Studio Art (BA)
Find your style
MBU students can declare a major in Studio Art until August 2024.
Students who have already declared a major or will declare one from the existing course catalog prior to August 2024 will be able to complete their major on schedule through courses offered at Mary Baldwin.
At MBU we want you to find your artistic style. Think of the studio art program as providing a set of tools — conceptual, historical, and technical — to help you become the kind of artist you want to be. We encourage a confident yet self-critical approach to creativity across a range of disciplines and forms.
- Format
- In-person
- Degree Type
- Bachelor of Arts
- Areas of Emphasis
- Painting
Photography and Printmaking
Drawing
Extended Media - Minor
- Studio Art
Next steps
Why Study Studio Art at Mary Baldwin?
Our small class size means you’ll get personal attention from experienced faculty who care about your work and your creative path. And our interdisciplinary approach to the arts means that everything you learn at MBU — from literature to history to science — will help inform the art you create.
What Can You Do with a Studio Art Degree?
Studio art fosters creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative skills, all of which are valued by potential employers. MBU’s studio art program keeps you connected and engaged with the art world locally, nationally, and globally, with visiting artists and scholars; field trips to museums, exhibitions, and lectures; and a faculty of practicing, exhibiting artists.
Formal Training Meets Conceptual Innovation
With devoted faculty across a wide range of disciplines, the studio art program at MBU focuses on combining technical and formal training with informed conceptual thinking. Our interdisciplinary approach to art fosters creativity and vision, and our attention to technical skill and formal detail encourages students to innovate, and empowers them to bring their ideas to life.
Next steps
“Art can heal communities that have suffered from great trauma and artists can spark a movement towards awareness and change.”
Savannah Tamariz ’21studio art major
What Classes Will I Take?
Studio art major requirements include at least one area of emphasis: drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, or extended media. With planning it is possible to have two areas of emphasis, which is recommended for students considering graduate school.
Our program is technique driven and steeped in art history. You will practice a broad range of skills in classes focusing on everything from pinhole photography to silkscreening to digital printmaking.
Sample Courses:
A practical exploration of the basic elements and principles of art and design. Establishes a foundation for effective communication through the language of visual form. Problems are addressed primarily through black and white media, with some attention given to three-dimensional design.
An introduction to materials and techniques. Emphasizes monotype, woodcuts/linocuts, the artist’s book, lithography, and intaglio printing. Equips you with a working knowledge of printmaking processes.
Introduces and orients you to the elements and principles of the era known as the Harlem Renaissance in Harlem in New York City and beyond. Explore the historical context for the visual arts of the Harlem Renaissance. This course will examine the influence of the Harlem Renaissance outside of its years as a movement of African American Art beyond the borders of the built environment of Harlem.
Unique student support
The McCree Center for Life Success assists current students and alumni in finding the best opportunities throughout their career development. We work closely with both faculty and employers to identify how your valued education best matches the needs of today’s evolving marketplace.
World-Renowned Graduates
Studio art major Giselle Hobbs ‘18 is currently the Fulbright Scholar in Painting at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At MBU she demonstrated extraordinary talent as an artist, completing a double emphasis in Painting and Drawing with distinction in major. She studied painting abroad in Italy and earned the first place Capstone award. Hobbs went on to achieve a master’s degree in art history from Syracuse University and an MFA from Cornell University.
Next steps
Cost & Financial Aid
A great education is worth it. Here’s how Mary Baldwin helps you pay for it: Generous financial aid packages, a broad range of scholarships, transferring maximum credit hours from previous coursework or relevant work and life experiences — the list goes on. Our mission is to help you level up and bring your aspirations to life.
MBU helps you fast-track your path to a political science degree with the opportunity to transfer up to 18 credits (6 courses) through direct course equivalents from the Virginia Community Colleges System.
- Cost per credit hour: $486
- Credits required for a bachelor’s degree: 120