Art Education (BFA) Need portfolio to apply?
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Art Foundation?
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The Art Education department trains students as idea-based artist/instructors who view art as important meaningful work that makes a difference in the world. Faculty and students are actively involved with the art world and focus on visual culture studies, critical thinking and theory, exhibition, assessment, curriculum, and emerging digital technologies (virtual and interactive). The department emphasizes interdisciplinary connections throughout the School of the Arts and the university as a whole. Through their own research and instruction, art teacher candidates engage their students and themselves in traditional and nontraditional forms of inquiry to contribute to the continuing growth and strength of the profession. We are involved locally and globally through art-based service-learning. Locally, undergraduates engage meaningfully with young students through Carver Promise and community internship opportunities with arts organizations. Students can extend these efforts through involvement with the VCU student chapter of the National Art Education Association, which may also lead to attending or presenting at a conference. Students have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Cape Town, South Africa and/or engage in service-learning with Mayan students and teachers in Comalapa, Guatemala.
DID YOU KNOW?
ACADEMICS
and surrounding state school systems for art
The BFA degree includes courses in art education, art history, arts and design, education,
• Graduates are highly sought after by Virginia
teaching positions.
and general studies. Rather than focus on one studio area, students take courses
• The department emphasizes artist teachers
in painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography and a variety of arts and design
who teach through ideas.
electives. This breadth of experience prepares students to teach multiple mediums through innovative lessons. Teacher preparation includes two semesters of practicum courses in which students visit local schools for teaching and observation followed by a semester of clinical internship where students are paired with art teachers, one at an elementary school and one at a secondary school, to complete student teaching. This art classroom internship allows students to experience full time teaching and is concurrent with a seminar course in which students prepare a teaching portfolio, a final exhibition and prepare for their job search.
• Senior Alex Curley traveled abroad for the
first time to Doha, Qatar to participate in the international design conference, Tasmeem Doha. He learned to create circuits with LED lights using conductive thread and screen printing ink, then used these materials to make wearable electronic textiles. • Double majors and minors are welcome and
Faculty Our faculty members are dedicated and celebrated researchers, teachers, and leaders
encouraged in Art Education! About 50% of our students are double majors or have a minor.
in the field of art and art education. Their work is published in dozens of journals,
• Alumna and elementary art teacher Julie
anthologies, books, and professional national and international conference proceedings.
Crowder received a standing ovation for her presentation at TEDxRVA where she described
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
a project that exemplifies her belief that “art cannot be contained in the classroom.” See her
Graduates of the program are eligible for teacher licensure in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Graduates can apply for teaching positions across the country because of reciprocity agreements with most states. Most Art Education students enter the teaching profession and teach art in either elementary, middle or high school. Others pursue further education to work as art consultants, arts administrators, museum personnel and college instructors, and in other art-related business positions. Still others pursue graduate degrees in art education, art therapy, education and fine arts. 16
talk at: tedxrva.com • Students regularly build their professional
portfolios with internships in many locations including the Visual Art Center, Stuff Redux, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 1708 Gallery, Art on Wheels, Institute for the Arts (Fairfax County Schools), and The Smithsonian.