Studio Art
Make art that matters.
The studio art major is designed for the student who intends to pursue the creation of visual art as a profession. The program prepares you for graduate school as well as many entry-level art positions. You'll gain practical and creative experience through numerous opportunities to interact with professional artists in a variety of settings.
Every studio art major presents a Senior Exhibition that demonstrates competency of media specific processes and techniques, and communicates mature concepts based on a knowledge of art history and contemporary criticism.
The Meredith College studio art program offers individualized instruction that will help you mature artistically and discover your own style and preferred medium (or media). You'll learn to function creatively thorugh a variety of experiences designed to help you gain an understanding of the artistic process and human culture.
Meredith's art department maintains an extensive exhibition program for instructional purposes and as a link with the larger artistic community. Student involvement in art beyond Meredith is encouraged through experiences in community service, internships, travel, participation in shows and arts organizations.
In addition to majors in studio art, graphic design and art education, Meredith's art department also offers an art history minor, a studio minor, a photography minor with award-winning faculty, and an arts management minor.
The photography minor provides an exciting option both for art majors and for other students seeking focused study in photography. It is an appropriate complement to many majors, including business, communication, criminology, English, graphic design, and studio art. The photography minor is also designed for students who plan to pursue graduate studies and/or careers in fine art photography.
The program makes connections between disciplines and prepares students to navigate a visual culture dominated by photographic images. Students examine important personal, social, cultural and environmental issues through photography. They develop skills in critical thinking and creative problem-solving as well as technical proficiency in both traditional and digital photographic practices.
Meredith's art education program offers numerous and varied research and internship opportunities. Recent locations of internships completed by Meredith art students include:
- Artspace, Raleigh
- Carolina Ballet, Raleigh
- Carolina Cobras, Raleigh
- Carolina Woman, Durham
- Contemporary Art Museum, Raleigh
- Exhibit Resources, Raleigh
- Exploris, Raleigh
- Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham
- Gallery C, Raleigh
- Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Lone Wolf Publishing, Raleigh
- Meredith College Marketing and Communications Office
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
- Raleigh Contemporary Gallery, Raleigh
- The Freer Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.
- Visual Art Exchange, Raleigh
Recent undergraduate research topics include "Rembrandt's Depictions of Shame," "Discoveries in Encaustic: A Look Through History" and "The Role of Self Awareness in Visual Artists & Art Therapists."
A studio art degree prepares students for professional success as well as graduate study. Professional positions held and graduate programs attended by recent graduates of Meredith's studio art program include the following:
- Graduate School, NC State School of Design
- M.A. in Studio Art, UNC-Greensboro
- Graduate School, New York Academy of Fine Arts
- Graduate Program in Art Therapy, George Washington University
- Sculptor, Ocala, Fla. and Asheville, N.C.
- Art Therapist, Newport News Behavioral Health Center
- Assistant Marketing Manager, North Carolina Museum of Art
- Web Designer, Cafepress.com
- Art Teacher(s), Wake County Public Schools
- Graphic Designer, Meridian Zero Degrees; National Congressional Budget Office
- Art Gallery Staff, Mahler Fine Art Gallery, Raleigh, NC; The Circa Gallery, Asheville, NC; and, The Colorshow Gallery, Asheville, NC
Each year freshman applicants are selected to receive scholarships on the basis of artistic talent. Applicants for art scholarships must send a digital portfolio on CD of 10-12 pieces of art along with the completed Talent Scholarship Application. On the basis of pre-portfolio review, the department selects finalists who will be invited to interview with the art faculty and bring their artwork to campus in February. These scholarships are renewable annually for a total of four years, subject to the recipient's remaining in good standing, being a full-time student pursuing a major in art, and maintaining a minimum quality point ratio of 3.0 (B average) on all art courses taken at Meredith College.
In addition to these discipline-specific scholarship opportunities, Meredith offers a range of merit and need-based financial assistance. Last year, Meredith coordinated $42.8 million in financial assistance.
Meredith’s student/faculty ratio of 11:1 and average class size of 17 ensure that students get to know their professors. In turn, our faculty know students by name and, just as important, are familiar with each student’s unique strengths and interests. This allows faculty to identify interesting research and internship opportunities for students, to write meaningful letters of recommendation, and to support students as they conduct in-depth undergraduate research. In fact, students and faculty frequently work together on such projects—more than 140 were conducted by student/faculty teams last year.
Meredith art faculty include:
- Emily Scott Beck, '01, MFA, teaches art education and studio fundamentals courses. Beck is a sound and video installation artist whose videos are exhibited regionally and nationally.
- James Boyles, Ph.D., teaches ancient, medieval and modern art history, as well as courses in such diverse fields as photography, architecture and American Indian art.
- Holly Fischer, ’99, MFA, teaches 3D and professional practices.
- Dana Ezzell Gay, MFA, teaches graphic design and coordinates the graphic design major. Her interests include typography, visual poetry, altered books and interactive media.
- Emily Soldin Howard, ’01, MFA, teaches courses in fibers and 2D design. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally.
- Warner Hyde, MFA, teaches ceramics and has exhibited nationally at juried national and regional venues; he also has works in many private collections.
- Cameron Johnson, MFA, teaches 2D, painting, drawing and printmaking; his work is on display in downtown Raleigh, Greenville and Charlotte.
- Shannon Johnstone, MFA, teaches photography. Johnstone has had solo exhibitions in Chicago, Rochester, Durham, and Raleigh.
- Beth Mulvaney, Ph.D., is head of the art department and director of the honors program at Meredith. She teaches all periods of art history.
- Lisa Pearce, MFA, coordinator of art education, teaches studio art, especially 3D and sculpture.
- Ann Roth, MFA, is gallery director and teaches color theory.
- Jane Terry, MFA, teaches photography, video and digital imaging. Terry has exhibited her work in regional and national venues.
For more detailed information about the studio art major, please go to the Art Department website.
For information about other majors at Meredith, return to the Admissions majors page.
