ART AND DESIGN
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The Dordt Difference A visit to the Dordt College campus reveals the importance we place on art, its creation, and the cultivation of God’s gifts to his people. Art can affect the way we live, and it contributes to a richer, fuller life. Our faculty members will encourage you to create art as a response of praise to God and as a way to serve people around you. Art and design is the sixth largest program at Dordt and, as you walk around campus, you’ll quickly see how art visually enriches our campus community. Our three galleries are always full of work in a wide range of media and styles by students and visiting artists. Nearly 400 works of art and sculpture by local, regional, and international artists fill hallways, reception areas, public spaces, office pods, and outdoor areas. Dordt’s core curriculum, which gives you a broad education, will also give you a context from which to understand the world as you work in fine art, graphic design, education, or architecture. It will take you beyond being a technician to becoming a visual communicator.
FACILITIES • More than 11,000 square feet of studio space, including large painting, sculpture, and ceramic studios with skylights. We also have a printmaking studio, darkrooms, four ceramic kilns, seven vent hoods, and display galleries featuring student work from current courses and rotating displays of exceptional work from past students. • A cross-platform Mac and PC digital media lab for graphic design and motion graphics animation, giving an opportunity to learn both computer environments. Computer workstations are equipped with the latest Adobe software for graphic design, website design, illustration, and photography, including After Effects animation software, the industry standard for motion graphics and animation for video production. • A multimedia lab with image scanners that digitize and import photographs and artwork into graphic layouts. You can draw, manipulate photos, and generate images within layout programs to create an infinite variety of images and combine hand-drawn art and logos with typography and color manipulation.
THE PROGRAM The graphic design emphasis will prepare you for a career in art’s biggest growth areas—web design and motion graphics. Several students have produced awardwinning projects in professional competitions at at area, state, and Midwest region levels. In the fine art studio emphasis you’ll explore design, drawing, sculpture, painting, ceramics, printmaking, photography, and graphic design. If teaching and art are your passions, an education emphasis will prepare you for a career as an art teacher. You can combine art courses with education courses to gain teaching certification for either elementary or secondary education. For more information, request the education information sheet. The art history emphasis allows you to dive deeper into art history. The multimedia background it offers will open up a world of ideas and techniques that will help form your ideas about “good” or “Christian” art, and it will give you a better understanding of the aesthetic and cultural dimensions of life. Our innovative pre-architecture program prepares students for a master of architecture program and a career as a licensed architect. Complete a B.A. degree from Dordt in art to prepare you for graduate-level accredited architecture programs. A separate pre-architecture information sheet is available on request.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Our alumni are busy as designers, publishers, printers, teachers, and studio artists. You can also combine art with other majors. A background in art and psychology could lead to a career in art therapy, art and journalism to art advocacy, art and business or communication to marketing or art director positions. Whatever your focus, our program will train you for life-long service in graphic design or fine art. You will learn the technical skills you need to be a competent participant in the art world, and through your general education courses and interaction with professors, you will be prepared to live richly in all of life.
HANDS-ON OPPORTUNITIES Art majors find internships at local companies and production firms as well as through the Chicago Semester Program. It is not unusual for companies to hire students following an internship. As a graphic design student, you will design projects for clients, including such things as t-shirt designs, logos and signage, event posters, and brochures. In advanced graphics classes you’ll work with off-campus vendors and customers and learn to write copy that works with the design. You’ll assist with production pieces printed on campus in the wellequipped college copy center and gain critical understanding of the computer output printing process. You’ll also have an opportunity to become a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) through our Dordt College Student Group. Logos designed by Dordt students have been selected for use by several nonprofit organizations, including Siouxland Blood Bank, Royale Meadows Health Center, Central Minnesota Christian schools, and IAPCHE (International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education). You can build a portfolio and gain practical experience during your college years by working with the college newspaper, yearbook, or art journals, or by pursuing other freelance opportunities. You can also get involved in local art activities on campus and off, painting murals, contributing to art shows and sales, and teaching art classes for area youth.
THE FACULTY Matt Drissell, M.F.A., The New York Academy of Art. Figurative drawing, painting, and art education in middle school, high school, and college Matt.Drissell@dordt.edu Sara Alsum-Wassenaar, M.F.A., University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign. New Media (includes Time Arts and Image Practice), ceramics, sculpture, and art education Sara.Alsum-Wassenaar@dordt.edu David Versluis, M.F.A., Western Michigan University. Graphic design, with 15 years of college teaching experience and 15 years as principal of a professional graphic design service in Grand Rapids, Michigan David.Versluis@dordt.edu
July 2015