Fine Arts

www.laguardia.edu/finearts/

The Fine Arts Program, coordinated by the Humanities Department, leads to an Associate in Science (AS) Degree. This program will offer training in studio art for students seeking careers in either the fine or applied arts. Emphasis throughout the curriculum will be placed on individual creativity, aesthetic awareness and an understanding of the visual arts in societies past and present.

The Fine Arts Program is open to students of all levels who wish to expand their technical and aesthetic knowledge in the areas of painting, drawing, sculpture, design, photography, and the history of art and film. The curriculum is structured to prepare students for immediate career objectives or for transfer to BA or BFA programs in studio art at the senior colleges of City University or other metropolitan area art schools. The Fine Arts curriculum is also designed to meet the needs of students who intend to transfer to specialized commercial art programs.

The curriculum places emphasis on drawing techniques and visual fundamentals. There are two required courses in drawing and one in design. A third drawing course may be selected as an elective. Within the curriculum, it is possible for students to select concentrations in painting, sculpture, photography or design. Two required courses in art history form an introduction to the major movements of world art. A third elective course in art history provides focus on the arts of a particular culture or period. Required areas of study in the Liberal Arts include writing, literature, mathematics, science, history and the humanities, providing indispensable cultural and practical background for the visual artist.

The program also provides important “hands-on” experience in the New York art world through cooperative education internships in professional art studios, galleries and museums.

The Design Arts Option provides the foundation coursework and experience necessary to begin a career as an Industrial Designer, Graphic Designer, Package Designer, Product Designer, Interior Designer or Fashion Designer, or to transfer to a four-year institution. Students study Design both in theory and in practice. They take rigorous courses in Design fundamentals and principles and the specialty area of Modelmaking. Modelmakers employ techniques, tools and materials used by architects and other design professionals to make 3-dimensional prototypes and mockups of everything from toasters to interior spaces. Design majors take full advantage professional Internships in the field.