{"id":85,"date":"2026-06-11T10:28:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/?page_id=85"},"modified":"2026-07-08T23:19:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T03:19:13","slug":"curriculum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/academics\/visual-arts-ba\/curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-visual-arts-b-a\">Visual Arts, B.A.<\/h1>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><nav class=\"is-responsive wp-block-navigation is-layout-flex wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"Menu\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-context='{\"overlayOpenedBy\":{\"click\":false,\"hover\":false,\"focus\":false},\"type\":\"overlay\",\"roleAttribute\":\"\",\"ariaLabel\":\"Menu\"}'><button aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Open menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-open\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.openMenuOnClick\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M4 7.5h16v1.5H4z\"><\/path><path d=\"M4 15h16v1.5H4z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"menu-title\">Menu<\/span><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container\" id=\"modal-1\" data-wp-class--has-modal-open=\"state.isMenuOpen\" data-wp-class--is-menu-open=\"state.isMenuOpen\" data-wp-watch=\"callbacks.initMenu\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\" data-wp-on--focusout=\"actions.handleMenuFocusout\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-close\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-dialog\" data-wp-bind--aria-modal=\"state.ariaModal\" data-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.ariaLabel\" data-wp-bind--role=\"state.roleAttribute\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button aria-label=\"Close menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-close\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.closeMenuOnClick\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"m13.06 12 6.47-6.47-1.06-1.06L12 10.94 5.53 4.47 4.47 5.53 10.94 12l-6.47 6.47 1.06 1.06L12 13.06l6.47 6.47 1.06-1.06L13.06 12Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-content\" data-wp-watch=\"callbacks.focusFirstElement\" id=\"modal-1-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__container is-responsive wp-block-navigation\"><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/academics\/visual-arts-ba\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Overview<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/academics\/visual-arts-ba\/curriculum\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Curriculum<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/academics\/visual-arts-ba\/capstone\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Capstone<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\" wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/academics\/visual-arts-ba\/careers\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Careers<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-curriculum\">Curriculum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns sidebar is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:45rem\">\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\">The Visual Arts major is structured to take you from foundational skills to independent creative practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll complete 12 courses in total, building technical range early and focusing your vision over time. The curriculum is designed to be genuinely flexible \u2014 allowing you to pursue the combination of studio practice, interactive media, and interdisciplinary work that fits your interests and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-requirements\">Requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Requirements include one ARTS foundation course, six ARTS electives, one professional development course, and the Visual and Performing Arts capstone. ARTS electives may be selected from visual arts offerings, with the option to include up to three interactive media courses; one interdisciplinary course may also count toward the ARTS electives. The major culminates in a cohort-based Visual and Performing Arts capstone experience that brings together students from six majors, with projects completed individually or in collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-foundation\">Foundation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll begin by choosing one foundation course in a core discipline: 2D design, drawing, photographic media, or sculpture. This is your entry point into the visual language of the program \u2014 the skills and habits of attention that everything else builds on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-studio-electives\">Studio electives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Six elective courses allow you to develop breadth and depth across the program&#8217;s full range of media: drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and graphic design. Up to three of these electives can be drawn from Interactive Media \u2014 courses in game art, animation, motion graphics, UI\/UX design, digital 3D modeling, and more \u2014 making it possible to build a genuinely hybrid practice without pursuing a separate major. One elective can come from an approved interdisciplinary course in screen studies, theater, creative writing, entrepreneurship, computing, or another field. A formal request process is available for courses not already on the approved list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-professional-development\">Professional Development<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One course is dedicated to professional practice. Options include Portfolio Development, Gallery Culture and Practice, Contemporary Directions, Studio Topics, and Internship. These courses connect your studio work to the realities of a creative career \u2014 how work is presented, contextualized, and sustained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-visual-and-performing-arts-requirements\">Visual and Performing Arts Requirements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>All Visual Arts majors take one 100-level course in another V&amp;PA discipline \u2014 screen studies, theater, music, media culture and the arts, or art history \u2014 and two art history courses, one of which must be ARTH 101: Ways of Seeing. This breadth requirement connects your studio practice to the critical and historical frameworks that give it context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-group boxout has-light-yellow-background-color has-background is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12dd3699 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-capstone\">Capstone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Every Visual Arts major completes VAPA 290: Visual and Performing Arts Capstone in the fall of their senior year. It&#8217;s a pivotal experience \u2014 and one of the things that distinguishes a Clark arts education.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Curriculum The Visual Arts major is structured to take you from foundational skills to independent creative practice. You&#8217;ll complete 12 courses in total, building technical range early and focusing your vision over time. The curriculum is designed to be genuinely flexible \u2014 allowing you to pursue the combination of studio practice, interactive media, and interdisciplinary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":71,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-no-title","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-85","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Curriculum | Department of Visual and Performing Arts | Clark University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/visual-and-performing-arts\/academics\/visual-arts-ba\/curriculum\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Curriculum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Curriculum The Visual Arts major is structured to take you from foundational skills to independent creative practice. You&#8217;ll complete 12 courses in total, building technical range early and focusing your vision over time. 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