Sep 07, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Department of Art and Digital Media


MATT FRIEBURGHAUS, M.F.A., Chairperson

Mission:

The Department of Art and Digital Media believes a sound foundation and an exploration of the fields of digital media, studio art, and art history should be combined with a strong liberal arts education to expand the intellectual horizons of our students. The department seeks ways to broaden their intellectual development through the investigation of state-of-the-art technologies in addition to traditional forms of study and techniques. The department believes an education in the visual arts should go beyond the classroom, lab, and studio. Opportunities are provided to exhibit artwork, visit galleries and museums, obtain internships, and study abroad.

The Department’s mission is to prepare students for careers and graduate study in the fine and applied arts.

The B.S. in Digital Media is designed to allow students the opportunity to explore, in depth, the new exciting field of Digital Media under the guidance of recognized working artists, designers, and educators. It combines courses in digital media with a balanced curriculum of studio art, art history, and liberal arts courses. Students will gain broad-based training in a wide range of new media, along with an understanding of their concepts, historical background, and heritage in the traditional media.

The B.S. in Studio Art offers a balance of courses between the traditional art media areas required by the major and the liberal arts courses required by the Marist College common Core. This program will provide a concentrated and carefully structured series of courses organized to enable students to broaden their understanding, aesthetic awareness, and technical abilities in the studio arts. It will also stress the concepts and historical background that have determined the way in which traditional art media have evolved. In addition, this comprehensive program will encourage an awareness of art in relationship to other areas, provide art students with the opportunity to participate in internships, take related courses in other disciplines, and offer students an opportunity to develop their portfolios in preparation for graduate studies. The Studio Faculty is composed of full-time and visiting art professionals who are committed to creating a nurturing but challenging environment in which students can explore, experiment, and develop their own personal visions.

The B.A. in Fine Arts with a concentration in Studio Art is designed to combine a broad-based training in the visual arts with a traditional liberal arts education. After gaining a solid foundation in design, drawing, and art history, each student specializes in one of five tracks: drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, or digital media. Students also select additional studio courses to expand their knowledge of the visual arts. This curriculum is ideally suited for students who want to combine their studio major with a second one or plan a more rigorous study of the liberal arts.

The B.A. in Fine Arts with a concentration in Art History is designed to provide both a survey of western art and an in-depth study of selected periods. In addition to the required coursework, students concentrating in art history must pursue an alternative discipline, preferably in a foreign language. Study abroad is strongly encouraged and the department provides many opportunities for doing so.

All majors, whether in Studio Art, Digital Media, or Art History, are encouraged to apply for internships in their junior or senior year. The Department’s programs are augmented by trips to nearby galleries and museums in the Hudson Valley, New England, and New York City. There are also noteworthy opportunities to study abroad, particularly at our branch campus in Florence, Italy, as well as short-term programs in Italy, England, France, Spain, Iceland, Netherlands, Greece, and Japan.

Florence, Italy Branch Campus

The Department of Art and Digital Media offers courses, a certificate, five majors, and a graduate degree at the branch campus in Florence, Italy:

  • B.A. Fine Arts - Studio Art
  • B.A. Fine Arts - Art History
  • B.S. Conservation Studies/Restoration [only available in Florence]
  • B.S. Digital Media
  • B.S. Studio Art
  • B.F.A. Interior Design [only available in Florence]
  • M.A. Museum Studies [only available in Florence]
  • Certificate in Studio Art [only available in Florence]

For more information on courses and these degree programs, please consult the Marist-LdM Florence program catalog.

Minors

Minors in Studio Art, Photography, Graphic Design and Art History are also offered for those students who wish to combine their study in other disciplines with an exploration of the visual arts.

Programs