Major effective prior to 2011

Modifications Made to Curriculum: Fall 2011, Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Fall 2020

The Art Department is committed to developing in each student who chooses the Art Major the capacity for creative problem solving in making art. We ask students to progress through a series of studio projects, acknowledging a firm foundation in art history and contemporary art, and through critical thinking to achieve individual expression. We believe that contemporary expression in art requires a grounding not just in studio practice, but also in the rigorous study of various image-making traditions and cultures. We further think that it is important that students develop an understanding of the art world itself, which is best explored through the offerings of New York City.

Internships

Advanced students may take internships yielding professional job experience in studio, museum, or gallery work or in other art-related fields. Internships may be available in the surrounding area and in New York City with institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, Sotheby’s auction house, major galleries, or with corporate consultants, contemporary artists, architects, and graphic designers. Course credit for such work must be earned under the academic internship program (see course).

Advanced Placement (AP) examinations

Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on the general (studio) art examination may present the AP portfolio to the department, which evaluates it for credit and exemption on an individual basis.

Off-Campus Programs

New York Semester on Contemporary Art

New York, the center of the contemporary art world, is home to more than 100,000 artists, 1,000 galleries, and 10 major art museums. It is the vital location for the Drew Semester on Contemporary Art, directed by a Drew faculty member and offered in the fall semester. Students in this 4-8 credit program spend one to two days each week in New York visiting artists, critics, and arts professionals, and viewing art in museums and galleries, plus attending a seminar on campus. There are many opportunities for dialogue with leading figures in New York’s contemporary art world.