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Art

Contact Us

Andrea Ferrigno

Chair & Associate Professor of Art

2 East South Street

Galesburg, IL 61401

309-341-7723

aaferrigno@​knox.edu

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A closeup of a students art work.

Studio Art Major, Minor
Design Minor

How We Work

  1. We take art seriously. At Knox, we learn how to use tools and materials—ink and paint, clay and metal—but we also learn about the history and ideas of art. Because we believe in the unique opportunities of studying art in a liberal arts setting, we make full use of what we learn to create art that draws on ideas from other disciplines—from the sciences to history, from philosophy to literature.
  2. We are a community. Day or night, you can find faculty members meeting with groups of students, talking about the ideas that their works suggest and how those ideas can be shaped further or expanded. Our Studio Workshop is unlike other undergraduate courses, with long evening sessions devoted to intensive critiques and discussions to encourage exploration of new ideas, forms, and materials. Courses like this nurture a supportive and stimulating creative community built on our common passion.
  3. We invite the world in (and we go out). We work with many visiting artists who exhibit and discuss their own work, but also participate in critiques of student work. One example is our annual artist-in-residency program, bringing a working artist from New York or Chicago to teach a special course and produce a body of work, often in collaboration with students or the community. In 2016, our resident artist produced the Galesburg Portrait Project, consisting of 300 hand-painted portraits of local residents that has become a permanent public artwork. Each spring, a distinguished guest artist juries our annual student exhibit that gives every student an opportunity to exhibit work. We're always up to something—exhibits, lectures, events—all of which are open to the college and Galesburg communities.
  4. We develop as artists. We explore and focus our interests through courses in ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, design—or less traditional media, like installation, video, or performance. To start, assignments provide the goals and structure most of us need to begin. But, little by little, we become artists who make our own creative choices and determine our own artistic paths. One way we make this happen is to give all advanced students their own studio space (in fact, our new Whitcomb Art Building has 3500 sq ft dedicated to this). Another way we promote creative independence is with courses like Studio Workshop and Open Studio—an opportunity for seniors to concentrate solely and intensively on their work during winter term, in preparation for senior shows in the spring. Art history courses are also an essential part of the studio art major, providing students with an understanding of how art relates to social and cultural change. Through art history and other courses, students sharpen their ability to write and speak about art with clarity.
  5. We become the future of art. Knox studio art majors are regularly accepted into prestigious graduate programs. Since 2010, graduates have attended Master of Fine Arts programs at Boston University, Brandeis University, The University of Chicago, Tyler School of Art, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Maryland Institute of Contemporary Art, Virginia Commonwealth University, The University of Pennsylvania, Pratt Institute, The New York Studio School, and the The University of Illinois at Chicago.

40%

Studio Art Alumni Working in Related Field

Who We Are

Our seven faculty members (many colleges our size only have three or four) are working artists and intellectuals, intensely committed to providing students with a richly challenging education—both in the classroom and informally.

The studio art major offers concentrations in ceramics, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography, as well as courses in drawing. Many students explore other alternatives, like installation, video, performance, and site-specific work.

Our design minor, paired with a major in studio art, is great preparation for graduate school and design professions. Paired with any other Knox major, a minor in design develops a set of skills (the ability to manipulate visual relationships and put together compelling presentations, websites, and print communications) that are increasingly in demand in any workplace.

Where We Learn

Whitcomb Art Building
The architecturally exciting, 30,000 square foot, LEED-certified building includes:

  • Teaching studios dedicated to painting, printmaking, design, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, and analog photography darkrooms.
  • Workshops and equipment for metal and woodworking.
  • A Mac lab with 20 workstations and the most current digital technology for design, photography, and other processes.
  • 3500 square feet of space dedicated to individual studio spaces for advanced students, or those working on independent projects.
  • A seminar room and lecture hall.

The Borzello Gallery

Located in the Ford Center for Fine Arts, our new art gallery is designed to contemporary gallery standards, with ample space for hanging art and museum grade lighting. Each year, Knox hosts a number of exhibits of professional artists, in addition to some curated by students in the art museum studies program.

The Box
The Box is the art department's off-campus gallery space, located in a refurbished industrial building in downtown Galesburg. With 15-foot ceilings and 2,000 feet of exhibit space, the Box provides opportunities for students to show their work and make large installation projects. In addition, it hosts exhibits of visiting artists and other events throughout the year.

Private Studio Space
Artists need space to generate ideas and take creative responsibility for their work. Knox is one of the few undergraduate programs where all advanced art students are given a space to call their own: a space to be an artist.

Seymour Library
Knox's Seymour Library houses an impressive collection of books on artists, art history, and critical theory. The Famulener Collection of Prints and Drawings consists of works by both modern and old masters.

Blick Art Materials
Galesburg is headquarters for one of the world's largest suppliers of art materials. A discount warehouse store only four miles from campus is as large as anything in New York or Chicago. Blick is also a generous community partner, donating materials and equipment to the program and providing financial support for student experiences.

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A student checks clay bowls as they dry in the ceramics studio.
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https://www.knox.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/art-studio

Printed on Friday, March 29, 2024