Art and Art History Department

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The Art and Art History Department offers majors in studio art and art history. Within either of these majors, a student can concentrate in arts administration. Majors in studio art may also concentrate in secondary education with certification in studio art. The department also offers a minor in studio art and a minor in art history. The study of the visual arts at Goucher encourages students to develop creative talents and aesthetic sensitivity, to examine the historical emergence of art theory and practice, and requires them to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of aesthetic traditions and conventions, including contemporary criticism, in assessing the merit and value of artwork.
2. Acquire critical thinking skills and the ability to articulate concepts and present arguments.
3. Analyze the methodologies used in art-historical interpretation, theories, and arguments.
4. Expand knowledge of the chronology, concepts, and vocabulary of art from pre-history to the present.
5. Examine the role of the visual arts in light of social, political, religious, racial, economic, and aesthetic issues.
6. Demonstrate skills in personal discipline (studio habits, ability to focus, ability to work independently) as effectively applied to problem-solving.
7. Demonstrate intellectual rigor in research and the ability to conduct serious inquiry, with an eye towards continued development after graduation.
8. Acquire and demonstrate technical and craftsmanship skills across a wide range of media.
9. Acquire and demonstrate practical knowledge in maintaining a well-functioning studio and care of tools and equipment.

The Meyerhoff Arts Center, located in the heart of the campus, houses the department’s offices, the studios for design, drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography; and its seminar and lecture rooms. The Digital Imaging studios are housed in the Athenaeum.

Goucher combines the professional faculty and facilities of a larger school with the personal attention paid to each student’s artistic and scholarly development only possible at a smaller college. The majors in studio art or art history prepare the student for a professional career in the visual arts or for graduate study. Courses in studio art emphasize independent thought and experimentation in transforming materials to communicate emotions and ideas.

Courses in art history explore form, content, and meaning in art of the past and the present, with emphasis on historical and social contexts. To accommodate individual interests and career plans, students and their advisers may also design individualized majors that unite studies in art with course work in other fields. The Art and Art History Department offers a variety of opportunities for personal and intellectual growth. Independent projects and research can be arranged under the direction of departmental faculty.

The Goucher Fine and Performing Arts Scholarship is a four-year award granted to an accepted applicant on the basis of artistic and academic excellence. It is renewed yearly on the basis of continued academic excellence and ongoing citizenship in the arts. The Eleanor Spencer Award is granted to fund outstanding research projects requiring travel to complete, and can be awarded for a proposal in either art history or studio art. Rosenberg Scholarships are awarded to students with sophomore standing who have declared as art majors. Candidates are judged on the quality of their work, citizenship in the department, and academic excellence. Internships for college credit are possible through established relationships with area museums, arts organizations, artists, galleries, and design studios, as well as through professional relationships researched by the student. These provide students with hands-on experience and help them establish professional contacts. Certain courses are open to Goucher students at a consortium of institutions including the Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Towson University. Exhibitions mounted in the college’s Silber Gallery are part of the department’s academic program, and visiting artists exhibiting there are invited to speak to our students in critiques, gallery talks, and slide lectures. Art majors are encouraged to apply for exhibition slots in the Corrin student gallery. In addition to Goucher’s art collection of original art objects, books, photographs, and slides, students have easy access to the many libraries, museums, and art galleries in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. The department sponsors field trips to these and other cities along the East Coast and hosts a diverse roster of noted visiting artists, art historians, and art critics.

Department Faculty

Professors

Stuart Abarbanel (painting, drawing, and two-dimensional design), Gail Husch, (art history), Edward Worteck (photography and media studies)

Associate Professor

Allyn Massey (sculpture, installation, mixed media); April Oettinger, chair (art history)

Assistant Professor

Laura Burns (photography), Richard Delaney (digital media), Matthew McConville (painting, drawing, and two-dimensional design), Pamela Thompson (two-dimensional design)

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