Our program provides unique opportunities for students to develop their creative and practical skills while exploring the theory, practice and history of art. In small class settings, our students customize their study of the visual arts through concentrations in ceramics, graphic design, illustration, interactive media arts, painting and photography.
Our Program
Our students receive intensive individual attention, instruction and guidance from dedicated and talented professionals whose studio practice informs their teaching. We encourage students to pursue double or even triple concentrations, providing them with the flexibility and versatility sought by employers in the shifting sands of today’s job market.
Outside of the classroom, our students participate in internships that provide them with practical experience and prepare them to work professionally in the field.
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design for more than 30 years, our program provides excellent preparation for graduate work as well as careers in classrooms, design studios, galleries and museums.
Students applying for the studio art major are required to submit a portfolio of 1-5 pieces through their student status page. For help with your student status page, contact admissions@salve.edu.
Program Spotlight: New Challenges
As a product designer and merchandiser for the home decor company Annie Selke, Elise Jones '11 develops bedding, rugs, home decor, wallpaper, accessories, sleepwear and apparel for the company's family of brands while also merchandising the products into seasonal collections. Daily tasks revolve around surface or textile design, such as engineering artwork for vendors to use in creating products. Other responsibilities involve research and ideation for new collections and products, overseeing brand identity design and specialty packaging, and tackling new product design projects.
In my daily design work, I constantly draw from lessons I was taught at Salve in various art classes. Although graphic design is often thought of as a predominantly digital field, the off-screen, hands-on fine arts classes allowed me to hone a hand craft that has enhanced my work overall.
Our Faculty
We are a dedicated group of professional artists, scholars, designers and teachers who bring the same passion and vigor we hold for our own work into the classroom. We are committed to helping our students discover their individual strengths and go to great lengths to help them realize their goals.
Life After Salve
A liberal arts-based degree in studio art provides a strong foundation for numerous career paths. While some graduates have become studio artists, regularly showing their work in reputable galleries and museums, others have gone on to successful careers in advertising, marketing and management, museum work and highly visible film and television enterprises such as MTV and PBS.
Our graduates have worked in nonprofits and public service, with the Peace Corps in Ghana, and as art therapists and teachers. Others have pursued advanced degrees or certificates in the arts and related fields.
Many alumni have double-majored or minored in business, marketing, psychology, English, cultural and historic preservation.
Program Spotlight: Site-Specific Installations
Each spring, site-specific art installations designed by studio art majors as part of their Advanced Studio Concepts course appear throughout campus. The goal of the project is to create a piece on campus that transforms the public’s experience of the chosen site. Some works have a political or environmental message, while others are created purely for aesthetic appreciation.
The students are always excited to have the opportunity to respond to the inspiring natural and architectural environment here at Salve. The students engage in extensive exploration of materials, as well as concept development through interdisciplinary research with professors outside the art department. It is a great opportunity to share the art majors’ hard work with the larger Salve community.
Susannah Strong, assistant professor
Major in Studio Art (B.A.)
18 courses | 50 credits
Required courses:
- ART074: Woodshop Safety and Tools or ART202: Sculptural Concepts
- ART091: Freshman Art Seminar
- ART100: Creativity and Technology
- ART131: Drawing I
- ART132: Drawing II
- ART200: Drawing III
- ART208: History of World Art I: Prehistoric to 1400
- ART209: History of World Art II: 1400 to Today
- ART300: Advanced Studio Concepts
- ART354: Art Theory and Criticism
- ART400: Portfolio
- ART446: Professional Practices Capstone
Students also choose two electives in art history and complete a four-course concentration in ceramics, graphic design, illustration, interactive media arts, painting or photography.
Majors participate in a comprehensive portfolio review during the spring semester of their first year and are required to participate in the senior exhibition during the spring semester of their final year.
Students who qualify may choose to produce a senior honors thesis in the gallery. Students enrolled in ART445: Senior Honors Thesis must also participate in the regular senior exhibition held in the gallery.
Minor in Studio Art
7 courses | 21 credits
Required courses:
- ART131: Drawing I
- ART202: Sculptural Concepts or ART231: Ceramics I: Clay, Culture and Creativity
- ART208: History of World Art I: Prehistoric to 1400 or ART209: History of World Art II: 1400 to Today
Students also take four elective courses in studio art, chosen in consultation with the department chair.