Visual and Performing Arts

Faculty

Theater Arts and Acting Faculty

Art & Design Faculty

Visual and Performing Arts Overview

Theater Arts & Acting Overview

• Preparation for careers in theater, television and film
• Preparation for careers in directing, play and screenwriting, stage design
• Preparation for teaching
• Preparation for graduate study in theater and media studies
• Opportunities to perform in MainStage and studio productions
• Opportunities to study abroad at some of the top universities in the world

The Theater Arts program offers artistic education centered on maximizing the passions, talents and personal development of our students. We go beyond a traditional conservatory-style approach by creating opportunities for immersion in all aspects of theatrical creation. Our small size enables close interaction with faculty in an intimate liberal arts setting. Our proximity to Philadelphia’s dynamic theater community connects students with industry professionals (who work with us as instructors and guest artists) and professional opportunities beyond campus. Students are encouraged to develop their talents and also to study globally and educate themselves in a wider world of cultures and ideas.

The Theater Arts program provides students with a rigorous four-year sequential course of study in acting, the speaking and singing voice, speech, movement for actors, and dramatic literature. In addition, there are offerings in acting and directing for the camera, stage combat, dance, improvisation, mask, make-up, and audition techniques.

Theater Arts majors also participate actively in the life of the University through four Main Stage productions per year.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting degree provides the opportunity to prepare for a career in

• Professional theater.
• Television.
• Film.

An audition is required for admission to program.

The Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts is designed for students seeking a degree in theater for careers in directing, play and screenwriting, stage design or education. Career options for the Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts include:

• Directors, designers and production managers of stage, television and film
• Teachers of theater in elementary or secondary education
• Arts administrators, television executives, film producers or entertainment lawyers
• Dramatherapists
• Play and screenwriters

Art & Design Overview

The Department of Art and Design at Arcadia University offers students:

• Preparation for professional careers in graphic design, and art therapy
• Preparation for teaching
• Preparation for graduate study
• Specialty in Scientific Illustration
• Traditional studio arts preparation
• Internationally recognized Art Gallery plus experimental and white cube student galleries
• Internships, fieldwork and other real-world experiential learning
• Opportunities to study abroad at some of the top universities around the world

Accreditation: The Department is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Programs prepare students for professions in graphic design, scientific illustration, art therapy, art education and the traditional studio arts. The program also prepares students for graduate study. Numerous Macintosh and PC computers are available for desktop publishing, computer imaging and CAD. All Art and Design students are encouraged to become familiar with computer graphics, either through supplementary work or in workshops.

Fieldtrips/Internships: In addition to offering a wide range of academic and studio courses, the Art and Design Department schedules annual fieldtrips to area museums, including New York and Washington, D.C. Each trip relates exhibits to studio and historical concerns. Internships at museums and other businesses and organizations provide students with important professional experiences.

Scientific Illustration: The Scientific Illustration program combines study in Biology and Art and Design. Two emphases exist— Scientific Illustration and Pre-Medical Illustration. The former prepares students for careers in biological illustration, graphic design or laboratory research. The latter prepares students for graduate study in medical illustration.

Art Gallery: With a focus on traditional and contemporary art, the Arcadia University Art Gallery offers exhibits throughout the year, including works of faculty, alumni, students and nationally and internationally known guest artists. The Gallery serves as a recognized regional base of excellence in the visual arts for the general public and the entire University community.

Student Galleries: The Arcadia Commons Gallery is a student gallery supporting a variety of exhibitions including the juried student art exhibition, alumni exhibitions and student-curated exhibitions.

The Judith Taylor Student Gallery is a “white cube” space suited for student-curated group shows and class projects. Individual submissions by students will be considered. The gallery is named in honor of Judith Taylor, Professor of Photography from 1995 to 2010.

Art and Design Philosophy

The Department of Art and Design believes it is essential to cultivate an environment that encourages aesthetic awareness, historical consciousness, critical analysis, and an appreciation for the role of art in a comprehensive education.

Art and Design Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Art and Design is to maintain an educational setting that fosters creativity, analytical thinking, critical discourse and innovation through a commitment to the following:

• Technical and conceptual proficiency in the chosen area of concentration within the Department
• Technical and conceptual knowledge in the various areas of concentration within the Department
• An emphasis on critical thinking and creative production through the continued development of analytical, formal, and conceptual skills
• An understanding of the creation, production, and interpretation of art across cultural and historical contexts

This mission is realized within the context of a comprehensive liberal arts university.

The Arcadia University Art Gallery Mission Statement

The Arcadia University Art Gallery is a nationally recognized showcase for contemporary art located 12 miles north of Center City Philadelphia. Within the hybrid context defined by an Art History concentration within a liberal arts college and an active regional community of working artists and arts professionals, the Gallery’s mission is to:

• Provide a cultural resource that encourages dialogue about visual art among artists, the public, educators and students.
• Support artistic excellence and diversity on both a national and a local level and define and clarify issues pertinent to contemporary practice.
• Seek to foster greater accessibility and understanding of the art of our time and to have a voice in the dialogue concerning its socio-cultural relevance.

Art and Design Overall Goals, Objectives, and Practices

Our goal is to provide a learning environment in each of our classes that will:

• Cultivate critical inquiry, analysis and reflection.
• Embrace and integrate liberal arts education.
• Foster self-motivation.
• Encourage each student’s sense of his or her individual vision and potential.
• Develop effective visual, oral, and written communication skills.
• Develop a working understanding of and competency with materials and techniques.
• Acquire a foundation in art history and its methodologies.
• Provide professional, safe, clean, and accessible facilities.
• Provide initiatives and opportunities for professional practices.
• Provide a network for students, faculty and alumni to engage in continuing dialogue.

Under most circumstances, Art History and studio courses are open to all students. However, for students not majoring in Art and Design, FA 102 - Studio Art Foundations I, or FA 103 - Studio Art Foundations II or FA 104 - Drawing I, and either AH 111 - Western Art: Renaissance to Modern Art or AH 112 - Western Art: Prehistory to Medieval are prerequisites for advanced work, unless the student receives permission from the instructor. Certain 200-level studio courses fulfill non-major Undergraduate Curriculum requirements. No prerequisites are required for these courses.

Portfolio Requirements

The Art and Design Department requires a portfolio review as part of the admissions process. Each student applying to the University as an Art and Design major in a B.A. or B.F.A. degree program must submit a portfolio of work before acceptance into the program is granted. Typically, portfolio reviews are conducted during the University’s Fall Open House programs, Spring Portfolio Review Day in March, Countdown to Arcadia University in April (for students admitted to the University), select National Portfolio Review Days each fall, and select days during the summer. Specific dates and Instructions for Scheduling a Portfolio Review are listed on the website. (Contact the Office of Enrollment Management for more information.)

In the portfolio review, faculty look for both an interest in and commitment to art. This is important since students will be contemplating a professional career in art if they pursue the B.F.A. degree.

The type of work that could constitute a portfolio might include the following:

• Design and color studies
• Drawings from observation (still-life, landscape, figure, etc.)
• Self-portrait (any medium)
• Prints (blockprints, screenprints, etchings, etc.)
• Paintings
• Reproductions, or examples of any designs or illustrations done for high school publications or other organizations
• Architectural renderings or drawings
• Photographs
• Images of sculpture
• Examples of ceramics or metals and jewelry

It is not necessary to have all the items listed above in a portfolio, but students should include those that best represent their abilities and talents. All art programs look for evidence and skill in drawing from observation, a sense of color and design, and evidence of other creative abilities and creative thinking.

When works are small and can fit into a portfolio, then the originals are desirable. Matted works are acceptable without acetate coverings. Large, fragile, or complex works can be presented digitally.

Online Portfolio Submissions

The Art & Design Department uses SlideRoom for online portfolio submissions. The web portal address is: https://arcadia.slideroom.com.

Application Without a Portfolio

A student who does not have a portfolio or have a limited portfolio still can apply to Arcadia University. If accepted to the University, the student can enroll as an undeclared major. During the 10th week of the second semester, the student must submit a portfolio to the Art and Design Department for evaluation and consideration for entry into the program. In addition, students must take the four Art and Design foundation courses: FA 102 - Studio Art Foundations I, FA 103 - Studio Art Foundations II, FA 104 - Drawing I, and FA 105 - FA 105 Drawing II. A student must meet with his or her Art and Design adviser to receive guidance on how to build a portfolio. It is the student’s responsibility to submit the portfolio at the designated time. A student who fails to submit a portfolio by the required date will be denied admission to the Art and Design program.

Transfer Students

A student transferring into the University as an Art and Design major is required to submit a portfolio. The contents of the portfolio should be selected to reflect the student’s abilities in the proposed area of concentration but also should contain work representing the student’s overall abilities. A transfer student without a portfolio should follow the guidelines for “Application without a Portfolio.”

Change of Major Within the University

A student who wants to change his or her major to Art and Design is required to submit a portfolio as part of the change of major process. A student who does not have a portfolio is required to submit a portfolio at the completion of the three (out of four) Art and Design foundation courses: FA 102 and FA 103 Studio Art Foundations II, and FA 104 - Drawing I. A student must meet with his or her Art and Design Department adviser to receive guidance on how to build a portfolio. The student is responsible for submitting the portfolio to the Art and Design Department at the completion of the foundation courses for consideration for entry into the program. A student who fails to submit a portfolio by the required date will be denied admission to the Art and Design program.

Study Abroad Opportunities in Visual and Performing Arts 

Pathways to Study Abroad in Art and Design

The Art and Design Department strongly encourages students to take full advantage of the study abroad opportunities that Arcadia University offers. Art and Design majors traditionally have spent a semester or more abroad. Opportunities exist in many countries including England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and Italy.

Art and Design majors need to meet with their advisers as freshmen to plan study abroad options. Almost all concentrations in Art and Design have sequenced courses, which are taken in a specific order. Certain concentrations only permit study abroad during a specific semester. Careful planning is essential to avoid having to take an extra semester or year to complete the degree.

Visit the University’s website for more information. Since it is important that students plan ahead for study abroad, they should consult with their advisers as soon as possible and make their intentions known to the Department Chair and the Associate Dean of International Affairs.

Below are some but not all of the schools at which Art and Design majors can study. In addition to formal classes, there are internship programs in England, Ireland, Scotland and Australia.

Specific Art Programs Abroad

The Burren College of Art (Ireland)
The Glasgow School of Art (Scotland)
The Slade School of Fine Arts (England)
The Queensland College of Art (Australia)
Victorian College of Art (Australia)

Studio Art/Design Courses Abroad

University of Havana (Cuba)
Westminster University (United Kingdom)
Lancaster University (United Kingdom)
Manchester University (United Kingdom)
Goldsmiths College (United Kingdom)
Middlesex University (United Kingdom)
Griffith University (Australia)
Australian National University (Australia)
James Cook University (Australia)
Queensland University of Technology (Australia)
University of New South Wales (Australia)
University of Wollongong (Australia)
Monash University (Australia)
University of Queensland (Australia)
Victoria University (New Zealand)
University of Canterbury (New Zealand)
University of Auckland (New Zealand)
The Accademia Italiana in Florence (Italy)
The Umbra Institute in Perugia (Italy)
Ulster University (Ireland)

Pathways to Study Abroad in Theater

Arcadia Theater students can participate in extensive study abroad opportunities in Great Britain, Ireland, Greece, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to their studies abroad, students can find exciting internships abroad, such as an internship at the Royal Court Theater through the London Internship program, an intensive semester of acting in Ireland through the program at Trinity College, Dublin, or an intensive semester of acting, directing and producing television and film in Sydney, Australia, at the University of New South Wales.

Visit the University’s website for more information. Since it is important that students plan ahead for study abroad, they should consult with their advisers as soon as possible and make their intentions known to the Department Chair and the Director of International Services.

Visual and Performing Arts Programs and Courses

Programs

• Acting, B.F.A.
• Art History, B.A.
• Art, B.A.
• Art, B.A. or B.F.A., Pre-Art Therapy Concentration
• Art, B.F.A.
• Art, B.F.A., Art K-12 Certification
• Scientific Illustration Emphasis in Premedical Illustration, B.A.
• Scientific Illustration, B.A.
• Theater Arts, B.A.

• Art History, Minor
• Arts Entrepreneurship and Curatorial Studies, Minor
• Studio Art, Minor
• Theater Arts, Minor

Courses

• TH 231 Intermediate Dance
• TH 241 Acting: Scene Study
• TH 252 American Women Playwrights
• TH 253 African American Drama
• TH 254 Introduction to Dramaturgy
• TH 260 Puppet Theater
• TH 261 Stage Design
• TH 262 Costume Design
• TH 263 Stage Construction
• TH 264 Stage Management
• TH 266 Craftwork Applications
• TH 293 Acting a Song
• TH 300 Advanced Theater Practicum
• TH 301 Neutral Mask
• TH 303 Business of the Arts
• TH 305 Voice & Speech V
• TH 319 Stage Combat IV
• TH 330 Directing
• TH 341 Acting in Modern Theater
• TH 343 Commedia del’ Arte
• TH 344 Acting Shakespeare
• TH 345 Acting in Film and TV
• TH 349 Advance Scene Study
• TH 350 Playwriting
• TH 360 Audition Techniques
• TH 361 Seminar: Modern Drama
• TH 365 Theater for Young Audiences
• TH 370 Career Internship in Theater Arts
• TH 389 Independent Study
• TH 393 Special Studies in Theater Arts
• TH 490 Advanced Workshop in Theater