The Department of Art and Design emphasizes holistic creativity and prepares students to engage with the diverse society in which they will be makers. We stress hands on creative action, where materials, ideas and expressive experimentation collide, forming new possibilities that equip students as they become emerging artists and designers. We emphasize engagement with materials and media of every kind, from bronze, paint, ink and clay to design platforms, video, and darkroom photography. Students gain the technical skills and processes needed for freedom of expression in any medium, alongside learning the ideas, culture, art history and theory that make art and design complete as human, spiritual, and meaningful vocations. We thrive on this unified platform where art informs design, design informs art, and ideas and the spiritual informs the whole.
The department serves students through four degree options: for those pursuing studio art alongside their broad liberal arts education, the Bachelor of Arts major; for those pursuing the studio arts as a profession, the Bachelor of Fine Arts; for those preparing for a career helping others through artmaking and expression, the Bachelor of Arts in Art Therapy; and for those pursuing a career in design, the Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design. In addition to these majors, the department offers minors in Photojournalism, Art History, Studio Art and Graphic Design.
Additional requirements
Required Events
Given the rich resources available both on campus and in the Twin Cities, students taking classes in the department of Art and Design are required to attend Art Events each semester. The specific semester opportunities and required number of events are made available at the start of each semester and can be found on the Department's Moodle page.
Sophomore and Junior Reviews
Each spring semester, students with sophomore and junior level standing are required to participate in a review process. Students are asked to bring in their best work, focusing on the work that characterizes their specific interests and are asked to write a formal statement on their artistic process, why they selected specific pieces, and the material and visual ideas they are investigating. Completion of Junior Review is a prerequisite for ART 495 Senior Seminar.
Senior Thesis Defense, Exhibition and Public Reception
In ART 495 Senior Seminar, students are required to create a dynamic major visual project and write a thesis about their work that discusses central ideas, related bodies of scholarship, and design and/or art historical context. At the conclusion of Senior Seminar, they present both their work and written thesis to the art faculty. Work that passes the thesis defense is then prepared for exhibition in a group show. This includes arranging, installing, lighting, and preparing didactics for the show. Students also discuss their work and written thesis at the Public Reception.
Studio Equipment and Homework Requirements
- ART 202A: Drawing
- ART 204A: Clay Forms
- ART 205A: Screen Printing
- ART 206A: Sculpture
- ART 210A: Painting
- ART 211A: Printmaking
- ART 250A: Photography
- DES 105: All software is provided on campus in the Design Center computer lab. Students should plan to be on campus to complete their homework in this space or obtain a personal subscription to Adobe Creative cloud if they desire to work off campus.
ARH 222 • Survey of Art History 4 Credits
Survey of history from prehistoric painting to the contemporary period, examining major developments, artists, aesthetic concepts, stylistic practices, and use of materials. Compares the way material use and thematic ideas are addressed in different historical and geographic regions around the globe.
Offered: Spring.
ARH 236UZ • Medieval Worlds: Cultures and Beliefs in North Africa and Europe 4 Credits
On-site investigation of the artistic and historical legacy of medieval North Africa and Europe. How southern Spain's multifaceted Christians, Muslims, and Jews influenced, sometimes conflicted, and collaborated with each other. Studies the artistic, archaeological, and historical legacy of these interactions through readings, research, presentations, and creative expression.
Prerequisites: GES 130 or GES 149. Offered: January, even # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit with history.
ARH 305 • History of Design 4 Credits
Examination of the history of design from the invention of writing to interactive digital spaces. Looking at the development of aesthetics, materials, style, and function in design as it shifts in response to cultural and historical changes.
Offered: Fall.
ARH 440 • Topics in Art History 4 Credits
Art history investigation focused on a specific time period, culture, medium, or theme designed to provide students with a deep knowledge of the major features, artists, and contexts of the designated topic. Specific topics will be announced prior to registration.
Offered: Spring, odd # years. Special Notes: This course is repeatable for credit.
ART 110 • Foundations: The Elements and Principles of Art & Design 4 Credits
An exploration of material expression in two and three-dimensional form, including the elements and principles of design, diverse materials and media, color theory, experimentation, and critique. Developmental approaches to formal and expressive forms of artmaking are explored in both solo and collaborative projects.
Offered: Fall, Spring.
ART 202A • Drawing 4 Credits
Development of visual perception through observation, drawing, and a study of structural form and space relationships. Experiences in line, value, texture, basic perspective, and composition using various materials and techniques.
Offered: Fall, Spring.
ART 204A • Clay Forms 4 Credits
Explores hand building and wheel throwing techniques in the formation of archetypal ceramic forms and processes.
Offered: Fall, Spring.
ART 205A • Screen Printing 4 Credits
Screen printing as a means of creating hand-printed multi-color fine art prints. Methods include handmade and photo emulsion stenciling and studio art practice.
Offered: January.
ART 206A • Sculpture 4 Credits
Sculptural concepts, processes, and materials are used within a guided studio experience that includes an introduction to public art.
Offered: Fall, Occasionally spring. Special Notes: Specific fabrication skills are not required.
ART 210A • Painting 4 Credits
An introduction to the fundamentals of painting and personal painting practices. Students will develop subject matter as well as the ability to organize pictorial space and compositional ideas.
Offered: Fall, Spring.
ART 211A • Printmaking 4 Credits
Hand-printing processes with an emphasis on drawing and composition. Experience in such media as etching, lithography, woodcut, linocut, collagraphy, monotype and color printing.
Offered: Fall, Occasionally spring.
ART 240 • Creative Practices 4 Credits
Exploration of creative processes that moves past introductory ways of generating visual ideas to developing self-sustaining and self-directed investigation and enriching techniques for the artist.
Corequisites: Another 200-level or above ART or DES course, recommended course be taken sophomore year. Offered: Spring.
ART 250A • Photography 4 Credits
Photography as a means of aesthetic and conceptual ideas within the fine arts, rather than for family and vacation snapshots, through both digital and analog forms. Includes technical instruction in camera operation, black and white film developing, printing, and basic Adobe Photoshop. Introduction to photo history and contemporary theory.
Offered: Fall, Spring.
ART 306 • Guided Practice: Sculpture and Ceramics 4 Credits
Self-directed studio projects are pursued with particular focus on individual growth and development. Art for public spaces is more fully engaged, with students making works for specific audiences and locations.
Prerequisites: ART 204A or ART 206A. Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course is repeatable for credit.
ART 310 • Guided Practice: Painting 4 Credits
A continued exploration of painting, including various material experiments and exposure to new processes. Emphasis on the development of visual vocabulary and understanding of contemporary issues in painting. Invention and investigation are stressed.
Prerequisites: ART 210A. Offered: Spring. Special Notes: This course is repeatable for credit.
ART 312 • Guided Practice: Works on Paper 4 Credits
Advanced work in selected media with emphasis on individual research and development.
Prerequisites: ART 202A or ART 211A. Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course is repeatable for credit.
ART 336 • Guided Practice: Photography 4 Credits
Individual aesthetic and conceptual development within the photographic medium, advanced skills in digital or black and white wet photography processes, and investigation of photo history and critical theory (as it relates to photography).
Prerequisites: ART 250A. Offered: Spring. Special Notes: This course is repeatable for credit.
ART 481 • Internship in Art 1-4 Credits
Educational and practical experience in applying understanding and skill in an off-campus, professional setting. An internship can be arranged in advertising studios, agencies, printmaking studios, artists’ studios, and art museums. Supervised by an art faculty member.
Prerequisites: Five studio art courses; Major in art; Consent of department. Offered: Fall or Spring.
ART 495 • Senior Seminar 4 Credits
Development of creative independence, culminating in an individual thesis defense.
Prerequisites: ART 240; Major in the Art and Design department; Completion of Junior Review; Consent of department. Offered: Fall.
ART 498 • Professional Practices: Making Art Your Career 2-4 Credits
Prepares students to continue their own studio practice after graduation and graduate school, exhibitions, grants, and residencies. Teaches students the skills for presenting their work in a professional and compelling manner within the forms and procedures expected from the art world.
Prerequisites: Major in the Department of Art and Design, Consent of department. Offered: Spring.
ATH 200 • Introduction to Art Therapy 4 Credits
Introduces the field of art therapy through theory, history, principles, and practices. Engages these topics through reading, writing, lecture, discussion, and experiential exercises. Explores the various techniques and qualities of various art media, and how they impact the healing process.
Offered: Spring, even # years.
ATH 481 • Internship in Art Therapy 3-4 Credits
Students participate in internships in approved settings to include: museums, galleries, libraries, hospitals, clinics, and therapy centers. Students gain first-hand knowledge, experience, and skills in the practice of art therapy. Internship sites are approved professional settings and supervised by Bethel faculty and site supervisors.
Prerequisites: ATH 200. Offered: Fall, Spring.
DES 105 • Introduction to Digital Media 4 Credits
Understand the tools and concepts of digital art-making and graphic design with an emphasis on foundational proficiency in industry standard software and hardware. Utilize and combine digital tools to solve visual and technical problems as part of a growing design and studio art practice.
Offered: Fall, Spring.
DES 150 • Typography 4 Credits
Typography—the visual presentation of language—is a foundational component of graphic design. Identify and investigate basic principles and communicative potential through project-based exploration of the following topics: terminology, letterforms, readability, hierarchy, structure, visual syntax, history, and context.
Offered: Spring.
DES 212 • Graphic Design I 4 Credits
Explore the foundational visual components of design and their communicative and creative potential through visual experiments, isolated studies, and careful observation. Develop original content through a design process that includes idea generation, material experimentation, evaluation, and iteration.
Prerequisites: DES 105. Offered: Fall, Spring.
DES 312 • Graphic Design II 4 Credits
Combine and extend basic design and typography principles through a range of real-world project scenarios. Engage with clients and manage projects from initial ideation through production stages. Special attention to strategizing, problem-defining and solving, collaboration, client interaction, and production.
Prerequisites: DES 150 and DES 212. Offered: Fall.
DES 324 • Interactive Design 4 Credits
Develop and maintain a variety of interactive projects including websites, digital publishing, interactive documents, and applications. Work collaboratively to strategize solutions for complex projects that identify and respond to users’ needs. Understand and adapt to the rapid evolution of technology through research and self-teaching.
Prerequisites: DES 312 or Consent of instructor. Offered: Fall.
DES 412 • Graphic Design III 4 Credits
Engage complex open-ended design problems in a collaborative environment. Utilize research, prototyping, and user interaction to develop efficient and scalable solutions. Develop personal design approach, values, ethical convictions, and portfolio materials.
Prerequisites: DES 312 or Consent of instructor. Offered: Spring.
DES 481 • Internship in Design 1-4 Credits
Educational and practical experience in applying understanding and skill in a professional setting. An internship can be arranged in a design studio, advertising firm, non-profit organization, or other appropriate workplace. Supervised by a design faculty member.
Prerequisites: Five DES courses or Consent of instructor; Major in graphic design. Offered: Fall, Spring.