Program Coordinator: Professor Simon Carr, scarr@bmcc.cuny.edu
The Department of Music and Art offers the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree program in Art Foundations – Studio Art. The Art Foundations program seeks to educate students in the fundamentals of studio practice and art historical scholarship. Progressing through a broad and rigorous curriculum that encompasses the basics of fine and applied arts and art history, students will be better prepared to enter a variety of majors in a four-year college and pursue occupations in the arts.
Explore Careers
BMCC is committed to students’ long-term success and will help you explore professional opportunities. Undecided? No problem. The college offers Career Coach for salary and employment information, job postings and a self-discovery assessment to help students find their academic and career paths. Visit Career Express to make an appointment with an advisor, search for jobs or sign-up for professional development activities with the Center for Career Development. Students can also visit the Office of Internships and Experiential Learning to gain real world experience in preparation for a four-year degree and beyond. These opportunities are available to help BMCC students build a foundation for future success.
Transfer Options
BMCC has active articulation agreements for graduates with the A.A. in Art History and the A.S. in Studio Art with Queens College–CUNY. These agreements allow students to make a seamless transition to four year colleges, assured that the courses they have taken at BMCC will count towards their major.
These suggested careers may require bachelor's or higher degrees.
Make an appointment at the Academic Advisement and Transfer Center.
Required Common Core
| English Composition | 6 |
| Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| Life and Physical Sciences | 3 |
| TOTAL REQUIRED COMMON CORE | 12 |
Flexible Core
| Creative Expression | 6 |
| Individual and Society | 3 |
| Scientific World | 3 |
| U.S. Experience in Its Diversity | 3 |
| World Cultures and Global Issues | 3 |
| TOTAL FLEXIBLE COMMON CORE | 18 |
| TOTAL COMMON CORE | 30 |
Curriculum Requirements
- This course will introduce digital art image making, editing and design techniques as a foundation upon which an effective visual language is built. Beginning with an investigation of the elements and principles of digital design, students will discover a broad range of visual ideas, concepts and techniques to use in creating images. Expressing, evaluating and communicating ideas with visual images is a primary focus of this course. During the semester, students will use imaging and design software consistent with that in use by artists and other visual professions as a beginning step towards professional-standard computer proficiency.
- Using a global approach, this introduction to art history includes the study of painting, sculpture, architecture and other media by surveying the Renaissance through the start of the twentieth century. The exploration of techniques, media, composition, and figure representation will provide an understanding of key concepts in the arts with additional focus on the historical and social context, which developed the meaning and changing styles in different cultures as well as the effects of cultural exchange through the arts.
- This course provides an introduction to basic color theory and to fundamental elements and principles of two-dimensional design. Through studio exercises, students explore concepts of color theory and develop skills working with traditional drawing, painting and mixed media. Through design projects, students apply learned skills, work with principles of design, and engage in creative problem solving relating theory to practice.
- This introductory course covers a range of basic approaches to drawing and addresses the development of manual skills in freehand drawing, drawing of objects from nature and idea-oriented approaches to drawing. This course will satisfy drawing requirements for transfer within the CUNY system, as well as professional art schools.
Studio Art Program Electives
Choose 6 credits from 1 of the following 5 areas of study
Digital Imaging
- This course will use digital imaging principles as an essential part of photographic editing. Fundamental digital imaging skills will include input, editing, archiving and output as part of the creative process. A range of approaches to producing, processing and printing digital images will be explored as they relate to current practices.
Prerequisites: ART 101 or Permission of the Department - This course covers two topics essential for students who intend on pursuing careers in graphic design: prepress production and portfolio design. Students will learn the art and science of preparing and optimizing graphic files for print on commercial offset lithography printers as well as on personal inkjet printers. This course will also guide students through the creation of a cohesive design portfolio, showcasing their creative and technical skills.
Prerequisite: [ART 101 and ART 203] or departmental permission
Drawing
- This course introduces students to a basic study of representing the human body. Students work from nude models using a variety of techniques and media while investigating the basics of skeletal and muscular anatomy. This course will satisfy drawing requirements for transfer within the CUNY system, as well as professional art schools. Prerequisite: ART 161 or ART166
- This course, a continuation of ART 166, emphasizes formal drawing concerns, such as design, composition, and the introduction of a variety of new media. Advanced projects include still-life, landscape, perspective, portraiture and rendering the human figure. This course will satisfy drawing requirements for transfer within the CUNY system, as well as professional art schools. Prerequisite: ART 161, ART 166 or permission of the department
Painting
- This three credit course is designed to have the beginning student explore painting techniques, with an introduction to the use of various media. Strong emphasis is placed on formal concerns (figure and objects). This course will satisfy painting requirements for transfer within the CUNY system as well as professional art schools.
- This course continues the development of technical, analytical, and perceptual skills and enhances the advancement of an individual approach to painting. The course will satisfy studio requirements for transfer within the CUNY system as well as professional art schools. Prerequisite: ART 171 or ART 174
Photography
- This course offers students an introduction to the art of creating photographs. Basic technical, theoretical, and aesthetic aspects inherent to contemporary photography are presented. During the semester, a range of camera techniques, including exporsure, depth of field, shutter speed and composition are investigated. Reading, writing, and oral assignments will reflect on both technical aspects of photography and on contemporary practice. Note: a 35mm SLR camera with fully manual controls is required for this class.
- This introductory course covers digital photography printing including basic retouching and editing. Students will learn the importance of digital workflow, and how it pertains to professional post-production scenarios. Beginning with downloading images from cameras or capture devices, students will learn to use appropriate naming and filing conventions, meta data, basic editing and retouching images, archiving, and digital printing. Through introduction to new material, research, and printing new images, students will expand their technical and visual skills beyond the initial image. Prerequisite: ART 101 and ART 236 or Departmental Permission
Sculpture
- This is an introductory studio course exploring three-dimensional sculptural form, using both traditional and contemporary materials and methods. Clay and other media are used in hands-on practice as a means of expression and for understanding the language of sculpture, including focus on the creative process from idea to completion. This course is intended to satisfy basic sculpture requirements for transfer within CUNY, as well as professional art programs.
- This course is a hands-on studio course exploring three-dimensional design problems, geared to the advanced student who wishes to expand his/her knowledge of frmal issues of mass, volume, and shape in a variety of materials. Emphasis is placed on the creative process and problem-solving, moving from idea to revision to completed design. This course is intended to satisfy 3D design requirements for transfer within CUNY, as well as professional art programs. Prerequisite: ART 101, ART 107 or ART 183
Note
Please note, these requirements are effective the 2019-2020 catalog year. Please check your DegreeWorks account for your specific degree requirements as when you began at BMCC will determine your program requirements.
Footnotes
- Choose 6 credits from ART 106, ART 113, ART 125, ART 126, ART 168, ART 174, ART 176, ART 183, ART 201, ART 203, ART 236, ART 243, ART 251, ART 266, ART 268, ART 274, ART 276, ART 283, ART 290, ART 292, ART 293, ART 294, ART 295, ART 300, ART 303, ART 315, ART 336, ART 337, ART 338, ART 366, ART 374, ART 383, OR ART 420.
