improved in the remaining weeks before the end of the semester. If a conditional no-pass is granted, the student will be reassessed. The student will be informed as to what must be improved, and a date and time for the reassessment will be set. The reassessment will take place within the remaining weeks before the end of the semester and by the original assessors.
- A no-pass stops the student from advancing to the next level in the Art programs. Only one no-pass assessment is permitted. A second no-pass results in the student losing the opportunity to major in Art. Any student receiving a no-pass in an assessment must wait one year before that student is eligible to be reassessed.
Transfer Students
In order to graduate in a minimum of two years, students must have completed the following foundations studio courses prior to admission to the university.
ART 120 - Foundations of Two-Dimensional Design
ART 130 - Drawing I
ART 131 - Life Drawing
ART 223 - Three-Dimensional Design
All other transfer students should expect to graduate in a minimum of three years.
Course Requirements
All art majors will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual and Performing Arts degree. The Civitae Core Requirements will be identical for each concentration. Department of Theatre, Art, and Graphic and Animation Design degree requirements also vary by degree as specified in the catalog.
The Art program also offers tailored programs of study for students who wish to minor in studio art or art history. Students interested in a minor in general art or art history should contact the Department Chair for advising.
To satisfy major or minor graduation requirements within the art program, students must earn a grade no less than C in all art courses. The student bears full responsibility for meeting all graduation requirements.
Additionally, as a graduation requirement, all students majoring in the Art program must participate in, and pass, five annual portfolio assessments.
Every attempt has been made to state the major and minor requirements as clearly as possible. However, it is strongly recommended that every student maintain close communication with the academic advisor assigned in order to plan their program in a fashion best suited to the student’s individual goals and needs. The faculty stands ready to assist any student in this regard.
Additional Requirements
Field trips in some lecture and studio classes may involve a nominal cost for the students. Students are required to furnish all necessary supplies and some tools. However, many items are purchased with a studio fee, which allows students to benefit from bulk purchases and also have the convenience of the materials being readily available.
Per course fees will be assessed depending on the class and the materials supplied. A list of these fees is available from the Dean’s Office and the Department of Theatre, Art, and Graphic and Animation Design office. Any student enrolled in an art class after the end of the “add period” must pay this fee. To avoid the fee, it is imperative that the student be officially withdrawn from the class prior to this deadline. This rule will be strictly enforced and no exceptions made since these funds must be spent early in the semester to insure the availability of student supplies for the classes. Students who withdraw after the deadline will have the option of obtaining their share of the purchased materials.
Visual and Performing Arts
Concentrations: Art Education (Leading to Teacher Endorsement), and Art Studio
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