Building a studio practice starts here

The Foundations Program is a dynamic, studio-based introduction to the core principles of art and design. The coursework cultivates curiosity and prioritizes building confidence in creative practice. Through hands-on projects, students explore essential techniques, materials, and processes while learning to think expansively and experiment boldly.

In Foundations, you’ll be encouraged to take risks, embrace challenges, and learn from failure as an essential part of creative growth. Studio work is driven by exploration and iteration—developing ideas through both making and reflecting. Students also practice thoughtful communication, learning how to discuss their work and engage in dialogue with peers and instructors to exchange feedback, share perspectives, and collaborate meaningfully.

The program includes four courses—Foundations I (2D Media), Foundations II (3D Media), Foundations Drawing, and Digital Foundations—that together build core skills in visual literacy, critical thinking, and making across multiple dimensions. Along the way, students connect their studio work to research and inquiry, explore a wide range of materials, processes, and digital tools, and gain the skills to express ideas with care, creativity, and intention.

The foundations program is designed to support each of the following degree paths:

  • BA Art & Visual Culture (Studio Art, Art Management, and Art History concentrations)
  • BFA Art Education
  • BFA Graphic Design
  • BFA Studio Art
  • BFA Photography 
A sculpture combining a slice of layered cake with a black hymnal or prayer book bearing a gold cross. The cake slice, made of sculpted material with white frosting, rests on a metal cake server atop a stack of books on a wooden oval tray, against a white background.

Maddie Herian
A tall sculpture resembling a stylized head or vessel covered in dense, multicolored concentric circle patterns and topped with black spiked forms decorated with dots. Long strands of rainbow-colored synthetic hair cascade down from the form onto a dark base against a white background.

Annabelle Williams
Close-up of a student’s hand holding a mechanical pencil while sketching with the aid of a yellow ruler on a detailed line drawing. A colorful phone case rests nearby on the desk.
Three visitors view a wall of small, brightly painted abstract sculptures displayed on white shelves, reflected in a glossy gallery floor.

Faculty

Many full and part-time faculty teach regularly in this program, which is coordinated by a Foundations Area Coordinator and Foundations Committee. 

Foundations Area Coordinator

  • Erin Ethridge

Foundations Core Faculty 

  • Hui Chi Lee
  • Martin Church
  • Catherine Altice
  • Joseph Bigley
  • Adam Stacey
  • Gregory Smith 

Foundations Committee Members

  • Anna Buckner
  • Travis Donovan
  • Hui Chi Lee
  • Jessica Greenfield
  • Makenzie Goodman
  • Jeana Klein 

Foundations II opened my mind to what art can be allowed me to question things and project guidelines 

Jillian Seversky
A wall display featuring an eclectic collection of small abstract sculptures in various materials, colors, and textures—ranging from wire and wood to fabric and plaster—arranged in a loose grid, emphasizing experimentation and form.

Transformations

Transformations is an exhibition featuring work from each classe in the Foundations Program curricula of the Art Department. It explores the different transformative processes that students experience as they grapple with the creative process like mixing colors, finding forms, and making marks, as well as perceptive or personal transformations like learning to see, gaining confidence, or connecting to community.