The bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) degree in studio arts is the degree for the professional artist.
Focusing on the practice and production of contemporary art this degree affords you the opportunity to pursue intensive coursework in traditional modes of art making such as ceramics, jewelry and metalsmithing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture while exploring more contemporary approaches such as installation, performance art, public art, and social practices.
Students will have the opportunity to choose to concentrate within one of the traditional media intensives or pursue an interdisciplinary practice that incorporates various mediums, methods, and approaches guided by mentorship programs and extensive advising. With an emphasis on professional practices, emphasizing the skills and abilities to develop and maintain a sustainable artistic practice, this degree aims to build on Syracuse's rich legacy of educating the innovative artists and cultural practitioners of the future.
Our ceramics intensive helps you become a professional ceramist. We encourage you to explore several directions: pottery, sculpture, tile mosaics, and other areas as you focus on the specialty that interests you most.
Early studio courses focus on methods of hand building, wheel throwing, and mold work, as well as basic glaze chemistry and application. You also learn to use decorative techniques, kiln firing, and studio maintenance. As you become more advanced, you will use traditional and experimental techniques for production pieces and individual works of art. At this level, you will mix your own glazes, clays, and slips and fire your own kilns.
Across all studios, our overriding objective is to cultivate and enrich curiosities. We ask you to become comfortable with the uncertainties of risk while exercising the freedom of exploring what you dont know, embracing the what if quotient. We want you to become an innovator and practitioner of change in your respective studio while being cognizant ofand a willing advocate oftradition. Teaching to the unapologetically functional vessel through to conceptually framed inquires, the faculty encourages an open dialogue with other disciplines. This has been the underlying strength of our program through much of its 110-year history.
