Bachelor of Fine Arts
OVERVIEW
Professional and grad school preparation with Saint Joseph’s Bachelor of Fine Arts.
The major is designed around the philosophy of fostering community through art making. In studio courses, students learn to tell stories and solve problems across traditional and new media. We encourage innovation and interdisciplinary approaches as a means of creating new forms. Students also meet through colloquia to discuss contemporary theory, best practices, and creative entrepreneurship.
At a Glance
- Students graduate with a set of competitive skills that include: creative problem solving, visual communication, engagement in analytical criticism, and sensitivity to aesthetics and presentation.
- Personalized career mentoring through advising, public exhibitions and Internship experiences.
- The Speakers, Performers, Artists, and Culture (SPArC) Lecture Series brings artists to campus and stimulates discourse in the community.
- Lakeside campus offers a tranquil yet dynamic environment for artistic endeavors.
CURRICULUM
As fine arts majors, students learn creative problem-solving skills through a curriculum featuring two- and three-dimensional design, drawing, painting, art history, critical theory, graphic design, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and printmaking.
Minors
- A minor in fine arts is available and requires students to take 20 credits of course work.
- A minor in photography is available and requires students to take 20 credits of course work.
SOME OF OUR FACULTY
BFA, University of Maine, Presque Isle
BFA, Brigham Young University, Hawaii
STUDENT STORIES
Breaking Through the Silence – Thao Kieu Infuses Art with Activism. “My work is about healing and overcoming trauma. I hope to spark a fire that ignites people to break the silence.”
As a student Nate Winter combined his artistic and business skills to create the life of an artist he was looking for … and he made his name known at Portland’s First Friday Art Walk, where he sold his raku pottery pieces to eager crowds.
Yu Ping Hu helped design the set for the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine’s production of Sleeping Beauty. Hu enjoyed service learning because, she says, “I met many different people and learned to step outside of my own box.”
CAREER MOVES
Just as an education in art is open to individual interpretation, so too is a career in art. Work for yourself as a fine artist, or work in museums, media organizations, schools, or commercial design firms.