Visual Public Art B.A.

The Visual and Public Art major challenges and supports students as they develop enduring skills and perspectives. The curriculum combines studio work and public art processes. Theory and practice cover artistic production, exhibition, ethical interpretation, visual literacy and reciprocal community engagement. Through a rich interdisciplinary curriculum comprised of painting and drawing, sculpture and installation, integrated media and photography, museum studies and art history, our students graduate prepared to embrace a 21st century global art world.

To learn more about the major, visit the Visual & Public Art website.

Required Courses

Special Requirements

AA-T certified students can earn a Visual & Public Art B.A. by completing the special requirements in the following programs:

• Requirements for Students AA-T Certified in Art History
• Requirements for Students AA-T Certified in Studio Art

If you are unsure about your transfer status, please talk to a VPA faculty advisor as soon as possible.

All other VPA majors, see below.

Standard Requirements

Complete ALL of the following courses:

• VPA 300: VPA Major ProSeminar
• VPA 302: VPA Visiting Artist Series (to be taken twice)
• VPA 309: Materials and Methods
• VPA 310: Mixed Media OR VPA 303: Beginning Sculpture
• VPA 313: Regional Art History
• VPA 320S: Museum Studies OR VPA 306S: Digital Public Art
• VPA 405: Senior Capstone (to be taken twice in the senior year)

Complete ONE of the following courses:

• VPA 305: Media Culture
• VPA 307: Diverse History of Contemporary Art
• VPA 308: Ways Of Seeing

Following completion of the VPA Core Curriculum, students select an additional 26 units of VPA coursework at either the upper- or lower-division level in order to complete the major coursework.

Learning Outcomes

MLO 1: Historical and philosophical analysis

Including the ability to research, define, analyze and critically formulate positions on issues in visual and public art from contemporary, historical, ethical and sociopolitical perspectives.

MLO 2: Individual and aesthetic exploration

Including the ability to investigate and develop their own individual aesthetics within a critical and reflective framework of personal experiences and perspectives in the context of their work.

MLO 3: Community issues analysis

Including the ability to define and investigate cross-cultural and community issues, problem solve and respond with community-sensitive work.

MLO 4: Organizational and collaborative skills

Including the ability to use collaborative strategies to plan and achieve interdisciplinary arts projects.

MLO 5: Production skills

Including the ability to develop production skills to produce and present public and individual artworks, projects or exhibitions.

MLO 6: Critical and evaluative skills

Including the ability to use critical and evaluative skills to revise work in response to community/audience relevancy, personal expression and social accountability.

MLO 7: Distribution Skills

Including the ability to present and distribute artwork in multiple contexts to engage diverse audiences.

Course Pathways

These pathways are examples of how you might complete all the requirements for your degree in an order that makes sense. Your own unique situation and a number of other factors may mean your actual pathway is different. Perhaps you'll need an extra math or language class, or one of the courses we've listed isn't offered in a particular semester. No Problem. There is flexibility built into the curriculum. You'll want to work closely with an advisor and use the academic advisement report to take all that into account and develop a pathway that's customized for you.

In the meantime, use this example as a starting point for choosing classes or discussing your plans with an advisor. Your advisor is your best resource when it comes to figuring out how to fit all the courses you need, in the right sequence, into your personal academic plan.

General Freshman Pathway

Fall Freshman

* This FYS class is just an example. The FYS class you choose might meet a different GE area, so you would have to adjust your actual pathway accordingly.

Spring Freshman

Fall Sophomore

Spring Sophomore

Fall Junior

Spring Junior

Fall Senior

Spring Senior

General Transfer Pathway

Fall Junior

Spring Junior

Fall Senior

Spring Senior

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