Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Studio Art/ Art History

Mona Lisa by: Leonardo Da Vinci
 Art is the creative expression of the human imagination. Art covers areas from music to theatre and writing. For our purposes today, we will focus on studio art/fine art and art history. 

Studio Art- Studio art ties together two main pieces: visual communication and aesthetic expression. This may include but not limited to drawing, painting, photography, video, digital media, pottery, sculpting, etc. 

Art History -This may sound quite silly but art history studies the history of art from prehistoric times to current modern art (You probably already gathered that much from the title). However, it does not just a focus on the piece of work at hand, but also things that may have influenced it such as the following: culture, economics, politics, religion, and technology.

Studying studio art or art history as a major will not only help students strengthen their artistic creativity, but also develop written communication, critical thinking and visual analysis skills. Studio art courses tend to focus more so on the creation and techniques of art along with a specialty area.  Art history courses usually will involve an array of cultural courses in relation to art. Art is hardly just a western world talent. 

 
Transferable skills:
With an art major students will gain great transferable skills in communication and expression, work ethic, flexibility, and visual analysis amongst other skills.

Careers for Art majors:
Art history majors can find employment in art museums and galleries (education, administration, curatorial, registrar, sales, publications, development, public relations, exhibit design and preparation, archivist, travel guides), art sales (art and antique galleries, auction houses), education (K-12, university and college teaching), arts administration, publishing houses, historical societies, historic preservation, art conservation, library science, visual resource curatorship, art therapy, antiquarian book trade, artist representative, insurance claim adjusting, law (concerning copyright and art ownership) and landscape architecture. For non-teaching career alternatives in art history visit this web site: www.nd.edu/~crosenbe/jobs.html. 

Starry Night by:Vincent Van Gogh
The studio art program is intended for students who are considering careers as professional artists, or in one of the many fields with ties to the arts. Studio art majors can find employment in commercial and graphic arts, advertising, illustration, computer design, photographic studios, and galleries. Many career fields, however, require additional degrees or certificates in art history, museum practice, art education, library science, historic preservation, art conservation, arts administration, fine arts, etc.
For further information please check out the below links:

 Lastly, here are some helpful tips for art majors:
- Volunteer, find an internship or study under a faculty member who has a side area still in art
- Foreign languages are very helpful and sometimes required at some universities (fluency in another language gives you more flexibility of where you can work)
- Really study art history- from paintings and origins, to artists and companies. (know your stuff)
- Join student organizations that can help manifest your skills
-Decide if this is an area of future career interest or if art is just a hobby (this field takes dedication!)
-A bachelors degree can get you entry level jobs, but advanced course work gives you better opportunities
-Consider the idea of relocation if you want to live closer to areas with larger markets for art

Have a great one and see you next Tuesday!

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