The Painting and Drawing
emphasis takes a contemporary approach that works to integrate painterly and
drawing concerns with focused artistic practice and developing critical dialog.
As a studio discipline, painting
and drawing is as rich in visual arts history as it is charged with
contemporary innovation. Painting and drawing as a studio practice encourages a
multi-faceted dialogue within this continuum. Students are introduced to a variety of techniques and
ideas, exposed to several art-historical and contemporary art practices, and are
challenged to develop a studio process that involves both formal and conceptual
impact. Painting and drawing classes are interdisciplinary in that they allow
the use of multiple materials and techniques in the production of a
successful art piece or body of work. Students come away with a strong studio
skill base, an engaged conceptual framework, and an ability to take part in the
exciting discourse of contemporary painting and drawing.
For more information and program details, contact:
To learn more about the BFA Painting and Drawing emphasis program at CU Denver, you can view student work and course details on our portfolio website CAMarts.org.
Admissions and Portfolio Requirements...
Admission into the BFA Painting and Drawing emphasis is by portfolio review. Students are
required to submit near the end of the fall semester in the sophomore year a digital portfolio, a written statement and unofficial
transcript(s) from CU Denver and all previous post-secondary educational
institutions.
While the Visual Arts Department accepts applications for a Spring or Summer semester start, students are
strongly encouraged to apply for a Fall semester start. This is due to the fact that the majority of the
first-semester courses are offered in Fall semesters only. The Visual
Arts majors are highly sequenced and pre-requisites are strictly
enforced. Students who begin in the Spring and Summer semesters may find
that their required courses are not offered until the Fall semester.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree...
The BFA in Fine Arts is the professional degree in art. With a BFA, students can choose to further their education by earning the terminal degree in the fine arts, the MFA, master of fine arts degree. In addition to the 12 required classes for a BFA in Fine Art, Painting and Drawing emphasis students will take a standard range of core academic and foundational art classes such as Drawing I, Two and Three-Dimensional Design, Intermedia Foundations, Art History Survey I and II. Additional required Visual Arts courses include Art History Survey III: Non-Western Art, Contemporary Art, Interdisciplinary Practices and Studio: BFA Thesis. Painting and Drawing emphasis students complete a total of 36 credits in the emphasis area.
Education and Encouraging...
The Visual Arts faculty is
comprised of artists and historians who understand the importance of art
applications both in and outside of the classroom. For this reason,
your instructors strive to be the bridge between you and the professional
world. The encouragement and efforts of faculty enable students to be involved with the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA Denver), Emmanuel Gallery and
with various visiting artists, galleries and museums across the Front Range.
The faculty’s
active participation in their field ensures that students receive both a
traditional and a cutting-edge education.To learn more about the Painting and Drawing program faculty, please select their name and you will be directed to their personal web pages, or visit the faculty home page.
Going Places...
As a Painting and Drawing graduate from the
Visual Arts program, the career opportunities available to you are as limitless
as your motivation and imagination.
Here are just a few of the pursuits available to our program’s graduates.
- Exhibiting in galleries and museums
- Teaching and lecturing
- Arts administration
- Gallery direction
- Public art projects/commissions
- Art cooperatives and collectives
- Framing and art handling
- Arts marketing and media relations
- Arts consulting
- Guiding and faux finishing
- Arts residencies/fellowships
- Exhibition design/installation
- Arts grant writing
- Artistic direction and curating
- Collections management
To Prospective Students (freshman and transfer):
Students who wish to transfer to the College of Arts & Media from another college or school at the University of Colorado Denver must formally apply to the College of Arts & Media. Students will be considered for admission on either their overall GPA in applicable coursework from CU and all previous institutions, or on their last 15 credit hours. Applicants with less than a 2.0 GPA in related courses (from CU or other institutions) and an overall CU GPA of less than 2.0 will be denied admission even though they may meet other requirements for consideration.
Please contact a College of Arts & Media advisor for more information about the Painting and Drawing program and portfolio requirements and deadlines.