Program Description

Mission/Vision Statement

The mission of the Fine Arts program at Indiana University Southeast is to continuously design, build, and implement high quality programs of study in the visual arts and art history that supports, integrates, and contributes to the missions of the School of Arts and Letters and the University. The program affirms and nurtures the intellectual and creative spirits of each individual while providing knowledge and structure to promote the appreciation and understanding of art and art history and of their contributions to the cultures and histories of humanity. Each student is encouraged to develop their own unique vision and critical thinking methods, and to come to a greater understanding and appreciation of the diverse responses and contributions of others. Students will explore how and why they work creatively, as well as develop appreciation for art in both a contemporary and historical context

Fine Arts Studio Learning Goals

• Students will be able to conceptualize their ideas visually.
• Students will be able to express their interests and goals as artists.
• Students will be able to analyze and evaluate their own art.
• Students will be able to describe, analyze, interpret and judge the work of other artists.
• Students will have knowledge of the vocabulary and concepts used in the study and creation of art.
• Students will develop competency in a variety of skills and media applicable to the fine arts.

Fine Arts Art History Learning Goals

• The acquisition of knowledge pertaining to history, art, and culture.
• The ability to recognize various styles and specific artworks.
• The ability to explain the contextual perspectives and contributions linked to art, architecture, and ritual of artist and their cultures or times.
• The identification of differences and commonalities between those cultures introduced in class and our own.
• An increased ability to communicate about art, history, and culture.
• A greater understanding of the critical thinking methods used in Art Historical investigation.
• The acquisition of a specialized body of knowledge as the result of preparing for and writing an individualized research paper.

Fine Arts Departmental Studio Policies

 Students are responsible for degree requirements and the Fine Arts Department polices which include:

• Portfolio Review: All Fine Arts students must have an initial portfolio review before acceptance into a studio concentration. During the portfolio review, students are formally evaluated on their artwork and professional disposition, and a decision is made regarding each student’s status for continuation in the program. A student’s status in the program may be re-evaluated at points other than this portfolio review if significant difficulties are noted in either artwork or professional disposition as defined by the program. Any student placed on probation resulting from an unsatisfactory portfolio review must satisfy a recommended sequence of courses with a 2.0 or better, and resubmit a new portfolio for review. Passage of the review is independent of all studio grades and is required to remain in the Fine Art program.

• Professional Disposition: All fine arts students will receive a “professional disposition” document that is used in the fine arts program. Fine arts students are expected to conduct themselves accordingly throughout their entire career in the IU Southeast fine arts program. At any point as a major in fine arts, your professional disposition may be re-evaluated.

• Three Semester Limit: Because the development of artistic skills are accumulative any student pursuing a B.A. degree who has not taken studio courses for three sequential semesters must submit a written request to the department coordinator to re-enter the program. They will have to validate knowledge and competencies through testing, portfolio review, or repeating courses, to be eligible for continuation in the program. Re-entry of students who have interrupted their study for any reason is not guaranteed. Students must be enrolled in their concentration or major studio area the fall semester prior to graduation in the spring.

• Art Transfer Credit Review: Transfer students with art credit from other institutions must have a transfer portfolio review in order to determine which courses from other institutions will be accepted as satisfying the Indiana University Southeast Fine Arts studio requirements. For guidelines for submitting a transfer portfolio, please contact the School of Arts and Letters Academic Advising office. All transfer students must also have a portfolio review after the completion of at least two of the IU Southeast Fine Arts 200 level studios.

• Academic Standing in Fine Arts Studio Courses:  Students must receive a grade of C or higher in all studio and art history courses. A student can repeat a course no more than two times. If the required course is not passed with a grade of C or higher a student will not be continued in the program.

All B.F.A. students must take at least one 400-level studio course in their major during the fall semester prior to their senior exhibition the following spring semester.

Fine Arts Scholarships and Awards

Outstanding Student Award - This is a non-monetary award chosen by the fine arts faculty for outstanding performance. This award is presented during the honors convocation. This award may be given to more than one student.

Martha K. Stem Scholarship - The Martha Stem Endowed Scholarship is renewable up to a maximum of four years for a studio art major. The scholarship can be used to pay tuition, books, and art supplies. The amount of the scholarship is variable. The scholarship coordinator will contact financial aid to determine the award amount for each year. The scholarship coordinator will also verify that students currently on the Stem scholarship who meet the requirements continue to receive the original amount on a yearly basis. A recipient will be chosen each year from the entering freshman class.

The application deadline will be Thursday of the last week of January. The review of the materials will take place on Friday of the last week of January.

Stem Scholarship Application Requirements

High school applicants are required to have a current overall grade point average of 3.3. The application and portfolio must consist of the following:

• A cover letter including the student's name, address, current high school, and a phone number and e-mail address where they can be easily reached.
• Two letters of recommendation. (At least one letter of recommendation must be from an art teacher).
• A brief artist statement from the student concerning their artistic and educational goals.
• An official transcript verifying the student's GPA.
• A portfolio of work completed within the last three years, consisting of digital images on a CD (Mac compatible) or the original work by the student. A minimum of ten and a maximum of fifteen works should be included. These may include but are not limited to drawing, painting, ceramics, graphic design, printmaking, sculpture, video, and digital artwork. A printed description list must be included that corresponds to the works submitted and must be labeled with a name, media, dimensions, and date the work was completed.
• One work from the portfolio should be a drawing (no smaller than 12" x 18") completed from actual observation of a still life.  Photographs should not be used as a reference in this work.

The faculty will review all qualified applicants.

Forfeiture of the award

In the event there is a recipient who is not able to meet the minimum requirements as set by the department he/she will forfeit the award. The Fine Arts faculty can determine a deserving student to pick up the remainder of that award at the level at which it was forfeited. This could be one who was in the running for the scholarship or a student in good standing who the faculty designates as deserving of such an honor. (This also includes freshman applicants who do not meet the requirements).

Internal scholarship applications

The application and portfolio must consist of the following:

• A cover letter including the student's name, address, and a phone number and e-mail address where they can be easily reached.
• A brief artist statement from the student concerning their artistic and educational goals.
• An official transcript verifying the student’s GPA.  
• A portfolio of work completed at IUS (or work accepted in a transfer portfolio) consisting of digital images on a CD (Mac compatible) or the original work by the student. A minimum of ten and a maximum of fifteen works should be included. These may include but are not limited to drawing, painting, ceramics, graphic design, printmaking, sculpture, video, and digital artwork. A printed description list must be included that corresponds to the works submitted and must be labeled with a name, media, dimensions, and date the work was completed.

The faculty will review all qualified applicants.

Kate Torp Scholarship - Fine arts majors nominated by the faculty can submit portfolios consisting of images on CDs (Mac compatible) for review.  This scholarship is awarded to a fine arts major who is at least a sophomore in status, has completed the foundations courses required for the Fine Arts major, and has maintained a minimum of a 3.3 overall GPA. Amount: variable.

The faculty will review all qualified applicants.

Rebecca Jennings Scholarship - The Rebecca Jennings scholarship is available to fine arts majors nominated by the faculty and who have maintained the minimum 3.3 overall GPA. It is awarded to a student with at least two semesters remaining before graduation. Eligible nominees will be contacted. This award is split between a BFA and a BA student. Amount: variable.

Degree Requirements

See “General Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees at IU Southeast” and “General Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree.”

Degree Program Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the B.F.A. studio major requires a portfolio review of artwork consistent with the intended major.  The major areas include painting, printmaking, ceramics, drawing, and graphic design.  Since students focus on a particula field, this degree allows for a more in-depth experience in the studio major than does the B.A.  The B.F.A. requires 131-134 credit hours.  The B.F.A. is for the student who seeks a professional degree that can lead to continued study on the graduate level or for the student who plans to make a career in Fine Arts.

Common Requirements/Core Program

All fundamental studio courses must be completed before the first semester of the sophomore year. Once students have completed all four fundamental studio courses, they can receive department permission to take upper-level Fine Arts studio courses.  The School of Arts and Letters advisor must approve any exceptions.  In those cases the pre-requisites listed below for individual 200 level studios are a minimal requirement for such exceptions.  Students must take FINA-P 273 within two semesters of FINA-S 250 or will be required to repeat FINA-P 273.

Ceramics Major Requirements

Drawing Major Requirements

Painting Major Requirements 

Printmaking Major Requirements

Electives

Graphic Design Major

Capstone

All B.F.A. studio majors must take FINA-U 400 (B.F.A. Seminar) in the fall semester before their graduation.  In addition, in spring semester before graduation all B.F.A. studio majors are required to take FINA-G 400 (B.F.A. Final Review), which includes a written thesis, a defense of that thesis in an oral presentation, and a formal exhibition of their work.  B.F.A. Seniors will also prepare a digital portfolio of their work that will be kept on file in the department.