Art Degrees Online

Digital Arts at AAC is taught by professional working artists and focuses strongly on problem solving, perceptual acuity, technical/skill acquisition, and conceptual development. The approach is both broad and discipline-specific, placing the work in historical as well as current context.

A Digital Arts degree prepares students for many professional pathways in both fine art and industry application. They include (but are hardly limited to) animation, video gaming, video production, web design, photography, and multimedia production.

Want to design, sculpt, cast, carve, and fabricate one-of-a-kind objects in metal, wood, plastic, clay, and mixed media? Our BFA students explore object making and three-dimensional thinking under the mentorship of a renowned faculty, all of whom are successful artists in their own right.

Make a living AND make a difference.

The work of sculptors and functional artists surrounds us — in museums, public gardens, city centers, galleries, office buildings, and in homes. These artists connect with the masses and engage the senses. They inject beauty and craft into unexpected places, asking us to explore and discover the inimitable appeal of art in the third dimension.
Working artists

Our Sculpture and Functional Art graduates lead professional lives as sculptors, woodworkers, cabinet makers, custom furniture designers, metal artists, fine arts craftspeople, model makers, figurative artists, decorative artists, special effects artists, installation artists, gallery owners, curators, furniture finishers, exhibit designers, set designers, and more.

Are you passionate about painting? Do you see yourself working in your own studio and selling your work in galleries? Or pursuing commissions or public arts projects? Our BFA in Painting is intensely focused. You’ll study every major form and genre including still life, landscape, figure, abstract, and mixed media. You’ll work in oils, acrylics, watercolor, and encaustic. And as you work your way through the program, you’ll be developing a broad body of work and a highly competitive portfolio that will prepare you for a future in fine art.

Make a living AND make a difference.

Painting is an art of many voices. Some are quiet and studied. Others are explosive and free. The diversity of expression creates continual openings for new perspectives—and for change. Through their work, painters call attention to the world within and around us, inviting us to explore new voices, as well as new ways of seeing and thinking and being in the world.
Working artists

Our BFA in Painting graduates go into the world and become independent studio painters, muralists, professors, graduate teaching assistants, continuing education instructors, freelance artists, freelance designers, gallery managers, gallery owners, and more.
Painting program faculty
Jay Constantine Professor, Program Chair
Patricia Constantine Assistant Professor
Boyd Quinn Professor
Deborah Rockman Professor
Margaret Vega Professor
Mariel Versluis Assistant Professor
Diane Zeeuw Associate Professor

Illustrators lend meaning to narrative. They illuminate ideas and bring characters and concepts to life. If you’re a visual thinker who wants to contribute to the dialogue of our culture, you may have the makings of a professional illustrator. Our program teaches you to formulate visual information succinctly and imaginatively. You’ll learn to present a concept using different styles and to develop your own style. Plus you’ll leave Kendall with a comprehensive and marketable portfolio of your work.

Make a living AND make a difference.

Throughout human history, we’ve relied on illustration to be the universal language that spans the gaps between generations and cultures, between ancient times and modern. Illustrations bring a story to life, clarifying what’s confusing, showing us how and why in a global language—no translation necessary.
Working Artists

BFA graduates in Illustration become storyboard illustrators, mural designers, editorial illustrators, art directors, product illustrators, art directors, creative directors, graphic artists, cartoonists, caricature artists, animation illustrators, fashion illustrators, and free-lance illustrators. They work for magazines, poster and print companies, art galleries, record labels, syndicated cartoon features, computer game developers, book publishers, greeting card companies, multimedia and animations firms, stock illustration and clip art firms, and advertising design and communications firms.
Illustration program faculty
Molly Alicki-Corriveau Associate Professor, Program Chair
Lauri Friar Adjunct Faculty
Damian Goidich Adjunct Faculty
Jon McDonald Professor
Sandra Ringlever Professor

Do you see the world through a particular lens? Let us refine your eye and broaden your exposure. You’ll explore traditional and nontraditional methods of lighting, taking photographs, and producing prints. You’ll combine photography with other media such as printmaking or video to produce amazing and imaginative results. And, while you study, you’ll amass an amazing portfolio of work that will support your pursuit as a photographer in fine arts, advertising, commercial, or documentary work.

Make a living AND make a difference.

Recall the iconic images of current culture and it’s likely those images are photographs. They have the power to enrage, to entertain, to soothe, and to persuade. Through the power of their images, photographers can change our perceptions about the world we live in and change the course of human history.
Working artists

Our Photography graduates work as freelance photographers, corporate and institutional photographers, medical photographers, fashion photographers, food photographers, photography teachers, gallery artists, photography curators, photo stylists, studio owners, photojournalists, and more.
Photography program faculty
Darlene Kaczmarczyk Professor, Program Chair
Adam D. DeKraker Assistant Professor
Benjamin Harrison Adjunct Faculty
Kieran Johnson Adjunct Faculty
Erin Wyld Adjunct Faculty

In an art context, ideas are often as important as execution. Our master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree program in art photography not only places a strong emphasis on technical accomplishment and the professional presentation of work, but on a clear articulation of ideas.

As a student in our program, you will commit to an intense period of study with the goal of producing a cohesive and technically astute body of work that can be discussed and defended in a context relevant to contemporary art issues. You will have the opportunity to study and interact with other media artists in computer art, film, and video as well as take courses in the larger University.

The faculty are a diverse group of working artists who have a comprehensive knowledge of the contemporary art world and experience in documentary, curatorial, performance, and video work. Visiting artists complement their expertise; recent guests include photographer Renee Cox ’78, curator John Miller, video artist Mike Smith, and Peter Galassi, curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art.

Our state-of-the-art facilities include separate black-and-white and color darkrooms, a wide variety of cameras and lighting, and digital imaging facilities that feature 20 G4 Macs, a 44” color processor, and an Imacon scanner. Your study is enhanced by close association with Community Darkrooms and Light Work on campus and SPARK, an off-campus, student-run gallery.

The Simon’s Rock program in Photography considers technical knowledge, historical background, and critical and analytical skills to be key elements in the education of each photo student. Our curriculum is designed to foster a disciplined approach to independent, self-generated work in each course, whether it be the core studio or a Senior Thesis project. We provide a comprehensive facility with professional equipment, as well as exposure to working artists, historians, writers, and critics, to support the growth and development of each student photographer. We feel that photography by its very nature is a tool which promotes interdisciplinary study. Our program offers a wide range of courses that allow the exploration of the medium of photography by students with interests in the arts and humanities, the sciences, and the social sciences.

Students interested in this concentration should take the core course, Photography, in the first year. It provides each student with an introduction to basic camera and darkroom skills, a background in the history of photography, and a thorough exploration of image making. We recommend that Lower College students in this concentration also take two semesters of basic art history and at least one design module or course.
Curriculum
Three intermediate courses in Photography are required for the concentration. Students are introduced to a variety of photographic approaches and technical skills through courses such as the Writing and Photography Studio and Experiments in Photography and other intermediate visual arts courses that use photo media such as Intermedia Studio, Designing with Computers, Intaglio Printmaking and Silk Screen Printmaking. Either History of Photography, Theories of Photography, or Critical Issues in Contemporary Photography is required, and it is recommended that students in the concentration take two of these courses. Advanced courses include Color Photography Studio, Documentary Photography, Photographic Portrait/Self- Portrait, and the Artists’ Books Studio. Students are required to take at least three of these. The total minimum credits required to complete the Photography concentration is 24.