The First Year Program is required of all freshmen coming to the school from high school and for all transfer students with fewer than 18 studio credit hours. Students will work with traditional and non-traditional materials and methods. Studio II concentrates on approaches to working with color and mixed media. Students will also explore various methods for constructing original images and analyzing existing images. Each Research Studio and Studio Research Seminar class has a distinct theme which guides the studio and research projects.
Students are able to experiment with many traditional and contemporary materials.
The Program has its own wood shop where students can begin to gain experience with a variety of hand and power tools. The First Year Program has its own video and audio editing suites that are solely for use by FYP Students. Video cameras and audio recording equipment is made available to FYP students through the School s Media Center. In all of the FYP studio courses relevant conceptual and critical issues are introduced alongside each practical assignment. This integrated approach promotes a balance between developing technical and intellectual skills, and places equal emphasis on both the process and the product of artistic investigation.