A Georgia Baptist Institution
Come join us and learn what being an artist, designer, or art educator can mean to you and your future.
Our primary mission is to facilitate learning, experimentation, research, and understanding of art. Through Shorter’s knowledgeable and talented faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and one-on-one instruction, Art majors are guided, challenged, and encouraged to develop into highly skilled professionals in any of our six areas of study in studio art: Ceramics, Computer Art, Drawing, Painting, Photography (Black / White and Digital) and Sculpture.
The Shorter Art faculty is involved in a range of professional and service activities and serve as role models for aspiring artists, designers and art educators. Their knowledge and talent make this Art Department second to none in the region. Graduates of our program are readily sought after by graduate schools, the design industry, museums & galleries, and as art educators because of the talent, creative skills, and knowledge skill sets that have been fostered in our students.
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Degree Programs The studio art program offers a Professional Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art in the following areas: |
Faith in the Fine Arts (An Important Mission)
The Shorter Art Department encourages students through the visual arts to develop their particular callings to the highest professional level possible; to learn how to deal with specific problems in the field without compromising our faith and our standard of artistic endeavor; to provide opportunities for sharing work and ideas; to foster intelligent understanding, a spirit of trust, and a cooperative relationship between those in the arts, the Church, and culture; and ultimately, to establish a Christian presence within the secular art world.
The Shorter University Art degree is designed for those individuals who feel they are called to serve God through the artistic discipline of creative problem solving. Our professors are dedicated to helping students build a foundation for a successful career in visual arts. You will work toward developing a relevant art practice through combining visual skills, critical thinking, and practical entrepreneurial knowledge. We believe that all artists should engage society through an honest, humble offering of their gifts in service to the world. Our students are immersed in a combination of classical training and contemporary theory, mentored by faculty members who care deeply and work closely with each student to nurture his or her individual style while also helping to inspire new ways to create.
As you create, search and ask questions, you will discover that your life and work can be a way to authentically worship God and serve humankind. This synthesis of work and worship is redemptive and restorative for a world in great need of selfless love. And while you’re here you’ll be part of God’s unfolding story as you set out to discover God’s grand design for your life.
Internships
The department views internships and apprenticeships as vital learning experiences. The time spent applying professional knowledge and skills complements in-class instruction. Students work closely with the faculty to identify outstanding opportunities. Shorter art students are highly sought after by surrounding institutions and industries for their outstanding creative problem solving abilities.
Technology
The art department maintains an up-to-date Macintosh computer lab with thirty state-of-the-art workstations to support the digital photography and computer art areas of study. These labs are equipped with scanners, laser printers, large format ink-jet printers and graphics tablets. The Department utilizes the latest in Adobe Creative Suite software.
Studio Facilities
The art department provides individual studio space for its students to create and explore art. The “Art-House” is nestled in a wooded landscape amidst a bamboo garden, providing the art students with plenty of space in which to create.
The Arnold Art Gallery
Offers an opportunity for students to exhibit their artistic efforts once each semester through the “Juried Student Art Exhibition” (The artwork for these exhibits is selected by guest art experts such as: Museum Curators and Professional Gallery Directors). Also each art major will receive a solo exhibition in the art gallery their senior semester.
Exhibition in Arnold Art Gallery
Visiting Artists
The Arnold Art Gallery offers the students opportunities to experience professional art exhibits through its “Guest Artist Exhibitions”. In the past, the Arnold Art Gallery has provided the Shorter University community Guest Artist Exhibits including artists from France, Russia, Japan, Mexico, China, Spain, Great Britain and Africa, as well as, artists from throughout the United States. It is the mission of the Guest Artist Exhibitions to provide the Students with opportunities to gather experience through personal conversations with these Guest Artists while experiencing the actual artwork created by the artist.
Art Department Scholarships
The art department offers two types of scholarships, an in-coming freshman scholarship and a merit based scholarship for advanced students. The freshman scholarship is based upon a portfolio submitted to the department (please contact Shorter Admissions for an application form) and the merit based scholarship is based upon the level of student performance during the pursuit of course work at Shorter.
A Well Rounded Degree = Success in the Future
The art department encourages its students to pursue a minor course of study in addition to the BFA/Art requirements in order to further prepare the student for future success. Students have pursued minors in Psychology (which lead to successful graduate study in art therapy counseling), Business (which lead to successful employment in the design industry), Communications (which lead to successful employment in the publication industry), Education (which lead to successful graduate study in art education and studio art ), and Religion (which lead to successful employment in the Church Youth Out-Reach programs).
Undergraduate Degree in Art + Graduate Degree in Art Education (The Smart Way to Go)
While the Shorter University Art Department does not offer an Art Education Degree, we strongly recommend that students who wish to pursue this field of employment pursue a Minor in Education and upon graduation with a BFA in Art (with a minor in education) the student could apply for Graduate School in Art Education. Most Master of Arts in Teaching degrees only require an additional two semesters of graduate study (approx. 30 hrs) and the Masters Degree will increase employability as well as increasing salary range. It is not widely published but it is a fact that most Undergraduate Education Degrees require an additional 48 hours of course work in addition to the requirements within the concentration and the competitive salary range is lower with a Bachelors Degree. After extensive research the Art Department has determined that a student who pursues a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art (with a minor in Education) and then pursues a Masters of Arts in Teaching is the “Smart Way to Go” in planning for future employment in Education.
Fall 2011
Guest Artist Exhibit - “Wholes” Ceramic Sculpture by David Hill
August 18 – September 8, 2011
Arnold Art Gallery
Artist Lecture on September 8 at 11:00 a.m.
An alumnus of Shorter, David Hill recently received his MFA in Studio Art from Clemson University where his concentration was in ceramics. His work makes use of the fragmented form, both abstract and figurative, to explore issues of suffering, mortality, and fragility while alluding to a transcendence over those very things.
Student Art Exhibit
September 19 – September 30, 2011
Arnold Art Gallery
Awards Reception on September 22 at 11:00 a.m.
Guest Artist Exhibit - “Photographs of Record” by Ilia Varcev
October 3 – October 27, 2011
Arnold Art Gallery
Artist Lecture on October 27 at 11:00 a.m.
Bulgarian by birth, Czech educated, and Southern by the grace of God, Ilia Varcev is a photographer of life’s experiences. Whether dizzying, bucket-crane architectural views of modern skyscrapers, agitated political rallies, exuberant public celebrations, intimate vignettes of his Eastern European homeland, or simply people on the street, Varcev’s extraordinary black and white photographs internalize his external reality, giving us a glimpse of the structure and meaning of a world in flux.
Senior Research Exhibitions
October 31 – December 2, 2011
Arnold Art Gallery
Spring 2012
Guest Artist Exhibit - "Ian Childers: Recent Works"
January 9 – February 2, 2012
Arnold Art Gallery
Artist Lecture on February 2 at 11:00 a.m.
Ian Childers is the Shorter University Art Department Artist-in-Residence and a graduate of the prestigious University of Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a Master of Fine Arts in Art. When asked about his artwork, Ian Childers explains; “My work balances production and performance. It is a dance with material, a poetic interaction about the intrinsic value of skill, knowledge and phenomenon that become one through the urgency of making. My vocabulary comes from my hands; clay and fire are the materials with which I speak. My interest is in gravity, motion, and fluidity: to create a delicate balance between form and chaos. The energy and tension of each piece is divided between the verticality of the form and the contrasting fluidity of the slip and glazes and how gravity can affect them, coaxing the glazes to flow with the form and to allow them to accentuate the surface.”
Guest Artist Exhibit - “ In Stasis: Photographs by Doug Clark and Sarah Cusimano Miles”
February 6 – March 1, 2012
Arnold Art Gallery
Artist Lecture on March 1 at 11:00 a.m.
Doug Clark and Sarah Cusimano Miles, both Professors from Jacksonville State University Department of Art, join their artwork together in this cohesive exhibit titled In Stasis. Doug Clark selected works from his 1:1 Series use macro photography to explore the surfaces and shapes of objects from our landscape. Sarah Cusimano Miles’ photographs from Solomon’s House, examine specimens from the collections repository at the Anniston Museum of Natural History. These two artists explore the tradition of the still life and beauty in stasis.
Student Art Exhibit
March 19 – March 30, 2012
Arnold Art Gallery
Awards Reception on March 22 at 11:00 a.m.
Senior Research Exhibitions
April 2 – May 4, 2012
Arnold Art Gallery
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Mr. Brian Taylor Since his arrival at Shorter in 1996, Professor Brian Taylor has exhibited his art throughout the United States and abroad (including over 100 one person exhibitions from The Museum of Art in Macon, Georgia to The Galerie Blonde Alain in Paris, France and over 50 group invitational exhibitions from The Herbert Gertrude Museum of Art in Roswell, Georgia to The Center for Contemporary Art and Science in Sydney, Australia). In 2009, Brian was the recipient of the Liquetex Corp Individual Artist Grant (the only American recipient that year). As part of his on-going research Brian has studied with artists, poets and musicians (including poet Octavio Paz, writer James Dickey, artist Milton Resnick, artist James Surls and musician/composer Charlie Haden). |
Brian is also a dedicated educator. In addition to his duties teaching courses in design, drawing, painting, senior research, serving as director of The Arnold Art Gallery (in which he has provided the Shorter community with over 40 Guest Artist Exhibits including artists from Russia, Japan, Mexico, China, Spain, Great Britain and Africa) and serving as the art department Chair-person, he also teaches additional courses in Contemporary Women Artists, Multi-cultural Issues in Art, Spiritualism in Art and Biblical Symbology in Art.
In 2001, Brian was the recipient of the Shorter College Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award (at that time he was the youngest faculty member in the History of the College to receive the award). Off campus, Brian is a founding member of The Arts in Medicine Program at Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia and co-founder of The Creative Learning Center (an education center for children with learning challenges) in Atlanta, Georgia.
When asked about all of his accomplishments Professor Brian Taylor simply states “the thing that I am most proud of is being a member of the Shorter faculty."
Mr. Kelly Mills As one of the newest Shorter University faculty hires, Kelly Mills is excited about his return to the arena of higher education. With a broad background in fine art and commercial photography, he brings experience and commitment to his classroom. Mills has worked as an Emory medical photographer, the manager of TBS corporate photography, and MARTA’s staff photographer. He has taught photography at Savannah College of Art and Design, Johnson County Community College, Avila University, and the Kansas City Art Institute, and has served in community-based arts organizations like Atlanta Photography Group, Nexus Contemporary Art Center, and Society for Contemporary Photography. |
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He brings to the classroom a love for all manner of creative expression, believing that visual literacy is an important part of any education. A better understanding of the visual arts is useful in any discipline, and more so for imaging, considering its ubiquitous presence in our daily lives. “God must’ve loved potters and photographers, since he made so many of us.” Teaching classes in photography, computer art, art history and art appreciation, Mills strives to help students integrate theory, technique, and production.
M.V.A. Photography, Georgia State University
B.A. Photography, Eckerd College
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