Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art

The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art (BFSDoArt) is committed to building and extending the intellectual community in visual arts and graphic communications by educating the next generation of artists, designers, art educators, and industry professionals. To prepare students for successful careers, the Department provides an enriching environment of rigorous course material, state-of-the-art facilities, relevant technology and equipment, professionally active faculty, and community engagement.

It is the BFSDoArt’s goal to provide students with the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, work cooperatively, be comfortable and knowledgeable with relevant technology, and be committed to sharing their many talents with an increasingly global community.

The Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), offering a robust selection of minors in Animation and New Media, Art, Art History, Graphic Communications, Graphic Design, Photography and Digital Imaging, and Studio Art.

All BFSDoArt programs offered on the Statesboro or Armstrong campus have been written to allow students to complete their major or minor completely at that specific campus with no travel. However, because the campuses have different resources and faculty expertise, the possibility to travel off of their home campus to enrich their education is an exciting possibility.

The Master of Fine Arts degree programs (Graphic Design, Studio Art) provides students with a comprehensive experience leading to the terminal MFA degree. The degree programs exhibit the professional intensity and high standards expected of all terminal degree programs. Recognizing the close scholarly and functional relationship between Art and Design, the MFA is cross-disciplinary and combines technical skills, creative work, inquiry, and investigation in ways that focus on the advanced preparation of artists and designers in their areas of specialization.

The MFA programs enable degree holders to become: professional practitioners in art and design, educators, leaders in critical thinking, and significant contributors in the contemporary dialog of their discipline through research and scholarship.

Undergraduate Program Information

Statesboro Campus

Students earning the B.A. degree in Art (concentration in Art History) will demonstrate competency in the following outcomes:

ability to recall and utilize accurate art historical terminology and to identify major monuments of art, recognize productions of individual artists, and distinguish artistic productions of various eras and cultures through familiarity with key formal and contextual components.
assessment of art historical issues including the following: making connections between different time periods and/ or cultures; contextualizing works within their political, social, economic, and religious situations; recognizing frequent biases toward art work based on cultural misunderstandings or ethnocentrism.
preparation of effective written and oral communications in art history composed of the following: historical research and critical analyses of works of art from historical, cultural, and aesthetic perspectives, synthesized into an original, organized work.

Graduates of the B.A. degree in Art (concentration in Studio Art) program will:

demonstrate competency in multiple mediums through the creation of original works of art that are technically sound and exploits the characteristics of the specific art materials used.
demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the elements and principles of visual organization and sufficient to achieve successful communication through visual art and design.
demonstrate their ability to analyze and evaluate their own artwork as well as that of their peers in the form of Written and Verbal Critique.
demonstrate a familiarity with the major achievements in the history of art and will be able to make valid assessments of quality in master works of art and their relationship to their own art work.
demonstrate the ability to combine the media skills, application of art and design principles, verbal analysis, and art historical knowledge in order to develop and apply transferable skills to professional direction.

Upon completion of the B.F.A. degree (concentration in 2D Studio) program, students will:

demonstrate competency in the media of each relative studio discipline through studio practice, appropriate equipment usage and demonstration of safety requirements during studio practice. Students will prove their skill competency in specific art media by creating original works of art that exploit the characteristics of the specific art materials used.
demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the elements and principles of visual organization. This understanding will be evidenced
by choices that may include compositional devices, use of color and manipulation of dominance/unity. Students will successfully apply these principles to communicate their aesthetic as well as conceptual intentions.
have a comprehensive overview of art history, with particular emphasis on issues of contemporary art, art theory and criticism. Students will conduct research relevant to their own creative work through the investigation of contemporary artists, critical theories and aesthetic issues, demonstrating their research and analysis.
abilities through the creation of original artworks, master studies, artist statements, presentation in oral critiques and essays.
complete written documentation as well as participate in verbal discussion that will demonstrate their ability to analyze, synthesize, validate, and evaluate their own artwork as well as that of their peers. Students’ ability to articulate personal work will be further evidenced by writing an artist’s statement that identifies historical references, contextualization and discussion of conceptual origins within their own body of work as well as for individual works.
demonstrate their ability to conceive and produce a body of work (multiple artworks reflecting a single concept) in two-dimensional media (Print-making, Drawing, and Painting). This body of work will reflect technical competency, effective use of art/design principles, self-expression, conceptual development, a comprehension of cultural and art historical references, aesthetics, critical theory, and is representative of contemporary art.

Students earning the B.F.A. degree (concentration in 3D Studio) will:

demonstrate their technical skill mastery.
demonstrate their competency in the use of art elements and principles of visual organization with an emphasis on 3D materials and space.
demonstrate their ability to analyze, synthesize, validate, and evaluate their own artwork, as well as, that of their peers during course critiques and discussions throughout their degree program. Students’ ability to articulate personal work will be further evidenced by writing an artist’s statement included with critique presentations and submissions of artworks for review by others.
demonstrate their ability to conceive and produce a body of work (multiple artworks reflecting one concept) in three-dimensional media that reflect technical competency, effective use of art/design principles, self-expression, conceptual development, a comprehension of cultural and art historical references, aesthetics, and cohesive body of contemporary arts.

B.F.A. Graphic Design degree program students will:

develop professional studio practices and demonstrate these practices to execute successful, repeatable, problem solving strategies to communicate content to an audience in areas of application such as identity, brand positioning, publication design, editorial design, web and multimedia design, packaging, way-finding and information architecture.
have a comprehensive understanding of the elements and principles of visual organization. Students will demonstrate knowledge of, and skills in, two- and three- dimensional spatial organization, color theory and application, typography, hierarchical organization, contrast and concord.
develop a breadth of understanding that provides them with the skills to identify and assess art and design historical issues including the following: connections between different time periods and/or cultures; contexts of art work including political, social, economic, and religious aspects; frequent biases toward art work based on cultural misunderstandings or ethnocentrism.
analyze, synthesize, validate, and evaluate their own artwork as well as that of their peers during course critiques and discussions throughout their degree program. Students’ ability to articulate personal work will be further evidenced by writing an artist’s statement included with critique presentations and submissions of artworks for review by others.
develop a professional portfolio that exemplifies their competency in graphic design and create a professional portfolio of work that
demonstrates their skills to potential employers and assists in securing entry-level employment as a professional graphic designer. Through development of their portfolio, students will demonstrate autonomy in executing real-world project skills in planning, research, sales, marketing and presentation.

Armstrong Campus

Students earning the B.A. degree in Art (concentration in Art History) will demonstrate competency in the following outcomes:

ability to recall and utilize accurate art historical terminology and to identify major monuments of art, recognize productions of individual artists, and distinguish artistic productions of various eras and cultures through familiarity with key formal and contextual components.
assessment of art historical issues including the following: making connections between different time periods and/ or cultures; contextualizing works within their political, social, economic, and religious situations; recognizing frequent biases toward art work based on cultural misunderstandings or ethnocentrism.
preparation of effective written and oral communications in art history composed of the following: historical research and critical analyses of works of art from historical, cultural, and aesthetic perspectives, synthesized into an original, organized work.

Graduates of the B.A. degree in Art (concentration in Studio Art) program will:

demonstrate competency in multiple mediums through the creation of original works of art that are technically sound and exploits the characteristics of the specific art materials used.
demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the elements and principles of visual organization and sufficient to achieve successful communication through visual art and design.
demonstrate their ability to analyze and evaluate their own artwork as well as that of their peers in the form of Written and Verbal Critique.
demonstrate a familiarity with the major achievements in the history of art and will be able to make valid assessments of quality in master works of art and their relationship to their own art work.
demonstrate the ability to combine the media skills, application of art and design principles, verbal analysis, and art historical knowledge in order to develop and apply transferable skills to professional direction.

Upon completion of the B.F.A. degree (concentration in 2D Studio) program, students will:

demonstrate competency in the media of each relative studio discipline through studio practice, appropriate equipment usage and demonstration of safety requirements during studio practice. Students will prove their skill competency in specific art media by creating original works of art that exploit the characteristics of the specific art materials used.
demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the elements and principles of visual organization. This understanding will be evidenced
by choices that may include compositional devices, use of color and manipulation of dominance/unity. Students will successfully apply these principles to communicate their aesthetic as well as conceptual intentions.
have a comprehensive overview of art history, with particular emphasis on issues of contemporary art, art theory and criticism. Students will conduct research relevant to their own creative work through the investigation of contemporary artists, critical theories and aesthetic issues, demonstrating their research and analysis.
abilities through the creation of original artworks, master studies, artist statements, presentation in oral critiques and essays.
complete written documentation as well as participate in verbal discussion that will demonstrate their ability to analyze, synthesize, validate, and evaluate their own artwork as well as that of their peers. Students’ ability to articulate personal work will be further evidenced by writing an artist’s statement that identifies historical references, contextualization and discussion of conceptual origins within their own body of work as well as for individual works.
demonstrate their ability to conceive and produce a body of work (multiple artworks reflecting a single concept) in two-dimensional media (Print-making, Drawing, and Painting). This body of work will reflect technical competency, effective use of art/design principles, self-expression, conceptual development, a comprehension of cultural and art historical references, aesthetics, critical theory, and is representative of contemporary art.

Students earning the B.F.A. degree (concentration in 3D Studio) will:

demonstrate their technical skill mastery.
demonstrate their competency in the use of art elements and principles of visual organization with an emphasis on 3D materials and space.
demonstrate their ability to analyze, synthesize, validate, and evaluate their own artwork, as well as, that of their peers during course critiques and discussions throughout their degree program. Students’ ability to articulate personal work will be further evidenced by writing an artist’s statement included with critique presentations and submissions of artworks for review by others.
demonstrate their ability to conceive and produce a body of work (multiple artworks reflecting one concept) in three-dimensional media that reflect technical competency, effective use of art/design principles, self-expression, conceptual development, a comprehension of cultural and art historical references, aesthetics, and cohesive body of contemporary arts.

Upon completion of the B.S. degree in Art Education, students will:

distinguish principal themes, subjects, artists and iconography of major monuments of global art in their historical, cultural and stylistic context.
will demonstrate an ability to apply principles of design and color and competency to work in a variety of materials and media used in art.
effectively engage in critical analysis and demonstrate general research skills.
demonstrate an ability to plan meaningful art lessons, based on national and state standards for a variety of age/grade levels.
demonstrate ability to deliver effective instruction to meet standards-based art objectives for a variety of age/grade levels.

Programs

Undergraduate Program(s)

Undergraduate Minor(s)

Master’s Program(s)

Art, M.F.A.

Graduate Certificate(s)

Art Education Certification