ACADEMIC MISSION

The Department of Art’s curriculum is predicated upon the belief that the most necessary training for a student of art is the development of critical and analytical thinking.  This emphasis is consistent with Hunter’s liberal arts tradition and seeks to develop students as prospective artists, critics and historians capable of continued growth once they leave the relatively structured environment of the university.  Beyond their course work, students are encouraged to take advantage of the cultural and intellectual resources of New York - its libraries, galleries and museums - and to make maximum use of the vital accessibility of contemporary art.

PURPOSE

The BFA Program is intended to make Hunter students competitive with students from the best art schools and programs in the country.  As a “fifth year” program, it gives students the prolonged, intense focus on studio practice, contemporary art and theoretical issues, which is the kind of training that is typically regarded as an excellent education in the field of fine arts.  The two-semester program prepares students to compete for entry into MFA programs nationwide.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The 61-Credit Major (BFA) is open to the student who wants to complete work in studio art beyond the 42-credit major and particularly the student who intends to pursue a career as a professional artist and attend graduate school. Students follow the regular GER for the BA degree. Departmental approval of the 61-credit BFA concentration is required. Students who have successfully completed 90 credits may apply to the BFA program, pending a review of their application with the BFA advisor. Students are required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 in order to apply to this program and must have successfully completed ArtCr 360.18 (2D/3D/4D Seminar course) or at least are enrolled in this course at the time of their application. 

The Art Department seeks candidates who show promise of independent artistic ideas developed through a committed, motivated work process.  Admission is on a competitive basis, and applications are accepted every Spring and Fall semester.  Once admitted, entry into the BFA program is effective the following semester.  Students are provided with their own studio spaces at the MFA Studio Building, making it possible for them to practice their professional investigations continuously, spending 15 to 20 hours a week on self-directed projects.  Often, they are joined for one semester by undergraduates from Europe who participate in the department’s exchange program, thus, creating a group of young artists whose diverse and lively contributions enrich each student’s experience.

In addition to the scheduled course load, feedback from graduate students, peers and critiques from visiting faculty members will provide ample opportunity for development and personal growth. 

STRUCTURE

Three full-time faculty members teach the program alternately.  They are also available for individual tutorial meetings in the students’ studios.

The center of the program is ArtCr 459 and ArtCr 460, Professional Experience in Art I and II, taken in consecutive semesters.  With 6.5 credits per course, it fulfills half the course load.  The focus is on critical discussion of student work in a seminar setting.  The BFA Exhibition is organized in this course.  ArtCr 405, Art and Current Ideas, is taught every spring semester.  Students study critical texts and respond with written evaluations of these essays as well as written reviews of contemporary art exhibitions.  By taking an art history course on contemporary art in the fall semester and Art and Ideas in the spring, students are prepared to enter such discourses and will be able to pursue a line of inquiry applicable to their own work.   The program culminates in the following semester with the BFA degree show at the Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery, located on the ground floor of the West Building of the main campus.  This important event presents a new set of tasks and experiences that address all phases of creating an exhibition, such as planning and scheduling, preparation and installation, lighting, labeling, and the designing of the invitation to the opening of the group show.

FACILITIES

The Main Campus, located at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, houses the administration, the library and the slide library.  Students are already familiar with the workshops for photography, graphics, metal, wood, plaster, computer graphics and painting occupying the entire 11th floor of the North Building.  Art History classes are held here, as well as the MFA/MA Lecture Series, to which BFA students are invited.  The clay workshop with its intermediate exhibition space is located in Thomas Hunter Hall.

The MFA Studio Building.  All BFA students are provided individual studio spaces in the MFA Building located at 450 West 41st Street.  Students are required to work in these studios throughout their residencies.  There are three rooms used for group critiques. The building has both a loading dock and freight elevators, allowing for easy entry of bulky or large materials for making art.  The building is accessible to students seven days a week from 8:00 am to midnight throughout the year.

CURRICULUM

The BFA Program is designed to offer students the intellectual training and practical experiences of artistic practice.  Critical and analytical visual thinking engages the students in this programmatic context and allows for insights into a life committed to art production.

Students are encouraged to define and pursue their own visions through constant peer contact in the studios, individual work with faculty tutors, group seminars and classes in the theory, criticism and history of art.  The program is open to all media and each candidate must select one field of concentration in studio art: painting, sculpture, graphics, photography, ceramics or combined media.

ELIGIBILITY AND COURSE DISTRIBUTION

At the successful completion of at least 39 credits, consisting of three art history classes and ten studio courses, with a concentration in one specific area, plus all basic distribution requirements for a total of 92 credits, students are eligible to apply for the BFA Program.

The Program of Study for the BFA Program begins with the requirements for the 42 credits major.  ArtCr 101 and ArtCr 221 are prerequisites.  Courses must be taken in the following sequence:

Year 1
Two studio courses and one art history course:

ArtCr 101 Introduction to Study of Visual Experience

ArtCr 221 Beginning Drawing

ArtH 111 Introduction to Art History

Year 2
Four studio courses from the following areas:

ArtCr 225 Graphic Arts Workshop

ArtCr 235 Painting

ArtCr 251 Sculpture

ArtCr 257 Ceramics

ArtCr 271 Principles of Photography

ArtCr 229 Combined Media

Year 3
Five studio courses with two 300-level courses repeated in area of concentration:

ArtCr 326 Advanced Graphic Arts Workshop

ArtCr 336 Advanced Painting

ArtCr 352 Advanced Sculpture

ArtCr 357 Advanced Ceramics

ArtCr 372 Advanced Photography

ArtCr 339 Advanced Combined Media

Art History Requirements: 

For the 42 credits major, three Art history courses are required. In addition to ArtH 111 taken in the first year, it is highly recommended for BFA candidates to take ArtH 249 and/or ArtH 250 in the third year, followed by ArtH 251 (Contemporary Art), preferably before ArtCr 405 is taken.  One additional art history course is required for a total of 15 credits for the BFA degree.

Year 4 - BFA Major

ArtCr 459 Professional Experience in Art I

ArtCr 460 Professional Experience in Art II

ArtCr 405 Art and Current Ideas

Art History elective (see above recommendations)

The BFA Program culminates in a formal group exhibition, the BFA Degree Show, in which the students present their work to the Hunter community and the public at large.

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

The Exchange Program is open to BFA students who have successfully completed their first semester in the BFA Program. The Department of Art maintains exchanges with prominent art schools in Europe; please inquire at the department for further information, deadlines, and application forms, room HN 11054.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING TO THE BFA PROGRAM

The application and all supporting materials, including transcript, worksheet, essay, and letters of recommendation, must be reviewed with the BFA advisor for approval prior to the deadline. To be eligible, the application package must be completed and on file by the deadline. (No Exceptions.) The relevant dates are posted in the Art Department.

The application package must contain the following material:

1. Completed BFA Application Form
2. Current transcript with completed Worksheet
3. A short essay
4. Two letters of recommendation

Finally, each candidate will present a body of work to the BFA Committee, which also interviews students and reviews the applications.  Upon admission, students should file a change of major form, from the 42-credit major to the BFA Major.

Students who are refused admission may reapply once.

Application forms can be obtained from the Art Department office, Room 11054 Hunter North.

For further information about the BFA Program, you may contact the Art Department secretary at (212) 772-4995 or consult an undergraduate advisor.

Because of the extraordinary demands, studio experiences and complexity of the course material, it may take a fifth year to complete the BFA Major.

SUMMARY

Required courses for the completion of the BFA Program are: ten courses in Studio Art, five courses in Art History, and three courses in the BFA Major. In order to stay in the BFA Program the student is required to maintain a grade of “B” average at all times. 

TRANSFER CREDITS

With the approval of the BFA Committee, up to half of the required credits, or 31 credits, may be transferred from other accredited art schools.  In general, credits in the area of concentration will not be accepted.  Students must maintain their working studio in the MFA Building.  Students who already have an undergraduate degree (BA in studio art) and are eligible may apply to the BFA Program only after they have applied to Hunter Admissions first.  Generally, up to 90 credits are transferred towards the BFA Degree; 30 credits in studio and art history must be completed at Hunter.

TUITION AND FEES

New York State residents, undergraduate matriculated first time freshmen, or non-CUNY transfer:

Full time            $2,000 per semester

Part time            $170 per credit

Non-Resident

Full time            $360 per credit

Part time            $360 per credit

Student Activity Fees

Full time            $84.50

Part time            $54.45

Quotes are subject to revision. For a complete listing of all financial aid programs, please visit the Financial Aid Office's website.

FULL TIME FACULTY SERVING ON THE BFA REVIEW COMMITTEE

Program Director: Gabriele Evertz     

Advisor: Gabriele Evertz

Selection Committee: Drew Beattie, Reiner Leist, Paul Ramirez Jonas, Jeffrey Mongrain, Nari Ward, Gabriele Evertz