Area Head: Clint Sleeper
The Photography and Moving Image area focuses on the development of individual vision while students explore the contemporary uses, techniques, and theories informing photography and moving images across physical and virtual spaces. The curriculum offers coursework examining traditional and digital skills while stressing an understanding of the media’s histories and theories. The area is perfectly positioned in a larger, highly interdisciplinary department where students are encouraged to see how their explorations in photography and moving images may build on the skills learned in other courses. Students pursuing a BA/BFA, or a graduate-level MFA often merge their photography, video, and animation skills with other media such as printmaking, sculpture, electronic art, or painting. This interdisciplinary focus mimics the commercial applications of the media and its role in the larger art world.
The intentionally small size of each of our courses fosters an atmosphere for technical and critical experimentation, allowing faculty to provide group and individualized instruction to students actively engaged in the dialogue of photography. In doing so, students are encouraged to pursue projects of their own content within the context of the larger contemporary art dialogues, understanding their own practice not only in relation to other photographers, videographers, or animators but to artists and makers in other fields as well.
Recent graduates have pursued careers in commercial photography, photography archive management, photo editing, and design, or pursued additional graduate studies at some of the finest graduate programs in the United States.
Facilities include an 11-station digital photography lab where each Macintosh computer station is outfitted with Epson flatbed/ transparency scanners, and inkjet printers as well as a 16 station digital video lab for the production of video art and animation. Advanced students have additional access to large format Epson digital printers and an Imacon film scanner as well as a motion capture studio. The program also has a 15-station traditional darkroom space with 4×5 enlargers, areas for nonsilver and mural printing processes. The “Photography and Moving Image” area hosts a wide selection of equipment for checkout: from beginner film cameras to video and advanced lighting equipment. Advanced students have access to ‘LightBox,’ a fully equipped lighting studio for image creation or artwork documentation. As an additional resource, the Photography program is active in building an ample collection of contemporary photography books in the General and Special Collections of the University library.
The facilities also include printing services for art majors needing large format prints.
See also Laptop Computer Requirements.