Art and Art History

Majors and Minors

Faculty and professional interests

Tony Gant,
co-chair
Printmaking, sculpture, design, African art history
Lynette Lombard,
co-chair
Printmaking, drawing, painting, art theory
Gregory Gilbert, Director, Program in Art History
Art history, critical theory
Michael Godsil
Photography
Mark Holmes
Sculpture, ceramics, art theory
Judy Koon
Painting
Sherry Lindquist
Art history
Elena Rakochy
Ceramics
Claire Sherman (on leave, 2009-2010)
Painting, drawing

Knox/Box Artist-in-Residence
Jenna Price

Cooperating faculty from other programs
Christie Ferguson Cirone, Journalism
Stephen Fineberg, Classics
Jon Wagner, Anthropology and Sociology

The mission of the Department of Art and Art History is to educate students in the foundational concepts of visual literacy, as well as to foster critical, historical and contextual understanding of visual culture within a global society. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of a liberal arts education, the Art and Art History curriculum stresses the vital cultural role of art. Students are encouraged to integrate the making and theoretical study of art with a broader knowledge of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. In fact, studio art and art history courses are incorporated into such diverse programs as American Studies, Asian Studies, Classics, Environmental Studies, Latin American Studies, and Journalism. Students in other majors also actively pursue elective study of studio art and art history as a means to enrich knowledge and research in their own disciplines. Majors and minors are offered in either Studio Art or Art History, but the department offers the unique opportunity for students to double major in Studio Art and Art History or combine a major in Studio Art or Art History with a minor in the complementary field. These combinations are particularly ideal for students contemplating a teaching career in the visual arts.

Majors in Studio Art initially take courses introducing them to a variety of media and creative practices, but during their junior year students choose a specialized focus on a particular medium: ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, or cross-media approach. All Studio Art majors also take the Studio Seminar, which exposes them to issues of integrating studio praxis with critical discourse. Majors then pursue advanced training in integrated media courses, and during the senior year they develop an accomplished body of work during Open Studio term, an intensive experience of working in dialogue with a creative community. Open Studio, which culminates in a senior thesis exhibit, focuses on building the practical and critical skills which will sustain artists once they have left an academic setting. Students can also pursue courses and independent study projects in applied areas of design and commercial art, such as graphic design, architecture, and photojournalism, which make use of innovative digital technologies.

The 'Box' is the Art and Art History Department's off-campus gallery. With 2000 ft. of space and 15 ft. high ceilings, the gallery is located in a refurbished industrial building in downtown Galesburg. The Box is used as an experimental and teaching gallery for large installation work and hosts an Artist-in-Residence program each year. This program provides studio and exhibit space to a working artist for the duration of a term. These artists work with advanced students and frequently assist in intermediate and advanced critiques. Resident artists produce a one-person exhibit in the Box Gallery.

The Art History program encompasses a comprehensive range of courses focusing on a variety of stylistic periods and cultures, which includes multicultural offerings in African Art, Japanese Art, and Native Arts of the Americas. As a complement to the Studio Art program, there is a strong emphasis on courses in modern and contemporary art, as well as courses in the new methodological fields of Visual Culture Studies and Critical Theory. Art History majors traditionally take introductory surveys of art history, which are followed by more advanced period surveys. These courses are dedicated to examining art and architecture in relation to such interdisciplinary issues as politics, religion, socio-economic trends, philosophy, and gender. The major's abilities in analysis and research are further developed in special topic seminars and a capstone course in Art History methodology. All students complete a senior thesis project, which involves intensive research on a focused art historical topic that is formally presented in a senior symposium.

The Department of Art and Art History is also dedicated to various mentoring structures for pre-professional development and preparation for applying to graduate programs. Studio Art majors are given assistance in applying to summer art residency programs, and workshops are offered on developing portfolios and other artworld skills. Art History majors are also advised on graduate school preparation and careers in art history, and the department offers various curatorial internships for students interested in museum or gallery careers. In 2009, a major affiliation will be established between Knox College and the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa, which will involve students in a variety of internships and museum programs.

The departmental curriculum contributes to the College's Key Competency Requirements as follows:

• Writing Key Competency - ART 221, 222, 224, 225, 226, 246, 261, and 342 serve as writing-intensive courses for majors
• Speaking Key Competency - ART 390 serves as a speaking-intensive course for Studio Art majors; ART 399A serves as a speaking-intensive course for Art History majors
• Information Literacy and Informed Use of Technology - Studio Art majors acquire technology and information literacy skills through the use of appropriate software in photography, digital art, and through the development of design skills. Studio Art majors are also required to take Art History courses through which both information literacy and appropriate use of technology are further developed. Art History courses numbered 200 and above include library research workshops, in which they are introduced to a variety of technological research tools and sources, including journal databases, online dictionaries, electronic journals, informational web sites, and digital images.

Art Course Descriptions
Requirements for the Major and Minor