New in Fall 2009!

The Corcoran College of Art + Design is proud to announce the introduction of a new Bachelor of Arts degree program in Art Studies. The new BA program will complement the studio-focused Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, strengthening the Corcoran’s training of the artists and arts professionals of the future. Students can choose from three concentrations: Theory and Studio Practice, Contemporary Art and Museum Culture, and Writing. Designed to prepare students for a variety of careers in the arts, the program offers in-depth exposure to the visual arts, humanities, art history, studio practice, and museum studies. Through this 120-credit undergraduate degree students will develop their knowledge of contemporary art, new media, the history of art, creative and analytical writing, museum practices, and critical theory, and will hone the skills needed to excel professionally in today’s creative economy.

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Concentrations

Contemporary Art and Museum Culture

This concentration gives students an essential head start on understanding the environment of today’s art world. Within the context of Corcoran Gallery of Art—one of the nation’s premier art museums for visual arts—students examine trends and issues facing the contemporary arts while benefiting from the presence of the many curators, artists, and art critics in the nation’s capital. Approximately one-quarter of the program’s courses involve hands-on studio practice in a variety of mediums, from painting and sculpture to video, performance, and digital media design.

Theory and Studio Practice

This program lets students combine intensive studio work with advanced studies in critical issues, art history, and art theory. Drawing from the College’s established courses in a wide variety of visual-art disciplines, students create their own studio practice program and meld it with an academic schedule. This concentration is designed to put students at the forefront of thinking and analyzing today’s art world. About one-third of the coursework occurs in the studio, but the program aims to bridge the traditional divide between artistic production and its reception.

Writing in the Arts

This program puts students at the center of today’s lively interaction between artists and writers. The curriculum is designed for students whose talents lie as much with the written word as with the purely visual, whether they aim to become critics, poets, screenwriters, bloggers, or simply artists whose work investigates language. Students will work with faculty to develop their written voices. One-fourth of the coursework takes place in the studio, where students can select classes that reflect their existing interests or experiment with new visual forms that complement their writing. A sequence of Writing Studios, which feature individual feedback and small-group readings, will help students build professional confidence and their own personalized brand of expression.

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For more information on these exciting new programs as well as all our other distinguished programs and courses, please contact the admissions department at (202) 639-1814 or admissions@corcoran.org