Program: Art and Art History: Art - Swarthmore College

Art Faculty & Staff

Faculty

RANDALL EXON, Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot Professor of Art Assistant Professor of Art History¹
TOPHER GENT, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
LOGAN GRIDER, Associate Professor of Art, Chair of Art
JODY JOYNER, Assistant Professor of Art
RON TARVER, Associate Professor of Art¹
DANI LEVINE, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art²
DAVE WALSH, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art³
JOHN WOODIN, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art³

¹On leave Fall 2022-Spring 2023

²Spring 2023

³Fall 2022 and Spring 2023

Staff

STACY BOMENTO, Visual Resources Curator
CAREN BRENMAN, Administrative Coordinator
ANDREA PACKARD, List Gallery Director
TESS WEI, List Gallery Exhibitions Manager and Assistant Curator

Art Academic Program

For more information about the Art program visit: https://www.swarthmore.edu/art

Major, Honors, and Honors Minor in Art for the Class of 2023

Requirement for Admission to the Art Major

Completion of at least one course in art history and two courses in art at Swarthmore with grades of B or better.

Requirements for Completion of the Major

All art majors are required to take 10 courses (seven credits of art and three credits of art history) to fulfill major requirements. Five art credits in a chosen medium will form an art concentration. In addition to the five studio credits in one concentration (architectural studies, painting, ceramics, photography, or sculpture), which includes the Senior Capstone, students must also complete two additional studio courses outside their area of concentration. Of the three credits of art history, two must be survey courses and the third must be an upper-level art history course. Here are how the credits are divided:

Five courses in one art concentration (including Senior Capstone)
Two elective art courses
Two art history survey courses
One upper-level art history course

Further information on the requirements:

Four credits in an art concentration must be completed before entry into the Senior Capstone.
Up to two credits abroad can count toward the major.
Art majors are required to mount a selection of their thesis work in a group exhibition in the List Gallery. The group exhibitions will be curated in collaboration with studio faculty and the List Gallery director. The exhibitions are scheduled during the end of spring semester each year.
Honors art majors are required to mount a solo exhibition in the List Gallery, and in addition to giving an artist’s talk, all honors art majors must complete a 3,750- to 5,000-word artist essay, framing their work, influence, and process for readers.
There is no course minor in art, only an honors minor.
CR/NC designations cannot be accepted for courses inside the major (with two exceptions: first-semester CR/NC policy and Spring 2020 CR/NC courses)

Art Majors and the 20-Course Rule

It is a College requirement that 20 of the 32 credits required for graduation must be outside the major. This means that students can take no more than 12 courses in the major unless they graduate with more than 32 credits, in which case the surplus can also be in the major. For art majors, the required three credits in art history count within the major, but additional credits in art history count outside the major.

Off-Campus Study

The Art Department strongly encourages those with an interest in art and its history to consider incorporating study abroad - either during a summer or a regular academic term - into their Swarthmore program. Important examples of art and architecture are scattered throughout the world, and the encounter with works still embedded in their original context is vital to an understanding of their historical and contemporary significance. Past experience has shown, however, that art courses in most foreign study programs fall considerably below the academic standards of comparable courses at Swarthmore. Students who are interested in bettering their chances of gaining a full Swarthmore credit for a course taken in a foreign program are advised to meet with their advisor and the chair of the Art Department before leaving the campus. Up to two credits abroad can count toward the major. Please note: To receive transfer credits in art history, you must have taken at least one art history course at Swarthmore (normally before going abroad).

Academic Program Requirements for the Honors Art Major and Minor for the Class of 2023

Requirements for admission to honors do not differ from those for admission to the course major. Students will be expected to maintain an average of B or better in all courses in art. The honors art major is an 11-credit major with the additional credit (to the course major) added from the required two-credit art history seminar. ALL PREPARATIONS FOR HONORS MUST BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY THE DEPARTMENT.

MAJOR

· An honors major in art will present two preparations in art and one preparation in art history. The preparation in art history must be a two-credit seminar.

· Each of the two art preparations will consist of two paired art courses. The examiner of each preparation will receive the syllabus for both courses and images representing the body of work produced in them, and will examine the student in an individual oral of 30 minutes.

· Each pair of art courses can consist of an intermediate and an advanced course in a specific medium, OR two courses with a different approach to the same medium, OR two related courses.

· Art courses taken at an institution outside Swarthmore cannot count toward an honors studio preparation.

· Only courses taught by regularly teaching faculty in art can be applied toward a preparation. Courses taught by regularly returning adjuncts might be applied pending department approval.

· Honors preparations approved in the sophomore year must be adhered to. Any later changes to your program must be approved by the department.

· The prerequisite for any art history seminar is two previous credits in art history.

· Honors candidates in art must fulfill the course major requirements.

· Honors study in art consists of a culminating exhibition of the student’s studio work, with an accompanying artist essay of 3,750 to 5,000 words. Some of this work may figure in the selections of work presented for one or both of the course pairs described above, but the rationale for inclusion in the exhibition will differ. The artist essay will be sent to both examiners of studio preparations. A revision of a paper written previously for the art history preparation will be sent to the art history examiner.

MINOR

An honors minor in art will present to the honors examiners one studio preparation, which must be a combination of the Senior Capstone and another related course.
An honors minor in art must fulfill the requirements for the course major in art.
During the spring semester of senior year, an honors minor will write a 2,500-word artist essay to be sent to the examiner, along with the relevant syllabi and slides for the two-credit preparation.

Major, Honors, and Honors Minor in Art for the Class of 2024 and beyond

Requirement for Admission to the Art Major

Completion of at least two courses in art at Swarthmore with grades of B or better.

Requirements for Completion of the Major

All art majors are required to take 10 courses (nine credits of art courses and one credit of art history) to fulfill major requirements. Five art credits in a chosen medium will form an art concentration. Of these five courses, one will be the Senior Capstone. The areas of concentration are painting, 3D design, ceramics, photography, and sculpture. In addition, art majors will be required to take the two-credit course ARTT 101: Contemporary Art Practice Seminar. Additionally, students must complete two elective studio courses outside their area of concentration. The one required art history credit should relate to the chosen area of concentration in the art major. Students are encouraged to take more art history courses in their time at Swarthmore. These courses would count outside the art major.

Art Major Credits:

Five courses in one art concentration (including the Senior Capstone)
Two elective art courses
One art history course related to the area of concentration
ARTT 101: Contemporary Art Practice (double-credit seminar, offered beginning Fall 2023)

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Four credits in an art concentration must be completed before entry into the Senior Capstone.
ARTT 101: Contemporary Art Practice must be completed before entry into the Senior Capstone.
As part of ARTT 101, art majors will write a significant research paper on a topic related to their own interests and work.
Up to two credits abroad can count toward the major.
Art majors are required to mount a selection of their thesis work in a group exhibition in the List Gallery. The exhibitions will be curated in collaboration with art faculty and the List Gallery director. The exhibitions are scheduled during the end of spring semester each year.
Honors art majors are required to mount a solo exhibition in the List Gallery, and in addition to giving an artist’s talk, all honors art majors must complete a 3,750- to 5,000-word artist essay, framing their work, influence, and process for readers.
There is no course minor in art, only an honors minor.
CR/NC designations cannot be accepted for courses inside the major

Art Majors and the 20-Course Rule

It is a College requirement that 20 of the 32 credits required for graduation must be outside the major. This means that students can take no more than 12 courses in the major unless they graduate with more than 32 credits, in which case the surplus can also be in the major. For art majors, the required one credit in art history counts within the major, but additional credits in art history count outside the major.

Off-Campus Study

The Art Department strongly encourages those with an interest in art and its history to consider incorporating study abroad - either during a summer or a regular academic term - into their Swarthmore program. Important examples of art and architecture are scattered throughout the world, and the encounter with works still embedded in their original context is vital to an understanding of their historical and contemporary significance. Students who are interested in bettering their chances of gaining a full Swarthmore credit for a course taken in a foreign program are advised to meet with their advisor and the chair of the Art Department before leaving the campus. Up to two credits abroad can count toward the major.

Academic Program Requirements for the Honors Art Major and Minor for the Class of 2024 and beyond

Requirements for admission to honors do not differ from those for admission to the course major. Students will be expected to maintain an average of B or better in all courses in art. The honors art major and minor both require 10 credits to fulfill. ALL PREPARATIONS FOR HONORS MUST BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY THE ART PROGRAM.