Dean: Randall Craven
Faculty: Marc Boyson, Hendel Butoy, Randall Craven, Zachary Gray, Giselle Hasel, Mindy Jamieson, Donald Keefe, Joe La Com, Nicholas Livanos, Jesse Rademacher
Adjunct Faculty: Aaron Adams, Stacey Alverson, John Cline, Leah Hackett, Jas Milam
Visiting Artist: Eszter Sziksz
Program Coordinators:
Production Company Manager: Mark Comberiate
Supporting Institution: Hunter Museum of American Art, Lynn Wood Archaeological Museum
Industry Advisers:
The School of Visual Art and Design at Southern Adventist University provides an environment of artistic and technical excellence that equips students to make a positive impact in their world, acknowledging God as the source of their creativity.
Our primary focus is to help develop individual creativity, commitment, and a strong portfolio, regardless of the discipline. Students in the School of Visual Art and Design will produce and maintain a portfolio of their work from their freshman year onward and will be reviewed by the school's faculty at specified intervals for each major. Recommendations are made, on the basis of these reviews, to aid in student advisement and to guide optimal growth. The effectiveness of the school is determined through scheduled reviews by a portfolio review committee and curriculum assessments by visiting professionals. Due to this School's emphasis on preparation for professional work and service, a grade point average of 3.00 (B) is required for all internships. In considering the level of discipline and skill required to produce art at a competitive level, whether in preparation for graduate school for viability in the industry, we strongly recommend that students achieve a grade point average of B before going on to a subsequent course.
At the end of the freshmen year all students must pass a formal review in order to be admitted into a degree program offered by the School of Visual Art and Design. Students declaring a major in the SVAD at the beginning of the winter semester will be reviewed at the end of the following academic year. This review is designed to ensure development of the proper fundamental competencies needed to thrive in subsequent coursework. Students participating in the freshman review are expected to display a collection of work completed during their time in the SVAD, and if applicable, any work completed prior to enrollment. Overall performance in essential foundation sequences is evaluated by examining growth in knowledge, artistic thinking, and significant skill development. Students may not enroll in major-specific sophomore level courses until passing this review. Students entering the SVAD by changing majors or transferring from another institution are subject to this same admission process.
Transfer students who wish to enroll in an academic program offered by the School of Visual Art and Design (SVAD) may receive credit for art courses taken elsewhere via a formal review and approval process. To initiate this review transfer students must submit their coursework portfolio to the program coordinator for the major they are interested in pursuing (see list of program coordinators). The submitted portfolio must include all coursework products and associated materials for each art course completed at a previous institution. A review committee will assess all transfer requests on a per course basis by examining syllabi, course descriptions, projects, and completed assignments in order to determine if the course taken elsewhere is commensurate with a comparable SVAD course offering. This assessment is conducted in order to confirm that courses completed at previous institutions have adequately prepared a student to succeed in subsequent SVAD courses. Transfer credit specific to any SVAD major must be approved by this review process before a student may register for classes in the SVAD.
Many courses offered by SVAD are considered studio courses. Studio courses are scheduled in large blocks of time because much of the course work is skill-based, involving individual/collaborative creativity and problem solving. Therefore extended class time is provided to give the student an opportunity to work on projects and assignments under the direct guidance of the instructor. For a typical three credit hour course, the student will receive five contact hours per week.
In addition to completing School of Visual Art and Design admission requirements, animation majors must meet the following criteria before beginning sophomore-level animation courses:
For the Animation, BFA degree a required thesis project is to be completed during the AART 427 and AART 429 course sequence.
The animation students are expected to develop a lifestyle that includes the habit of drawing from direct observation in order to nurture and maintain their skills. Animation students are expected to keep an active sketchbook practice as a record of these observations. School of Visual Art and Design may provide Open Figure Drawing Sessions as learning opportunities offered outside of formal classes to assist in this goal. Any animation major taking a course that includes an emphasis in drawing may be required to present their sketchbook as part of their class curriculum. The quantity and quality and time commitment will be stated on the course's syllabus.
In addition to completing School of Visual Art and Design admission requirements, film production majors must meet the following criteria before beginning sophomore-level film production courses:
In addition to completing School of Visual Art and Design admission requirements, fine art majors must meet the following criteria before beginning sophomore-level fine art courses:
For the Fine Arts, BFA degree all thesis work is to be completed as a part of ART 440 .
In addition to completing School of Visual Art and Design admission requirements, graphic design majors must meet the following criteria before beginning sophomore-level graphic design courses: