Photography Design Major

Overview

The Visual Art Department at Cardinal Stritch University is committed to the ideals and objectives of a liberal arts education as they specifically apply to both the critical study and the practice of the visual arts.
Our faculty are working artists and educators who are committed to superior design. The application of these ideals is expressed in our mission statement:

The visual arts department strives to prepare students to be artists, critical thinkers and scholars. Our program will foster a desire for lifelong learning and an active visual participation in life.

We develop aesthetic "literacy" in students in order to:
Develop the ability to perceive the web of connections that link aspects of culture and cultural products, including artworks.
Encourage comparative and critical thinking and speaking about art and its function(s) within culture(s).
Develop a range of technical skills permitting the manipulation of materials into objects, which are able to express the aesthetic qualities and design concepts that the artist wishes to communicate.
Expose students to professional standards and practice of art education, studio arts, graphic design and photography.

Photography Requirements
The B.A. degree in Art requires 36 credits in art with a minimum of 6 credits in art history. Students will be required to select a minor in consultation with their departmental adviser. At the end of their second year, all students will undergo a portfolio review. At that point, they will declare their intention to continue with the B.A. degree or enter the B.F.A. track.

B.F.A. majors must complete 72 credits in art, with a minimum of 12 credits in art history.

A maximum of 18 credits can be transferred to a B.A. degree or 36 credits toward a B.F.A. at the discretion of the department upon transcript and portfolio review.

Bachelor of Fine Arts: Photography
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed to provide professional education in order to enable graduates to enter professional careers in such fields as design, painting, photography and sculpture.

Students concentrate in relevant technical and aesthetic studies, which are a major portion of the program. B.F.A. students will develop technical competence, aesthetic judgment, and a strong commitment to artistic quality.

In addition, students will engage in fundamental academic disciplines, especially in English, the humanities, social sciences, and the physical sciences.

Upon successful completion of the second year B.A. portfolio review, the student will enter the BFA track and choose to concentrate in a major media: graphic design, photography, sculpture, ceramics or drawing and painting.

Beyond the foundations level course work, the student will become familiar with advanced historical and conceptual needs of contemporaryart making.

The Art Department works to emphasize the necessity of becoming proficient in the formal aspects of the artist craft and in the conceptual arenas that the student chooses to follow. The level of craftsmanship will also increase as the students begin to grow while experimenting with their own individual concerns and expressions. The Art Department believes in the need for self expression and in the use of interdisciplinary approaches to artistic production.

Faculty

Timothy G. Abler
Assistant Professor
(414) 410-4107
tgabler@stritch.edu

Steven E. Sellars
Assistant Professor
(414) 410-4102
sesellars@stritch.edu

Teri G. Wagner
Chair
(414) 410-4103
tgwagner@stritch.edu