Art and Visual Culture
Department
The Faculty
Professional artists/designers/art historians form Centenary's art faculty. Graduates of distinguished universities and art institutions, they have worked in various areas, including museum curation and direction, sculpting, painting, graphic design, consulting, stage design, multimedia design, and film and video production. They present their work both regionally and nationally, and have won numerous awards and grants for their contributions to the arts.
About the Major
Small class sizes mean that Centenary art majors will receive what some consider private art lessons by master artists and art historians.
The art faculty works with students to ensure mastery in the basic skills of art and art history as well as advanced training in creative studio arts and arts analysis. This is largely accomplished through courses that aim to develop the creative process. Courses in the history of painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, film, and architecture give students a perspective through which to better understand and critique the visual cultures around them. A combination of theory and hands-on studio courses at the upper-level allows students to sharpen their technique through intensive study in printmaking, drawing, pottery, sculpture, film, video, and electronic multimedia. For those who want to gain experience before graduation, art internships are available at galleries, studios, museums, arts agencies, and with professional artists and archaeologists.
Students display their works through several venues, including the Turner Art Center, the Magale Library Gallery, and the Gallery in the Tower in downtown Shreveport, as well as in other local galleries and exhibitions, including Shreveport Airport's Artport. Our impressive art facilities include multimedia classrooms; a darkroom; gallery; Meadows Museum of Art; studios for painting, printmaking, drawing, and sculpture; and a state-of-the-art multimedia design laboratory.
The R.Z. Biedenharn Eminent Scholars Chair in Communication affords students even more expertise, fusing art and communication studies in the analysis and creation of multimedia.
For students interested in arts or museum management, we also offer the Museum Management Program, which combines business classes with art courses and internships, often at the Meadows Museum. This program enables many of our students to work as gallery and museum managers immediately upon graduation.
Career Opportunities
Centenary art graduates have found varied and interesting careers. Some choose to teach or pursue graduate degrees in art history, interior design, landscape design, architectural design, art therapy, graphics, and fine arts. Others become professional artists, gallery owners, museum managers and curators, interior designers, and professional photographers. Centenary art majors have achieved success as physicians, attorneys, and business leaders. Wherever their career paths take them, they agree that the understanding and appreciation of art learned at Centenary prepared them to master the specific skills necessary in their professional fields.
