Art Majors

Students majoring in art or those simply wishing to broaden their understanding of the creative process, aesthetics and history of art are provided the opportunity and environment for the best possible education in the visual arts within the context of a liberal arts education. The department offers four separate majors in drawing and painting, graphic design, photography and art history.

Painting and Drawing Major

Painting and drawing majors take the majority of their course work in drawing, painting and printmaking. Additional courses in art history, design, photography and sculpture extend the scope of the major. Students acquire the technical proficiency to begin to set and define their personal directions. A central focus of the major is the study of drawing as a means to organize thoughts, feelings and images.

Graphic Design Major

The major in graphic design is a sequence of courses that teaches students the process of creative problem solving through design. By integrating concept development and artistic practice with technology, students acquire an understanding of the art of visual communication as preparation for professional employment in the field of graphic design or for graduate study. Facilities include a critique suite and a digital media classroom with Macintosh computers, flatbed and film scanners, digital projection system, color and black-and-white tabloid laser printers and industry-standard graphic-design software.

Photography Major

The photography major places an emphasis on using the medium as a tool for individual investigation and expression within a broader humanist dialogue of study. It is perceived as the direct extension of the individual in a world requiring the articulation of the visual image as a necessary part of conducting one’s personal and professional life. Photography in the context of being the parent medium of cinema, video and digital expression. Photography majors are engaged in critical thought and self-motivated practice.

Art History Major

The art history major is designed to expose students to a history of visual expression that includes different time periods, cultures and media with a special emphasis on modern and contemporary art history, criticism and theory. It also emphasizes critical thinking through discourse with works of art and artists made available to the Dominican University community through the art department and O’Connor Art Gallery and supplemented by visits to Chicago art museums and galleries.

The art history major is committed to offering students a broadly based knowledge of art history while preparing them for experiences that may include graduate school, teaching, art writing, and gallery or museum work. Other goals of the program include instilling a deepened cultural awareness, an appreciation of art’s relationship to social, political, religious and ideological contexts, and a significant understanding of the discursive nature of the field of art history.

Art Education

Students interested in art education must choose from one of the art majors listed above. Art education students must take Ceramics 260; Printmaking 270; Sculpture 206; and Painting 224. Students desiring certification for grades K through 12 must also take Instructional Strategies for Teaching Arts in Middle and Secondary Schools. Students teaching K through 12 must be in both an elementary school and secondary school for student teaching.