BA/BS in Fine and Studio Arts

The Bates art and visual culture major combines making with analysis. The department offers grounding in both hands-on studio practice and the historical and contemporary study of images. Students select either a history and criticism track or a studio track. History courses place artworks, objects and buildings within their social and temporal settings, while studio classes cover clay, drawing, moving images, painting, photography and printmaking. Work across both tracks challenges students to articulate a distinct viewpoint through critique and creative output. Coursework also examines representation and media through diverse methods, which informs practice in the studio. Students consider how art reflects power, privilege and cultural history, and they leave prepared for graduate study, curatorial work, design, arts administration and creative careers. Work in the studio and in the seminar room feeds into one another.