The Art Department’s Senior Learning Community has three components: an RFT, taken both in the junior and senior year and geared toward the production of a mature portfolio, and the reflection it entails, and a capstone course on Contemporary Art. The capstone course will be offered every other year; students may take it either as juniors or seniors.

            The Senior Learning Community provides students with independent experience in the studio. They will benefit from the Senior Learning Community in several ways, including the development of insight into their own working process, confidence in the value of their ideas, and the opportunity to develop project-specific skills. Working as they do in small studio spaces, students will benefit from interpersonal contact with their peers. The exchanges that occur between studios are immensely valuable to the students, as are the group critiques.

AH 341: Contemporary Art. This capstone course familiarizes students with contemporary art practice, debates in art theory and criticism and the most important issues facing the artist today. We will examine the work of diverse artists in the context of larger social, political, economic and aesthetic issues. In addition, we will look at issues such as the role of the museum today, censorship and the impact of the internet on contemporary art making. The works of important contemporary critics and theorists are also explored. This course is offered every other spring semester.

AR 400: Reflective Tutorial in Art — Spring of Junior Year

AR 480: Reflective Tutorial in Art — Spring of Senior Year

The reflective tutorial culminates in the exhibition of students’ work and the production of a written thesis. The experiential component will consist of students working independently in their studios to produce a body of art for public exhibit. During weekly informal group discussions, and three formal critiques, students will reflect on their experiences in the studio and share responses to each other’s work. Required of art majors in the spring of their junior and senior year.