Studio Art

In the Studio Art emphasis within Marshall University’s Visual Art, B.F.A., students begin their college career with hands-on 2D, 3D, and 4D Foundations courses that build skills, teach design fundamentals, the creative process, explore creative interests, and foster the development of an individual creative voice. Working closely with an academic advisor and faculty mentor, each student builds a curriculum around their interests and goals, a self-directed approach that mirrors the reality of contemporary art practice. Whether your work lives in paint, clay, fiber, film, or pixels, this emphasis gives you the space to follow your instincts and develop a personal artistic vision.

Studio critiques are central to the experience. Through honest, rigorous dialogue with peers and faculty, students strengthen both their technical skills and their conceptual thinking. Experimentation is encouraged. Cross-disciplinary work is celebrated. You are not expected to pick a lane and stay in it. You are expected to grow, take risks and push your practice into new territory.

The program covers an extraordinary range of media: animation, ceramics, 2D and 4D digital art, drawing, fibers, new media, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. Upper-division studio courses give you the freedom to explore your chosen media direction through hands-on work in an intensive studio art environment complimented by coursework in art history and professional practice ensuring that you graduate with the critical vocabulary and career-readiness to thrive beyond campus.

At Marshall, you create inside a community of working artists. Our faculty bring active studio and professional practices to the classroom, and our facilities support the full range of media the program offers. The Studio Design emphasis is for students who want their degree to reflect who they are as artists.