BFA Fine Art

As a major in Fine Art, you have the freedom to work independently across multiple studio disciplines and media while benefiting from close mentoring relationships with a talented faculty and enjoying the encouragement and feedback of your peers. The program emphasizes creative problem solving and technical facility within a close-knit community that values a broad range of ideas, experiences,and perspectives. As a multidisciplinary program that encourages students to explore different art-making approaches while gaining an awareness of the discourses of contemporary art, the Fine Art curriculum allows for a wide range of elective choices. You can sample from many different studio areas or pursue a concentration in one. The Fine Art concentrations include Ceramics, Digital Media, Painting and Drawing, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Even within a concentration you have the flexibility to define your own path.

List of Fine Art Concentrations

Model curricula for FA Major Concentrations and BA Studio Concentrations

Model curricula for FA Major Concentrations and BA Studio Concentrations

Model curricula for FA Major Concentrations and BA Studio Concentrations

Notes:

1. Additional courses within concentration areas may be substituted for those listed with permission of your advisor.

2. For purposes of the Digital Media concentration, DM and PH courses may be counted as FA departmental electives.

sample curriculum*

YEAR 1 COURSES

Art History I & II
Writing I & II
Visual Concepts
Drawing
Resources
Process & Generation

YEARS 2, 3, and 4 STUDIO COURSES

Fine Art Core
Introduction to Sculpture
Introduction to Printmaking
Fine Art Seminar
Senior Thesis

YEARS 2, 3, and 4 ACADEMIC COURSES

Modern Art
Humanities I & II
Contemporary Culture

TOTAL: 120 credits

Sample Elective Courses

Communication Design
Optical Culture/Light Studies
Wood, Tools & Fabrication
Digital Art I & II
Sculpture NOW
Psychology of Facebook
Ceramic Studio
Digital Photo

*Courses subject to change

Students may also elect to pursue a combined five-year BFA/MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) degree, a program which prepares you to work as an art educator in secondary schools, museums, and community art center.

Sample Courses

Painting One: Basics for Fine Arts—This course introduces historical and contemporary approaches to painting. Students will experiment with a variety of materials and surfaces appropriate for painting in watercolor, acrylic, and oil, with the goal of building a broad visual language of exploration, discovery, and self expression.

Wood, Tools & Fabrication—This practical skill-building course will examine the variety of ways that wood is used in an art practice both in sculpture and as a building material useful in a broad range of practical applications.

Time Based Media— This course will expose students to a broad range of works: from conventional film and video, to video installation, performance documentation, generative and interactive works. Students will get hands-on experience with a variety of commercial and open source tools, as they create and present projects throughout the semester.

Screenprinting for Photographers—New screenprint techniques and applications will be explored as a means of transforming and interpreting photo imagery, with an emphasis on process and 3-D approaches.

Ceramics Studio — In this course, students explore methods of clay construction relating to sculptural form and the aesthetic concerns of the sculptural object. Both traditional hand-building methods and a variety of experimental forming techniques are introduced to challenge and inspire notions of ceramic sculpture.

Introduction to Printmaking for BFA—This survey of printmaking media is designed for the Fine Art major, to be taken in the sophomore year. The course is divided into three five-week sections and introduces the students to the processes of lithography, screenprinting, and intaglio printmaking.

Professional Practices for Fine Artists—Artists will develop a resume and artist statement, research and write grants, practice applying for residencies, and participate in information gathering sessions with art spaces. Learn to maximize opportunities and available resources to create a post-school plan to succeed as an artist.

Gain Experience in the Real World

From assisting curators and exhibit designers in world-class museums to helping guide tours through exceptional galleries, Corcoran credited internships give you a boost in your career by adding invaluable experience to your resume. Corcoran students have completed internships at many other organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution, The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Kathleen Ewing Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum.

Fine Art Faculty

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