The Fine Arts Area offers the broadest range of courses and programs in the School and is now organized into five program areas: Art Education, Computers in Fine Arts, Photography, Pictorial Arts and Spatial Arts. This current configuration reflects the history of the visual arts, the traditions of the University, and the inclusion of new media and conceptualization in the field. The Fine Arts area includes image making techniques and approaches as old as humankind and as contemporary as the latest technological advances in the field.
The Fine Arts Area coordinates the core courses which are the foundation for all studio studies in art and design:

Art 01 Introduction to Careers in Art and Design
Art 12 Two Dimensional Design Concepts
Art 13 Three Dimensional Design Concepts
Art 14 Color
Art 24 Beginning Drawing
Art 26 Representational Drawing

These and all other lower division courses in art and art history are articulated with community colleges regionally and statewide through the CAN system and through local agreements. Beyond the core level, the Fine Arts Area offers upper and lower division and graduate studio courses in painting and drawing, printmaking, photography, computers in art, sculpture, ceramics, crafts (glass, weaving/textiles, jewelry metalsmithing), and art education.

All studio programs offer BA, BFA, and MFA level studies (the BFA in Art, Computers in Fine Arts emphasis will start in 1997-98). Art Education provides a Master's degree and a Credential program. The Fine Arts Area offers liberal arts emphases (BA in Art) for those who wish to combine their studies with other fields, professional undergraduate emphases (BFA) which allow students to embark on professional careers, and graduate studies (MA in Art Education, MFA in Art) which launch their careers in art and teaching at the K-12 and post-secondary levels. An undergraduate minor in Art links the Pictorial and Spatial Arts, Art Education, and Art History programs.

A major resource for the Fine Arts Area is the gallery and visiting artist series sponsored by the School. The School sponsors one main gallery, eight student galleries and performance spaces, and over 30 lectures each year. The galleries exhibit as many as 200 shows per year. These exhibitions and lectures provide valuable experience and insights for the students in the program and a valuable community service. The School recently received a $1.5 million bequest from alumna Natalie Thompson to support the gallery exhibitions and visiting artist/designer series.

Additional resources for the programs are provided by regional corporations, philanthropic organizations and groups, alumni, and individuals who provide materials, assistance, and cash donations totaling over $50,000 - $60,000 each year, and software donations totaling over $1 million. Another resource for the Fine Arts program is its volunteer employee pool: each year, more than twenty individuals contribute eight or more hours per week of their skilled labor to the School, assisting with studio and equipment maintenance and classroom operations in exchange for access to the shops and facilities.

All students entering the University in art or design enter the Bachelor of Arts program in Art. Over half the graduates from the School complete this degree, either because they have chosen one of the specific degree emphases or because of the limited capacities in the professional programs. The Bachelor of Arts in Art, General Studio Practice concentration, provides students with the opportunity to explore other academic and arts subjects through a pool of 22 or more elective credits. Students often choose additional course work in art and design or art history in completing this degree. The Bachelor of Fine Arts program, focused heavily in studio performance, provides few electives outside the arts and the general education requirements. Since nearly eighty percent of the undergraduate students in the School enter as juniors, having completed much if not all of their general education requirements and many of their lower division art requirements elsewhere, the resources of the Fine Arts area are focused heavily in the upper division and graduate level.

Facilities for the fine arts programs are located in six separate buildings on campus and are quite extensive. Included are a 6000 sq. ft. Foundry; four separate computer labs (a 16 station Macintosh lab, a 14 station SGI lab, an 8 station Macintosh digital photography lab, as well as advanced facilities for video editing and multimedia research); over 8000 sq. ft. ceramic studios; 6000 sq. ft. of graduate studio space; four 1000 sq. ft. studios for drawing and painting; nearly 4000 sq. ft. of studio space for lithography, intaglio, and serigraphy; and additional studios for jewelry/metal, glass, and weaving/fibers. Foundation classes in two and three dimensional design are housed in separate facilities, and all art programs benefit from access to the School's 4000 sq. ft. shops, award-winning and fully staffed facilities which include equipment for working with wood, plastics, and metals as well as walk-in spray booths and vacuforming equipment.

For More Information Contact:
Gladys Crowell
Art Secretary
ART 123
School of Art and Design
San Jose State University
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0089

Phone: (408) 924 -4340
Fax: (408) 924-4326
Email: gecrowell@email.sjsu.edu

For complete information on art and design program requirements, see the College of Humanities and the Arts, School of Art and Design in the San Jose State University catalog.