Passion, Curiosity and Creativity Capture UAlbany Studio Art Majors

ALBANY, N.Y. (June 25, 2012) — The possibilities to exercise one’s creativity as a UAlbany studio art major are virtually endless, say students, teachers and alumni who have experienced the program.

“If you’re passionate about art, come and do what you love,” said Alyssa Menshausen, who received her bachelor’s degree in art last December.

Sculpture, painting, drawing, photography, works in two or three dimensions, utilizing media such as paint, wire, metal, wood and digital technology, keep the art production facilities in the Fine Arts Building, its digital media labs, and the University’s Boor Sculpture Studio centers of activity.

“There’s no background necessary, other than curiosity and some native creativity,” said Daniel Goodwin, chair of the Department of Art.

With that creativity comes a greater understanding of the art world in general, from its history to its endless variety. “There is some training, obviously, that occurs, but we’re also in the larger sense, educating artists,” said Goodwin.

“It’s about expanding your mind,” said Ken Johnson, ’77, New York Times art critic. “I learned more about criticism by getting an M.A. in studio art at the University at Albany than I did anywhere else.”

Students also benefit from the on-campus location of a major Northeast arts venue, the University Art Museum, which holds five major exhibitions per year and maintains a collection of more than 3,000 contemporary works, many by renowned artists. A number of studio art alumni are represented in the Museum’s next exhibition, 2012 Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region, which runs from June 28 through September 8.

For more information on the variety of both traditional and emerging media available at UAlbany to undergraduate and graduate students, view the website of the Studio Art Program.

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