LIBERAL ARTS
Liberal arts are an integral part of the CVA curriculum. Our goal at CVA is to produce
well-educated writers and designers, and we believe that the liberal arts-art history,
literature, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics-play a crucial role in this
training. Students acquire essential skills in critical thinking and effective communication
through writing and speaking. They also acquire the skills in research that promote
lifelong learning. Liberal arts classes are closely coordinated with studio classes at CVA.
The Foundation year includes two courses in research and writing as well as a two-course survey of art history from prehistoric times to the mid-twentieth century. Sophomores take two in-depth courses in contemporary art and art theory.
Liberal arts courses at CVA are taught with full appreciation of the fact that our students learn best by seeing and doing. Mathematics through Art, a course in the visual geometry essential to studio practice, is taught through drawing. Botany through Art, a frequent offering, approaches knowledge of natural structures and growth patterns through close observation and drawing.
Liberal arts at CVA also provides practical skills. Introduction to Professional Practices, a new course offering first semester of junior year, provides training in business writing, business math, and public speaking. Students are thus prepared for internships in the second semester of junior year.
Upper level electives at CVA are drawn from various fields and emphasize creative research and experiential learning. Recent electives in art history include Reading the City, a course in urban studies using the Twin Cities for first-hand field work, and Joseph Beuys and the German Experience. Recent humanities offerings are Twentieth-Century Literature: Multiculturalism in America and a survey of world literature. Social science courses at CVA include Native American Art and Architecture and Art and the Law.
All liberal arts faculty members are active professionals--scholars, creative writers, curators, architects. Many are also practicing artists. Most have the terminal degree in their field (Ph.D. or M.F.A.), and many have multiple graduate degrees. This is one more way CVA students are connected to working professionals in art and design.
VISUAL STUDIES
Students who wish to work in a museum or other arts organization, teach art history, or write for an arts magazine may choose the Visual Studies concentration, which combines liberal arts with studio arts to provide a strong foundation in contemporary visual culture. Liberal arts courses explore modern and contemporary art, film studies, and psychology. Studio work includes an area of concentration such as painting, photography, or digital media. This interdisciplinary program provides a solid foundation for students who wish to pursue graduate work in museum studies, art history, or arts administration.
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