Art BA - Bachelor of Arts
Download as PDF
Plan Code
HEGIS Code
CIP Code
NYSED Program Code
Program Description
The Art Program is designed with a flexibility that accommodates students interested in focusing on studio art, photography, or art history. The Department's outstanding faculty of art historians and artists is committed to preparing students wishing to embark on diverse career paths including: professional artists, critics, scholars, and educators. We aim to equip all our students with the skills to excel in the professional art world in all its manifestations. We strive to offer the rigorous training and compassionate mentorship that will enable students to leave CSI as culturally literate adults, imbued with the sense of imagination, wonderment, exploration, and deep engagement that is at the heart of all artistic endeavors.
The Studio Art curriculum encourages students to objectively critique, articulate content and vision in the visual arts. Through ongoing studio discourse, Studio Art majors and minors build an awareness of the conceptual underpinnings of their visual art practice in relation to the contemporary world and to historical precedent. Students develop skills and establish proficiency in a range of media, providing the foundation to concentrate in one discipline: drawing, printmaking, painting or sculpture. For students seeking a graduate degree in Studio Art, our faculty mentor students through ongoing advisement, independent study, and portfolio preparation.
The Photography Program at The College of Staten Island is built on a long-standing academic tradition which teaches students how to use photography as both a form of artistic expression, and as a professional career path. Students work with modern photography equipment, software, and Internet applications, as well as creating artwork for galleries, museums, and beyond.
Practical courses are complimented by a solid grounding in the history of the medium, theory, and criticism. The photography studios are fully-equipped with state-of-the art computer workstations, small, and very large scale inkjet printers, professional lighting gear, backdrops, and a fully-updated and staffed traditional and experimental Black & White darkroom facility.
Students learn the entire modern system and language of image-making in both traditional analog formats and digital formats-- ranging from cutting-edge documentary work to alternative and historical processes.
The program holds formal exhibitions of student work every year, as well as our yearly visiting Artist Program, which hosts three world-class photographers every spring in a multi-week seminar format. Past visiting artists have included: Jen DeNike, Nichole Frocheur, Jen Davis, Michael Lavine, Nandita Raman, Kanako Sasaki, Rachel Barrett, Gina Levay, Justine Reyes, Pradeep Dalal, Zoe Strauss.
Program Goals
Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:
Studio Art concentration:
Develop a range of technical skills and processes in two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional media
Develop and hone their visual analysis and compositional skills
Establish proficiency in the safe use of materials and/or tools
Develop problem solving skills
Foster individual creative potential
Build an awareness of the conceptual underpinnings of visual art practice in relation to the contemporary world and to historical precedents.
Treat NYC as an extension of the classroom and endeavor to introduce our students to its rich array of cultural resources as part of their creative and professional development
Photography concentration:
Proficiency in the technical skills and processes of the discipline of photographic image-making.
Build an awareness of the conceptual underpinnings of visual art practice in relation to the contemporary art world and of historical precedents.
Develop and hone students’ visual analysis and compositional skills.
Develop and employ problem-solving skills which will enrich individual creative potential and self-knowledge as image-makers and image-consumers.
Career Professional Development Activities
Students are encouraged to complete the following milestones as part of their preparation for future careers or advanced education. A member of your Success Team can help you schedule these activities at the appropriate times to keep you on track for both academic and professional success.
Access your Handshake Account with Career Services
Draft a Cover Letter
Find a Mentor