SLU Studio Art Program
Saint Louis University’s studio art program provides students with a learning experience that fosters art-making in the context of the liberal arts.
We encourage a healthy curiosity in the natural world around us, allowing SLU students
to grow within our program, and begin seeing and thinking like visual artists.
Our studio art faculty model professional artistic practice and provide a link to the larger art community. Faculty exhibit in galleries and museums, share works in progress in the classroom, and provide connections to other professional artists that can lead to internship opportunities.
Saint Louis University’s studio art program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Degrees in Studio Art
Studio Space and Portfolio Development
Studio art students at SLU have the opportunity to expand and sharpen their artistic abilities through practice. We have studios for 2-D and 3-D media, including ceramics and sculpture, painting, drawing, fibers, photography, printmaking, computer art, graphic design, and social practice.
Experiences in the studio enhance your natural development as an artist as you explore your individual gifts and learn about the world. Connections across disciplines and cultural differences provide a conceptual and intellectual framework for their art.
You will leave SLU with a portfolio of work, an appreciation of the development of your values and creative skills, and an appreciation of the processes, expressions, and values of others.
Studio Art Scholarships
- Listing of studio art coursework you have completed or are currently taking.
- Personal statement describing your studio art goals at SLU (limit to one page).
- Resume of any studio art exhibits or related work experience.
Studio Art Internships
An internship is a valuable experience to expand your knowledge about studio art and develop important professional skills. All studio art students at SLU are encouraged to complete at least one internship before they graduate. You can participate in an internship with or without receiving course credit. Before accepting an internship, review the requirements below.
Seeking Course Credit
If you are interested in taking an internship for credit through the studio art program, you must have achieved junior or senior status and be a declared studio art major or minor. You must also:
- Register for ART 3800.
- Complete 150 hours of work for three credit hours. (You may also do an internship for one or two credit hours at a rate of 50 hours per credit hour.)
- Submit a proposal form before beginning the internship.
- Have your employer submit a performance evaluation to the supervising professor that describes your overall performance and your ability to complete tasks, communication skills, interpersonal skills, initiative, responsibility, reliability and other skills specific to the job.
- Submit an activity report and performance evaluation to the supervising professor before the end of final exams.
For questions about the internship requirements, contact your studio art mentor or Martin Brief at martin.brief@slu.edu.
Tidy Projects
Tidy Projects is a student-run graphic design studio creating a culture of good design at Saint Louis University and in the larger St. Louis community. Our designers solve problems and produce quality work for both on- and off-campus clients. Mentored by studio art faculty, Tidy Projects prepares students with real-world client relationships and design experiences. Our team has students from a variety of majors, but all of them have taken graphic design courses in the studio art program. These courses teach students the skills required to become involved with Tidy Projects.
McNamee Gallery
Studio art majors display their work in the McNamee Art Gallery in Saint Louis University's historic Samuel Cupples House. Students are involved in conceiving, organizing, and installing exhibits, publicity and gallery events.
Students also have access to SLU's two nationally recognized art museums: the Saint Louis University Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art.
Call for Entry
In 2023, the Studio Art Program held its inaugural themed community exhibition in the McNamee Gallery on campus. Faculty chose the theme and extended a call for entry to the SLU community (faculty, staff, administration, students) to participate. A portion of the faculty juried the exhibit and selected 22 works of art.
The theme for academic year 2024-2025, is Folly.
fol-ly
noun
- lack of good sense; foolishness
“an act of sheer folly”
a foolish act, idea, or practice - a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park.
- a theatrical revue with glamorous female performers such as the “Ziegfield Follies”
Artists are invited to enter one to two works that are an interpretation of the call. All media welcome. Two-dimensional art should be framed and wired for hanging.
Timeline
February 13-14: 11:30-2 p.m., Drop off artwork, at McNamee Gallery (lower level of
Cupples House)
February 17: Notification of accepted work
February 18-19: 11:30-2 p.m., pick up unaccepted artwork at McNamee Gallery
March 7: 4:30 to 6 p.m., opening reception. Free and open to the public.
April 11: Exhibition closes
April 15-16: 11:30 to 2:00 p.m., pick up all artwork from McNamee Gallery
Please print both of the entry forms for each artwork you enter. Attach one to the back of the work. The second will be collected by a gallery attendant. All work will be juried on-site at McNamee Gallery on the north campus, in the lower level of Cupples House. Works not accepted must be picked up by the date indicated. The Studio Art Program is not responsible for damaged or lost work, though every effort will be made to protect the work throughout the duration of the exhibition. For more information contact Rick Dunn or Deborah Douglas.
Program Mission Statement
The mission of Saint Louis University's studio art program reflects the larger University mission in developing students that are reflective individuals seeking to find their place in the world.
Students are active critical thinkers as they pursue seeing with insight, thoughtful decision-making, and developing original approaches to producing their art. Professors seek to create a learning environment that is collaborative in their courses, within the program as a whole, and with the larger University community, as well as the community at large. Students learn with different approaches, media and perspectives about art.