Contact Information
Art and Design at NMU
The objective of the School of Art and Design is to prepare students for participation in the professional fields of art, design and education, broadening the scope of their experience by providing intellectual support for art beyond the limits of studio skills. The school, through Northern Michigan University’s DeVos Art Museum, also provides students with exposure to exhibitions exemplifying the cultural breadth of the visual arts from national, regional and local sources, including the university’s permanent art collection. Graduates of the program are employed throughout the country in careers ranging from art directors and art teachers to entrepreneurs of large and small enterprises.
Liberal studies and art courses are combined in programs that lead to the bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, or a two-year associate of applied arts degree. The school also offers the required courses for art teacher certification, a non-teaching art and design minor and an art history minor.
Information for students interested in a career in architecture can be found in the “Preprofessional Programs” section.
All of the school’s faculty members are regionally and nationally recognized for their work.
In each area of concentration, the Art and Design curriculum provides students with a broad knowledge of concepts, social issues, procedures and tools to prepare them for the design and production of art objects at a professional level. Areas of concentration include:
- ceramics
- electronic imaging
- digital cinema
- drawing/painting
- furniture design
- graphic communication
- human centered design
- illustration
- jewelry/metalsmithing/blacksmithing
- photography
- printmaking
- sculpture
- woodworking
Student Organizations
- Art Students League
- Student Michigan Education Association
Department Facilities
The School of Art and Design has professionally equipped, safe, new, state-of-the-art studios to support 13 concentrations. Equipment includes:
- large induction furnace
- ceramic kilns
- casting and blacksmithing facilities
- computer labs
- woodworking, papermaking, digital video facilities
- photography darkrooms (color and black and white)
- professionally equipped lighting studios
- combination machine lathe and mill
- CNC router and 3D printer and scanner
The library collection in Art and Design includes:
- over 10,000 volumes
- 50 journals and periodicals
- large slide collection
The school uses the DeVos Art Museum for its many national, regional, local, faculty and student exhibitions, as well as the Students’ Art Gallery.
Types of Course Offerings
The following courses provide artists with greater depth in the supporting knowledge of the visual arts. The study of humans, their behavior and the context of art are incorporated into the content of all major courses.
Concentration: Courses comprising one studio area or studio concentration—100-, 200-, and seminar-level courses.
Cognates: Courses developing the concepts drawn from sociology, psychology, and the physical sciences that are used by artists.
Art History: Courses devoted to the study of Western and non-Western art and architecture within a historical framework. Since Art and Design is primarily a studio school, art history courses take as their central concern (though not exclusive) concepts that are relevant to the studio artist.
Individual Art Review: A series of courses required of art and design majors to develop at each level as professional artists. All work is evaluated by the faculty.
Associate Research: Courses arranged with the major professor of the studio concentration for students working toward an associate degree. Courses offer an opportunity for students to advance their skills and experience with studio equipment.
School/Program Policies
Students must purchase supplies individually and/or contribute to a purchasing cooperative for the studio courses in which they are enrolled.
Community college transfers should take liberal studies courses and art courses in the areas of design, drawing and history of western art.
Students majoring in art and design education must maintain a grade point average of 2.70 or greater with no grade below a “C” in the professional education sequence, the major and/or minors and required cognates combined.
Prerequisites for Individual Art Review
Students registering for AD 303 Individual Art Review and AD 403 Senior Exhibition must complete the following prerequisites prior to enrollment:
- Instructor permission.
- Receive a grade of “S” in AD 303 Individual Art Review for enrollment in AD 403 Senior Exhibition.
- Complete the required lower cognate courses and their selected studio concentration with a “B-” (2.70) average.
Criteria for Remaining in the Art and Design Program
- Students in AD 303 Individual Art Review must receive a passing grade of “S.”
- AD 303 Individual Art Review may be repeated, but students receiving one or more grades of “U” or Withdrawal will not be allowed to continue in the program.
Programs
Bulletin Year: 2007 - 2008 Undergraduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog.