Master of Architecture student takes Wooster research skills abroad
Pyae Thein ’19 is a Master of Architecture student at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia, where he has drawn […]
Overview
The Department of Art and Art History is a cornerstone of the liberal arts experience at Wooster. Here, studio art and art history students develop a focused understanding of the visual arts, past and present. They graduate with the ability to think imaginatively, analytically, and critically about both the art they create and the visual traditions that inform our world.
What are the Studio Art major requirements at The College of Wooster?
Students in the Studio Art program take foundational courses in art history, drawing and then choose from electives and upper-level courses in the visual arts to fulfill the required 11 courses related to the major. All students at The College of Wooster are required to complete an independent study thesis with a faculty mentor.
Studio Art at The College of Wooster
Studio Art students get individual attention from instructors who teach no more than 20 students in a course. Beyond the 11 courses a Studio Art major takes to complete a degree, upper-level students are also provided with studio space and can choose an emphasis in drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture or ceramics. The Department of Art and Art History encourages students to participate off-campus learning experiences abroad or through programs like the New York Arts Program. Graduates of the program often continue to graduate school or start careers in the visual arts. Students with an interest in studying architecture in graduate school have the option to participate in the College’s Pre-Architecture Program.
Departmental WebsiteSenior I.S. Studio Art Portfolios
Faculty & Staff
Tracy Cosgriff
Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Middle Eastern & North African Studies
Daren Kendall
Assistant Professor of Art and Art History (On Leave Spring 2025)
Marina Mangubi
Department Chair; Eugene and Charlene Derge Sussel Endowed Professorship in Art and Art History
Tracy Mathys
Administrative Coordinator - Art and Art History, Global Media and Digital Studies, Museum Studies, and CWAM
Latest Art Studio News
AMRE Team | Carbon Credits for Ohio Landowners
Carolyn Klein ’24, Environmental Studies Emma Staggs ’24, Studio Art (Economics minor) Advisors: Moses Luri, Matt Mariola The team worked with a local landowner […]
Art Instructor Amber Kempthorn premiers short, animated film accompanied by Akron Symphony Orchestra
Amber Kempthorn, adjunct faculty member of the Department of Art & Art History at The College of Wooster, will premier her four-part animation Ordinary […]
Business economics major builds artistic skillset at a Vietnamese production house
Vu Dao ’23, a business economics major at The College of Wooster, interned at an agency company in Vietnam. The APEX fellow who is […]
Major
Studio Art majors normally choose upper-level courses that lead to an emphasis in one of the following areas: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, and photography. These classes will be organized by collective experiences – slide lectures, field trips to galleries and museums, group critiques – and for personal, creative work and individualized suggestions and criticism offered by the instructor.
To complete a Studio Art major, students follow a course of study that consist of 11 courses:
- Introduction to Art History: Prehistory-Medieval or Introduction to Art History: Renaissance-Modern
- Introduction to Drawing
- Introduction to Sculpture orIntroduction to Ceramics
- One elective 100-level Studio Art course
- Intermediate Drawing
- Two elective Studio Art courses at the 200-level or above
- Gender and Modern Art or Modern Art or Art Since 1960 (choose one of the three)
- Junior Year Independent Study
- Independent Study Thesis (two semesters)
Minor
Six courses are required to fulfill the Studio Art minor requirements:
- Introduction to Drawing
- One course from the following: Introduction to Sculpture or Introduction to Ceramics
- One elective introductory (100-level) studio art course
- One course from the following: Introduction to Art History: Prehistory-Medieval, Introduction to Art History: Renaissance-Modern, Gender and Modern Art, Modern Art, or Art Since 1960
- Two elective studio art courses at the intermediate (200) or advanced (300) level
Independent Study
Senior Independent Study is the culmination of the efforts you’ve made during your college experience to think critically, work independently, and to express yourself effectively.
The Independent Study in Art Studio is a creative, individualized program that integrates techniques, artistic concepts, and critiques as a preparatory experience for the senior project. Each student engages in the creation of a body of artwork and independent research which concludes as a one-person exhibition, a written thesis, and an oral examination. The week-long, independent exhibitions are held in the MacKenzie Gallery, Ebert Hall. Work is then selected for a group exhibition in The College of Wooster Art Museum (CWAM).
Senior I.S. Studio Art PortfoliosWatch as students explore new worlds using virtual reality in the Ebert Art Center. This student-produced video by Dash Luo ‘22 shows how the audience experienced Thanh Nguyen’s ’19 senior independent research project, Untitled: Dissecting how consumerism’s recycling exploits Southeast Asian environment in a Virtual Art experience.
Search the I.S. Database
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Alumni
Studio Art graduates have the ability to think imaginatively, analytically, and critically about both the art they create and the visual traditions that inform our world. Alumni from The College of Wooster can be found in studios and at museums around the country.
Related Articles
Master of Architecture student takes Wooster research skills abroad
Pyae Thein ’19 is a Master of Architecture student at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia, where he has drawn […]
Architect draws on problem solving skills from liberal arts education
Nicholas Knodt ’10 knew that he wanted to become an architect when he was choosing a college. He decided to come to Wooster because […]
Wooster alumna publishes AI-art children’s book with a new plant-based take on classic Old MacDonald rhymes
In February, Wooster alumna Alayt Ablam ’21 and current predoctoral fellow at The Grainger College of Engineering at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, along […]
French and philosophy alumna creates virtual reality graphic memoir
Independent Study at Wooster help prepare Ainslee Alem Robson ’15 to take on a creative film project
Lab Facilities
Visual Resources provides diverse technological support for Studio Art and Art History faculty and students. The department is overseen by a visual resources and technology specialist who assists with:
- The Ebert Digital Lab technology and software
- Preparation of digital images through flatbed scanning, slide scanning, and digital photography
- Documenting artwork, image editing, digital imaging workflow, and best practices
- Preparation of instructional materials
- Photographic, video, computer, printing, and lighting equipment in the digital lab
- Access to existing slide collections
- Digital archiving and access to digital collections