Students may concentrate in any discipline or arrange a cross-disciplinary concentration. Courses at all levels are comprehensive, involving intensive studio work and relevant historical background, presented through slide talks, lectures, and group discussion. Students can pursue advanced work through an Independent Study with a faculty sponsor. Specific requirements for each option are available in the college catalog. The courses are designed to broaden and deepen students' understanding of visual vocabularies and provide a solid basis for the creative use of materials, tools, and techniques.
Emphasis is placed on the student as an individual.
Because the average size of a studio class ranges from 9 to 15, students are assured of receiving the individual attention that is essential for artistc growth. Frequent field trips to museums and sites acquaint sudents firsthand with contemporary and historcial masterworks. The Clark Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, Storm King Art Center, and Olana, Frederick Church's Hudson River home and studio, are all within easy access. There are frequent field trips to galleries, museums, and artists' studios in New York City. The department has two endowed lecture funds and an active schedule of visiting lecturers, including both practicing artists and scholars.