Programs   >  Programs in the College of Art, Media, & Design  
Contacts     Description     Program Objectives     Program Requirements
 

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Contacts

Rod McCormick / rmccormick@uarts.edu / 215.717.6107
Program Director

Description

Students major in Craft + Material Studies with a concentration in one of the following areas: Ceramics, Fibers and Textile Studies, Glass, Jewelry and Metals or Wood and Furniture. Students use elective credits for deeper study within a discipline, to combine multiple Craft disciplines or to sample the many courses offered across the University. A student who pursues a B.F.A. in Craft and Material Studies will work closely with an advisor to determine the curricular path that best matches his or her artistic goals.

At the heart of the major is thinking through making. Craft students are passionate about working with their hands. By engaging with material and process they discover the ideas and concepts that underlie their art. Some students are interested in functional formats: pottery, blown glass, jewelry, wearables, furniture, etc. Others make work addressing other areas of contemporary art and design practice. Craft artists experience personal control of all aspects of making, from initial design to final finished piece.

Craft graduates are flexible and well-prepared for creative careers. Some enter the profession as independent studio artists or entrepreneurs. Others find positions as designers, work in related industries or go on to pursue advanced degrees.

Program Objectives

• Students demonstrate independent, creative problem solving and original thinking through developing a distinct and personal approach to art making informed by contemporary issues and historical precedents.
• Students will have an appreciation for the traditions of making. They will combine that appreciation with an appetite for experimentation and the ability to question tradition in the pursuit of artistic goals.
• Students will be prepared to enter the profession as artists, entrepreneurs, designers for industry and/or be prepared for further study at the graduate level.
• Students will be aware of contemporary issues in Craft as well as other art and non-art disciplines.
• Students will be able to talk and write about art (including their own work) intelligently and with considerable insight.
• Students will have established a work practice appropriate to their ideas. They will have experienced the many ways to produce art in craft media, including sample making, various design and planning strategies, working intuitively and thinking through making.
• Students will have a thorough understanding of technique and a deep familiarity with materials and process.
• Students will have experienced modes of making that range from working alone to meaningful collaboration with practitioners from other disciplines.
• Students will be familiar with the history of Craft and understand how their work relates to that history.

Program Requirements (126 credits)