Fine Arts

  What is Fine Arts?

Fine arts involves the free creation of objects, sounds and concepts whose legitimacy does not lie in their commercial or utilitarian purpose, yet whose value frequently turns out to exceed that of other human productions. Its inventions stimulate other disciplines, inform our emotional and political lives and make our cities more livable.
Fine artists provide original views and interpretations of the world and its inhabitants. By doing so, they give us an appreciation of the character and values of society and culture.

  Success Factors

People who are successful in the fine arts have visual and kinesthetic/tactile learning styles. Fine artists are creative, imaginative and visionary, and possess good hand-motor skills. They learn by doing and relish integrating various elements into a cohesive whole. Fine artists are open-minded and interrogative -- questioning everything. They have a passion for creating their art and a heightened intellectual and visual perception. Fine artists provide original views and interpretations of the world and its inhabitants, giving us a greater appreciation of the character and values of society and culture. A sense of humor often enhances their work.

  Career Possibilities

Fine artists express themselves visually using one or several different art forms. For example, they may find employment as photographers, ceramists, model builders or video animators. With the licensure option, they can teach elementary and/or secondary school art. With advanced study, they may become college teachers, art restorers, art administrators or curators for galleries, museums or exhibition centers.

  Majoring in Fine Arts

The School of Art’s bachelor of fine arts program in UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) encompasses the disciplines of drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation art, ceramics, photography, video and computer arts. Students are exposed to varied and challenging studio experiences in each of these areas, which are intended to heighten intellectual and visual perception and to furnish skills and techniques that such creative work demands. Studios are taught by artist-teachers who are active professionals in one or more visual arts disciplines. A dynamic mixture of style, craft and aesthetic viewpoints among faculty exposes students to a lively variety of ideas and attitudes about art. In this context, art students are encouraged to develop their own philosophies and approaches to art.

Fine arts students take courses in art history as well as the humanities, sciences and social sciences from other colleges in the university. A liberal arts education integrated with a serious and intensive involvement in one or more fine arts disciplines forms the basis of these highly professional courses of study.

The bachelor of fine arts degree is awarded after successful completion of the four-year program. The graduate may immediately enter the workforce as a practitioner in one of several disciplines or may elect to continue studies through graduate work leading to the master of fine arts degree.

Students interested in teaching in a public or private school may participate in an extended program that takes an additional year. Students in this program complete required course work in art education, professional education and practicum experience to meet the state of Ohio National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards for PK-12 visual-arts teacher certification and licensure.

  Minoring in Fine Arts

While there is not a minor in fine arts, students may obtain a certificate in fine arts. Please see the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning Bulletin at www.uc.edu/bulletins (http://www.uc.edu/bulletins) for further information.

  Curriculum

This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this program. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.

If you are currently confirmed or enrolled, you can check your degree requirements online (http://www.onestop.uc.edu/degree_audit.html). If you are considering transferring to this major from another school use the Course Applicability System (CAS) (https://oh.transfer.org/cas/) to see how credits you have earned will apply to this major at UC. For course descriptions by college, click here (http://www.uc.edu/courses).

Fine Arts Curriculum (http://www.uc.edu/DegreePrograms/Collage/documents/daap/uc_faa_prog_outline.pdf)

  UC Advantages and Special Opportunities

• The city of Cincinnati, once called the "Queen City of the West" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, provides an excellent array of cultural resources for students who intend to pursue a degree in the visual arts. It offers the energy and assets of a larger city, along with quiet neighborhoods steeped in rich traditions. Cincinnati offers live music venues that range from top-notch symphony and opera companies to a growing pop and rock community. Home to the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Taft Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, the city also enjoys the presence of numerous art galleries -- many run by UC fine arts alumni.
  A small city, it is large enough for a strong support system among practicing artists and provides an audience to sustain it. When students do something important in their art work, it gets noticed here. The Ohio Arts Council, city and state arts grants, Summerfair, and a number of private foundations remain healthy funding sources for practicing artists. Cincinnati is situated within driving distance of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and New York City, allowing DAAP students to take advantage of the rich cultural resources of these cities as well.
• The College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning is one of the most comprehensive and well-respected colleges of art and design in the country. Enrollment affords the opportunity to benefit from the other disciplines of the college. Courses and studios in interdisciplinary study give the opportunity to work in problem-solving teams with students from different programs. Also, visiting artists and scholars programs bring practicing professionals of national and international reputation into the classroom to supplement the regular curriculum.
• The DAAP College Library has an outstanding collection of books, periodicals and visual resources supporting architecture, planning, design, art history and related subjects. Access to library holdings is provided by an automated online catalogue, UCLID, which provides access to the University of Cincinnati Library information database, and through OhioLINK, the holdings of other academic libraries throughout Ohio.
• The Computer Graphics Center is a state-of-the-art university facility with hardware that includes PCs, Apple computers and peripherals such as scanners, plotters and digital video-editing suites. Students have access to sophisticated graphics equipment and receive hands-on instruction to augment the use of laptops in the classroom. All computing equipment is linked by high-speed Ethernet to facilitate access across the campus.
• The college supports a Rapid Prototyping Center, which is the home of state-of-the-art equipment that allows students to create communication aids for their design projects. Using CAD (computer-aided design) models, students are able to create physical models using three basic methods: 3-D printing, large format laser-cutting and CNC (computer numeric control) devices, including a Kuomo CNC Router. This facility is intended for all DAAP students to use in creating large-scale design.

  Special Programs

Computer Requirements: All undergraduate students entering the UC School of Art in the fine arts program are required to purchase a personal laptop computer. Each discipline has its own specific requirements for hardware and software. You can review the current requirements at www.daap.uc.edu/compreq (http://www.daap.uc.edu/compreq). Please note that these requirements may be slightly altered as equipment evolves. The requirements listed on the Web site will always be the most recent and accurate. Therefore, students new to DAAP are encouraged to delay their computer purchase until the summer prior to entering to make the most informed computer purchase. Many of our programs have additional technology requirements for students in the later years of study.

DAAP students learn creative and technical skills in the studio environment, taught by a passionate faculty who interact with their students on a daily basis. The goal is to guide students as they grow both intellectually and professionally. This, along with a broad liberal arts background, prepares DAAP students to practice their art and design in both local and global markets.

  Admission Requirements

Freshmen

Admission criteria for this program vary based on the relative strength of test scores, class rank and GPA. Please see the Freshman Class Profile for this major in the Quick Facts sidebar on this page for the range of academic credentials typically accepted into this program. Test scores in the lower range may be acceptable with higher class rank and/or GPA.

Freshmen applying to this program should also have completed the following college-preparatory subjects:

• 4 units of college prep English
• 3 units of college preparatory math
• 2 units of science
• 2 units in one language
• 2 units of social studies
• 1 unit of fine arts
• 2 additional college prep subjects
  

If offered admission, we recommend that fine arts applicants submit a portfolio for review. While it is not critical to the admissions decision, it is useful in determining recipients of several scholarship opportunities. The Office of Admissions will send applicants specific instructions for portfolio submission.

High school applicants to fine arts who are not accepted will be considered for admission to pre-art.

Pre-Art: The pre-art program provides an alternative means for possible entry into the fine arts program. Students do not apply directly to pre-art; they are placed in the program on the strength of their application and academic credentials.

All students offered admission into pre-art must submit a portfolio of their work for admission. The Office of Admissions will send specific instructions regarding portfolio submission with the acceptance packet. A student may be moved from the pre-art option into fine arts on the strength of his/her portfolio.

Final admission to pre-art is contingent upon a successful portfolio review. Pre-art applicants who fail to submit a portfolio will have their offer of admission rescinded.

Pre-art students take the same curriculum as students in the fine arts program. At the end of the first year, they must qualify for admission into fine arts on the basis of their academic performance, and they must successfully pass a portfolio review.

  Transferring to UC Requirements

Students seeking to transfer from another regionally accredited university or college must have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average in previous college work to be considered for admission. Applicants with prior college-level studio course work may be asked to submit a portfolio for awarding of advanced standing credit.

  Changing Majors within UC Requirements

Students seeking to transfer from other colleges and programs at UC must have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade point average in previous college work to be considered for admission. Applicants with prior college-level studio course work may be asked to submit a portfolio for awarding of advanced standing credit.

  Graduation Requirements

Students must complete a total of 199 credit hours for graduation (239 for the option with visual-arts teacher licensure). In consultation with faculty advisers, fine arts students determine their own interests and elect creative work in one of the program’s three concentrations: Concentration A, comprised of painting, drawing and printmaking, represents two-dimensional art; Concentration B, consisting of sculpture, installation art and ceramics, represents three-dimensional art; Concentration C, including photography, video and computer arts, represents an art generally dependent on light-sensitive, electronic and/or chemical processes. The plan of study within each emphasis is designed to ensure that students receive breadth in their studio experience while allowing them intense concentration in a single area.

In addition, students complete course work in art history and electives in humanities, sciences and social sciences from other colleges in the university. The curriculum is completed with a senior thesis colloquy, which emphasizes professionalism and culminates in an exhibition of the student’s work. Seniors are required to participate in the annual DAAP senior show.

Students must obtain a minimum overall grade point average of 2.0 and, in addition, must have at least a 2.0 grade point average for the senior year to be eligible for graduation. In order to be eligible for graduation with honors, a student must have completed at least 90 credits in the college and have earned at least a 3.6 grade point average.

  Application Deadlines

Prospective high school students are advised to apply as soon as possible after September 1 of their senior year for assured consideration. Enrollment in the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning is controlled, and therefore admission is selective. Admission to fine arts is on a rolling (first-come, first-served) basis; once all the available seats are filled, the program is closed.

Students seeking transfer from another college or program at UC or another regionally accredited university or college should also apply early in the academic year for admission consideration the following fall.

  Accreditation

The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

All programs in the School of Art are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

More information about UC programs as online at www.uc.edu/programs