The Oberlin College Art Department: Valuable Information

Oberlin College Department of Art: Information and Programs

The Department of Art faculty consists of six artists and six art historians. These numbers underscore the Department's interest in, and commitment to, a balanced study of the visual arts in a liberal arts curriculum. The Allen Memorial Art Museum is an important resource for art students. Courses routinely meet there and students have the opportunity to participate in the Museum's Docent program. Introductory courses --whether in studio or art history-- presuppose that the student has no prior experience in art. The three majors offered--art history, studio, and visual arts--are designed to offer individuals a solid preparation for graduate school or a career in art-related fields.

Click here for detailed information on the majors offered by the OC Department of Art.

Advanced Placement: The Department of Art grants 3 credits in Art History for a score of 5 on the AP test in Art History, However, the Department offers no major credit and no exemption from major requirements for AP work in Art History.

Honors Program. Admission to the Honors Program is at the discretion of the Department. Projects generally begin in one of two ways; an instructor may approach a student in his or her junior year and indicate a willingness to work with that student towards Honors. Alternatively, before Spring Break of their junior year, students may broach the topic with their academic advisor, following which they may then approach a specific instructor whose interests coincide with the student's. If the instructor agrees, the student collaborates with the instructor to develop a project proposal. This proposal must be submitted to the Art Department faculty by the instructor who will sponsor the Honors project in advance of the end of spring semester of the junior year. Final credit will depend upon effective presentation of the results of such studies. Studio Art majors admitted to Senior Studio and Thesis are regarded as taking Honors in studio art.

In Studio Art, the utmost flexibility and maximum independence is stressed in the programs of students invited to do Honors work.

In Art History, Honors students are required to take ARTS 401: Research Methods and Resource/Visual Art.

GLCA Arts Program in New York. The program consists of a semester of work, normally in the junior year, combining an internship in an artist's studio, or one of a variety of other art- connected organizations and agencies, with a seminar in the arts of the city and an independent study. Successful completion earns 15 hours of credit towards graduation; these credits carmot count as major credit towards any of the departmental majors.

Architecture. Oberlin students wishing to study architecture, urban planning, or historic preservation during their junior year may apply to the Urban Center in Philadelphia or to the Syracuse Program in Florence, which has a specialization in architectural design. Students have also studied in the Copenhagen Program, a design-intensive program in architecture. For information or applications, see the architecture advisor in the Art Department

Transfer of Credit/Major Credit for Off-Campus Study. The Art Department's preliminary approval must be obtained before beginning work away from Oberlin if this work is to be counted as credit for the major. Students must receive tentative prior approval from the Chairperson of the Art Department before leaving campus. On return, students must supply both an official transcript and evidence of the nature of the work done. Such requests, as well as those of transfer students, will be handled on an individual basis. The Department is not obliged to give credit for work that fails to fit the general patterns of the Oberlin curriculum or that fails to come up to Oberlin's standards, no matter how valuable a student feels the experience has been, or how much time and effort has been expended.

Art History: No more than twelve credits may be transferred to an Art History major, unless the courses were taken in an Oberlin-affiliated program. Students should also submit transcripts, syllabi, class notes, term papers, and examinations in order to obtain final approval for major or minor credit.

Studio Art: No more than 6 credits may be transferred to a Studio Art major. Students should submit transcripts and Syllabi to their advisors to obtain major credit for work completed at other accredited institutions.

Visual Arts: No more than 6 credits of studio art may transfer toward this major.

Winter Term. Various Winter Term projects, including off-campus projects such as gallery or museum internships or studio assistantships with artists, and on-campus ones such as supervised individual or group research projects, are typically sponsored by members of the Art Department.

Preparation for Further Professional Study. Students interested in preparing for graduate studies in Studio Art, Architecture, Museum Studies, and Art Conservation should consider the following programs of study:

1. Studio Art. It is suggested that studio art majors who wish to prepare for graduate study leading to the MFA degree take as many studio courses as allowed and it is strongly recommended that they apply for Senior Studio and Thesis. Many of the candidates competing for the limited number of placements in graduate schools will have received the BFA (studio) degree (not offered at Oberlin) and have earned a substantially higher number of studio credits than those required for the studio major at Oberlin.

2. Museum Studies. Students wishing to pursue a museum career are advised to consult with the curatorial staff of the Allen Memorial Art Museum at their earliest convenience. There are both research and teaching opportunities as curatorial interns and docents available to interested and qualified students. Either an Art History or a Visual Arts major would provide suitable pre-graduate school preparation for this field. Knowledge of a relevant foreign language (French, German, Chinese, Japanese) is essential for museum curatorial work and helpful preparation for other areas of the museum profession, such as administration or education.

3. Conservation of Art. It is suggested that students who wish to prepare for graduate study in Art Conservation fulfill the requirements for the BA with a major in either Art History, Visual Arts, or Studio Art. Most schools of conservation require between 18 to 21 hours of art history, between 8 and 15 hours of studio, and a portfolio. Additionally, most schools require: a reading knowledge of German, French or Italian, two classes in organic chemistry with labs, and an additional one or two science courses with labs. The following may also be useful: Physical Chemistry 309; GEOL 201 Mineralogy, PHYS 103-104 or PHYS 110, 111. For further information, consult with Mr. Inglis.

5. Classical Archeology. Students interested in classical archeology as a profession should note the availability of a concentration in classical archeology within the Archeological Studies Major. For further information, consult Ms. Kane in the Art Department.

Click here for detailed information on the majors offered by the OC Department of Art.

Art Department Major Information