Art Studio Minor

Catalog Year 2025-2026

Art Studio offers a foundation of knowledge and skills in the arts and allows for broad choice of study areas and/or more intensive study of one medium. Students take courses in ceramics, drawing, installation, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

Program Requirements

Core

Students learn to take projects through the full creative process, from inception to design construction, presentation, revision, and critique. The Studio Foundations course includes attending visiting artists and exhibitions to connect art students with local, national, and international artists and designers. Studio, gallery, and museum visits complement the program. Art 104 is a Prerequisite for Portfolio Review.

Prerequisites:
none

Unrestricted Electives

Choose 12 Credit(s). Select Art Studio courses in consultation with an art advisor.

This course explores foundational concepts of graphic design and the current technology used within the industry, including Adobe Creative Cloud products. Students will use industry-standard software to examine essential digital media concepts like color gamut, image resolution, and vector vs. raster imagery. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to use these essential tools and their potential as creative instruments.

Prerequisites:
none

This course will expand students' understanding of drawing's critical components, including line, value, and composition. Traditional and experimental approaches will be explored. Students will become familiar with the work of a diverse array of contemporary artists working within the discipline of drawing.

Prerequisites:
none

This course will focus on drawing the figure. A variety of materials and approaches will be explored, from traditional to experimental. Students will gain familiarity with the work of a diverse array of contemporary figurative artists.

Prerequisites:
none

This course explores the fundamental aesthetic components and processes used by graphic designers to turn ideas into compelling visual communication, including generating ideas, exploring the elements and principles of form, and implementing compositional principles within structural harmonies.

Prerequisites:
ART 202

Material Exploration in Mixed Media is a problem-solving art studio experience implementing the use of a variety of traditional and non-traditional art materials into two and three-dimensional projects.

Prerequisites:
none
Goal Areas:
GE-06

This introductory painting course will introduce students to basic techniques in oil and/or acrylic. Technical and conceptual development will be emphasized. Students will become familiar with a diverse array of artists working within the discipline of painting.

Prerequisites:
none

This course will focus on the basic materials and techniques of watercolor and other wet media while exploring traditional and experimental approaches. Students will become familiar with a diverse array of artists utilizing watercolor and wet media as part of their practice.

Prerequisites:
none

An introduction to basic wheel throwing techniques exploring the potential of clay as a creative and expressive material.

Prerequisites:
none

An introduction to basic sculptural hand building techniques exploring the nature of clay as a creative-expressive medium.

Prerequisites:
none

From pop artists of the 1950s like Andy Warhol to contemporary printmakers today, the silkscreen medium is known for its ability to build up bright color intensely and quickly. The silkscreen medium has concrete links to drawing, graphic design, and photography. In this course, students will be introduced to silkscreen & photographic printmaking processes. No previous experience needed.

Prerequisites:
none

This introductory course focuses on traditional techniques of carving & printing wood / linoleum relief blocks as well as a range of intaglio printmaking processes. Whether using gouges to carve imagery into wood, or using an etchant to bite lines into copper, these mediums have an intimate relationship to natural materials. These drawing-based processes are tied to the earliest technologies of disseminating information. Their graphic aesthetics remain rich and relevant today. No previous experience is needed for this course.

Prerequisites:
none

Introduction to the techniques and expressive potential of photography as an art form. Topics include basic camera controls, lighting, composition, editing, fine art printing, and historical and contemporary examples of art photography. A digital camera with manual controls of aperture and shutter speed is required for most of the semester.

Prerequisites:
none
Goal Areas:
GE-06

Exploration of the visual and physical organization of three-dimensional form and space through problems employing various media and processes.

Prerequisites:
none

Students will learn how to create dimensional works that relate to specific architectural environments. A variety of material and conceptual approaches will be explored with an emphasis on non-traditional materials and non-technical processes. Previous sculpture experience is not necessary. Students will become aware of a diverse array of artists working within the field of installation.

Prerequisites:
none

Lecture/discussion/studio course on a selected area of discourse relating to the study of Art History, Art Criticism, Art Education or Art Studio. May focus on a specific artists, style period, cultural group or technical or methodological problem.

Prerequisites:
none

Introduction to product design as it relates to user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design from a visual communication design perspective. Applicable visual prototypes will encompass various situations that may range from icon wayfinding systems to mobile app designs. The course will explore issues of differing philosophical perspectives of technology as a tool, a medium, and/or an environment.

Prerequisites:
ART 202

This course engages students in the study of the dynamic role of letterforms in contemporary graphic design. Through an in-depth examination of letterform evolution, mastery of the discipline's terminology, and by scrutinizing the dynamic relationship between type and image, students will be able to adeptly utilize type in both technical and aesthetic scenarios. Emphasis is placed on fusing tradition with innovation, providing students with valuable insights into the evolving typographic landscape within contemporary graphic design.

Prerequisites:
ART 202

This course will focus on developing students' personal voices in drawing while integrating a range of experimental processes and approaches. Formal and conceptual issues will be addressed. Students will become familiar with a diverse array of contemporary artists. Course may be repeated.

Prerequisites:
ART 210

This course explores visual identity and graphic systems as it relates to graphic design. Through a combination of theory and professional practice, students will explore the art of creating meaningful and visually engaging identities and systems.

Prerequisites:
ART 220, ART 302, and ART 304

Students will explore the significance of research, planning, and a rigorous creative process as foundational elements to enhance creativity. The curriculum also emphasizes techniques for generating distinctive images and illustrations and their use in graphic design.

Prerequisites:
ART 220, ART 302, and ART 304

This course will help students develop a more personal approach to painting. Connections between formal and conceptual strategies will be emphasized. Students will become familiar with a diverse array of artists working within the landscape of contemporary painting. Course may be repeated.

Prerequisites:
ART 240 or consent

This course will build on the fundamental skills learned in ART 250 and/or ART 251 while expanding students' understanding of ceramics processes, including hand-building, and wheel-throwing. Traditional and experimental approaches will be explored. ART 350 must be taken twice before advancing to ART 450.

Prerequisites:
ART 250 or ART 251

Students will expand their knowledge of printmaking processes while broadening their conceptual ideas. Course curriculum varies each semester, and students regularly learn new techniques for the first time. The range of project processes may include any of the following approaches: relief, silkscreen, lithography, intaglio, letterpress, cyanotype, monoprinting, 3-dimensional prints, public print projects, combined media processes, photographic processes, inkjet printing, and collaborative projects.

Prerequisites:
ART 270 or ART 271

This is an intermediate course focusing exclusively on materials, technique, processes, equipment, and safety in contemporary digital printmaking processes.

Prerequisites:
ART 202, ART 271

This intermediate course builds on basic photography knowledge. Topics covered include 35mm film cameras, medium and large format film cameras, film development, film scanning, as well as digital editing, manipulation, and fine art digital print and darkroom print output. Additionally, we will discuss lighting, composition, creative problem solving, and creating a cohesive series. ART 275: Introduction to Photography recommended as a prerequisite, or proficiency with manual controls of cameras (aperture and shutter speed). In rotation with ART 377.

Prerequisites:
none

This intermediate course builds on basic knowledge learned in ART 275. Topics covered include digital camera operations, digital editing, manipulation and altering of images using Adobe Photoshop, and fine art printing. Additionally, we will discuss lighting, composition, creative problem solving, and creating a cohesive series. In rotation with ART 375. A digital SLR camera or mirrorless camera is required.

Prerequisites:
ART 275

Introduction to the techniques and expressive potential of digital video as an art medium. We will cover capturing video, editing using current software applications, and final output and display of video work. Topics include camera settings and movements, stop-motion animation, and experimental music videos. We will build formal and conceptual skills to explore the possibilities of digital video as art, and discuss historical and contemporary examples of video in the art world. Access to a digital SLR or mirrorless camera with video/movie capabilities is required.

Prerequisites:
none

Intermediate level sculpture studio course that encourages students to expand individual three-dimensional forms in search of a personal aesthetic statement.

Prerequisites:
ART 280

This course will focus on an expansion of skills related to installation art while helping students address personal interests and integrate conceptual approaches. Students will learn how to create dimensional works that relate to specific architectural environments. A variety of material and conceptual approaches will be explored with an emphasis on non-traditional materials and non-technical processes. Previous sculpture experience is not necessary. Students will become aware of a diverse array of artists working within the field of installation. Course may be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites:
ART 285 or consent

This course will focus on developing students' personal voices in drawing while integrating a range of experimental processes and approaches. Students will become familiar with a diverse array of contemporary artists. Course may be repeated.

Prerequisites:
ART 310

This course will expand on skills learned in Painting: Contemporary Approaches I while helping students develop a personal voice. Students will gain an understanding of the issues relevant to contemporary painting dialogue and discourse while becoming familiar with a diverse array of contemporary artists working within the discipline. Course may be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites:
ART 340

The course focuses on developing students' voices in ceramics while integrating a range of experimental processes and approaches. Formal and conceptual issues are addressed. The course may be repeated.

Prerequisites:
ART 350

In this course, students will expand their intermediate printmaking knowledge while developing technical and intellectual skills. Students will complete self-directed projects with instructor guidance and supervision, push the boundaries of the media through contemporary processes and concepts, and gain an awareness of contemporary applications surrounding the media of printmaking. Course may be repeated.

Prerequisites:
ART 370

Expanding technical knowledge and visual awareness while building a portfolio in selected areas. May be repeated.

Prerequisites:
none

An advanced sculpture studio level course where students will continue to develop personal aesthetic expression in three dimensions.

Prerequisites:
ART 380

This course will focus on a continued expansion of skills related to installation art while helping students address personal interests and integrate conceptual approaches. Students will learn how to create dimensional works that relate to specific architectural environments. A variety of material and conceptual approaches will be explored with an emphasis on non-traditional materials and non-technical processes. Previous sculpture experience is not necessary. Students will become aware of a diverse array of artists working within the field of installation. Course may be repeated.

Prerequisites:
ART 385 or consent

Lecture/discussion/studio course on a selected area of discourse relating to the study of Art History, Art Criticism, Art Education or Art Studio. May focus on a specific artist, style period, cultural group or technical or methodological problem.

Prerequisites:
none

Degree
Minor

Total Credits
16

Locations
Mankato

Career Cluster
Arts, Audio