Design & Visual Art

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Together, all Design & Visual Art students share a core curriculum designed to build strong foundational skills and knowledge, encourage creative problem solving, and promote cultural awareness. They then bring that foundational experience to the specialized and advanced studies of their major.  Each program offers distinct opportunities to develop current in-demand critical thinking skills, gain rich experience with the tools and technologies of their discipline, and access to curricula designed to prepare students for a meaningful career in a creative field.  This includes a required internship, a senior capstone/seminar experience and the opportunity to join one of our professionally affiliated student organizations.

Mission

The mission of Maryville Design & Visual Art is to continually provide exceptional programming that prepares students for a life of engagement and achievement within the disciplines of design and art.

Goals

• Promote creative problem solving, and creative expression.
• Promote liberal arts, aesthetic understanding, historical perspective, and technical proficiency.
• Create learning environments that promote community, creative spirit, and high academic and professional standards.
• Advise students into programs which are appropriate for their aptitude, ability, and interests.
• Provide opportunities for field exposure, internships, and professional experiences for all majors within the Design & Visual Art programming.
• Create and refine exceptional programming, experiences, curricula, and infrastructure in support of the disciplines of design and the visual arts.
• Assess learning and improve teaching effectiveness in the context of design and visual arts education.
• Enrich the cultural life of the University and the community.
• Provide access to design and the visual arts curricula in support of the University’s liberal arts curriculum.
• Interact with local, national, and international professional, art history, design, and art communities.

Design & Visual Art Programmatic Outcomes

The following describe Maryville Design & Visual Art’s programmatic outcomes established by the Design & Visual Art faculty. 

Principles
Elements and Principles of Art and Design
The student shall demonstrate an ability to define and apply the foundational elements and principles of art and design. 

Technology
Technology, Techniques, Materials, Media
The student shall demonstrate an ability to apply technology, techniques, media, materials, and methods of production within their specific discipline. 

Form
Creation of Visual Form
The student shall demonstrate an ability to solve problems and express ideas/concepts through the creation of well crafted works of art and design.

Process
Process of Creating Art and Design
The student shall demonstrate an ability to apply the design/studio process of identifying problems, conducting and analyzing research, ideation, collaboration, and generation of multiple solutions.

Critique
Evaluation and Critique
The student shall demonstrate an ability to articulate and receive constructive feedback utilizing appropriate/disciplinary vocabulary and aesthetic, theoretical, and/or conceptual principles.

Creativity
Creative Expression
The student shall demonstrate an ability to develop original concepts/solutions through the process of creative thinking, creative problem solving, and/or creative expression.

Collaboration
Collaboration and Teamwork
The student shall demonstrate an ability to collaborate within teams/groups.

Connections
Art and Design Connections
The student shall describe the collaborative/interdisciplinary nature of art and design and identify their discipline’s primary roles within related systems and infrastructures.

History
Art and Design History
The student shall demonstrate knowledge of a broad range of art and design history with an emphasis on specific knowledge of the history of their discipline.

Theory
Art and Design Theory
The student shall demonstrate knowledge of and ability to apply appropriate art and design theory in the context of their discipline.

Awareness
Cultural Consciousness and Knowledge
The student shall demonstrate an ability to recognize, analyze, and articulate personal, social, historical, cultural, environmental, political, and ethical considerations in the context of their discipline.

Professionalism
Professional Readiness
The student shall demonstrate professional readiness through creative work and documented experiences such as internship/practicum, portfolio review, and exhibition.

Policies

Portfolio Review: Design & Visual Art majors must participate in the process of portfolio review at pivotal moments throughout their program. Its purpose is to allow students to interact with faculty beyond the classroom programmatically, gain experience presenting, and receive feedback concerning their progress and body of creative work. 

Transfer Credits: Of the total major credit hours required to complete any Design & Visual Art program, one half of the  credit hours must be completed at Maryville to satisfy requirements for graduation.

Minimum Grade: Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in a course required by their major.

Senior Exhibit: Graduating seniors are required to participate in a senior exhibit.

Design & Visual Art Foundational GPA Requirement: To ensure students are well suited for a Design & Visual Art program, students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 within their major’s foundational courses. Students who do not meet this requirement but have earned the minimum C- grade within those courses can petition to continue forward in their program via a formal Design & Visual Art faculty review and approval. 

Foundational Courses by Major 

B.F.A. in Graphic Design , B.F.A. in Interactive Design , & B.F.A. in Interactive Design wtih a Game Design Concentration   

B.F.A. in Digital Media     

B.F.A. in Photography & Video     

B.F.A. in Interior Design    

Admission Portfolio Guidelines

To adequately prepare for our incoming first year students, as a diagnostic tool, a portfolio of creative work is not required but suggested for admission into any of Maryville’s Design & Visual Art programs.

Visual media of any form can be submitted such as drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, fibers, photography, video, animation, fashion, sketchbooks, design work, yearbook pages or school newspapers, etc. All portfolio submissions will be evaluated for Design & Visual Art scholarship opportunities.

Guidelines

•  The portfolio should contain a variety of at least 10, but no more than 20 examples of the applicant’s best and most recent original work.
•  Creative media of any form produced as a class assignment or on one’s own initiative can be submitted for evaluation.
•  Electronic submission utilizing a free web-based portfolio platform such as https://www.behance.net/ is required. To insure quality review and a timely response, non-web based portfolio submissions such as post delivered portable or physical media, emailed digital media (PDFs or PowerPoint Slide shows) and shared files with systems such as Dropbox or Google Drive are prohibited.

Evaluation Criteria

•  Display of creative ability
•  Sensitivity to composition and basic elements of art and design
•  Ability with color
•  Focus and range of aesthetic interests
•  Perceptual skills (drawing and/or construction ability)    
•  Presentation
•  Craftsmanship
•  Technical Skills (if applicable)

Recommendations

•  Drawings from observation in any media (still life, self-portrait, figure, etc.). Works copied from photographs are accepted but discouraged.
•  Sketchbooks (can be unfinished work, ideas, inspiration)
•  Pieces that demonstrate ability to work in color such as drawings, paintings, prints, photography, or design.
•  Three-dimensional work such as ceramics, sculpture, fibers, or fashion (may be documented and submitted as digital images)
•  Photography, film, animation, or video.
•  Specialized media such as graphic design, interior design, yearbook, or websites. Note: specialized media is not required for admission or scholarship evaluation for any of our programs.
•  Work completed on one’s own initiative may be included.

Transfer Student Applicants

Transfer students seeking entrance into a Design & Visual Art program and credit for prior art and design courses are required to submit an entrance portfolio. All portfolio submissions will be evaluated for Design & Visual Art scholarship opportunities.

Guidelines

•  In addition to transcripts submitted, portfolios are utilized to evaluate transfer course equivalencies, therefore they should include representative work from courses being transferred with emphasis on major specific courses.
•  The portfolio should be curated, thoughtfully constructed, and contain a variety of at least 12 to 20 examples of the applicant’s best original work.
•  Work created professionally or on one’s own initiative may also be included.
•  Electronic submission utilizing a free web-based portfolio platform such as https://www.behance.net/ is required. To insure quality review and a timely response, non-web based portfolio submissions such as post delivered portable or physical media, emailed digital media (PDFs or PowerPoint Slide shows) and shared files with systems such as Dropbox or Google Drive are prohibited.

Recommendations

•  Include process documentation such as preliminary sketch work and briefs
•  Identify work created collaboratively and your specific contribution to the project
•  Identify work produced as class assignments with course titles 

Accreditation

All Maryville Design & Visual Art Programs are accredited by National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).  Maryville’s Interior Design program is additionally accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).​

 Go to information about Programs  

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