Art and Art History

Alison Flannery, Center for Art and Dance 200
507-786-3248

wp.stolaf.edu/art

The Department of Art and Art History at St. Olaf approaches the study of art as an intellectual and creative endeavor. The department's curriculum provides students with the research, interpretive, and technical skills to make and study meaningful works of art and to sustain them as artists and critical thinkers throughout their lives. In keeping with the larger mission of St. Olaf, art and art history faculty strive to teach students to make connections between cultures and across academic disciplines, and to work creatively with a broad range of media and critical models. The Flaten Art Museum is integral to the curriculum with its on-going exhibition program and its permanent collection. Through the resources provided by the studio, classroom, and museum, art and art history students learn to question, investigate, and explore art in order to gain an understanding of its transformative power in the world and in their own lives.

St. Olaf's Visual Arts Education program has been discontinued. Students interested in obtaining a K-12 Visual Arts teaching license are encouraged to complete an undergraduate major in Studio Art and then apply to a graduate program that offers a Master's degree combined with teaching certification in Visual Arts.

Intended Learning Outcomes for the Studio Art Major

Intended Learning Outcomes for the Art History Major

Distinction

Information about the criteria considered in conferring distinction is available in the Department of Art and Art History.  See Academic Honors.

Study Abroad or Away

Many students arrange for part of the coursework for their major to be completed in London, Florence, Rome, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, or Minneapolis, among other locations. Internship opportunities are possible in specialized fields of study that involve students in the workaday professional art world. Both art history and studio students can take advantage of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Walker Art Center, and other Minneapolis-St. Paul art institutions. Studio majors also can gain professional experience in the Twin Cities in graphic design, illustration, architecture, and other areas.

Recommendations for Graduate or Professional Study

Studio Art

Students interested in studio-related careers or study are strongly encouraged to complete extensive coursework in the medium or discipline of their choice and to develop a strong portfolio. Also recommended is participation in special programs incorporating advanced work, such as internships or one-semester study at cooperating art schools. An Emerging Artist program offered by the Department of Art and Art History provides studio space to a limited number of exceptional art student applicants who wish to spend the year after graduation concentrating on building a strong portfolio in preparation for graduate studies.

Art History

The prospective graduate student, following the completion of ART 153 Introduction to Art History, should take a variety of 200-level courses. The student should also take a second course in a specific area of interest and language and culture courses related to that area. Those interested in the museum professions should take ART 282 Topics in Museum Studies and relevant courses taught in other programs (e.g., business and management studies, sociology/anthropology, etc.). ART 350 The Methods of Art History is taught as a seminar with student presentations and discussions patterned on typical graduate school offerings.