The Allen R. Hite Art Institute, the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Louisville, combines academic excellence with the vision of a fi ne arts program that draws upon a vital arts community and the visual resources of the Commonwealth’s largest city. The Hite Endowment has allowed the department to move to the forefront by providing support for academic programs, library acquisitions, student scholarships, visiting artists and scholars and exhibitions. With the largest undergraduate art program in the state, offering degrees in art history, art education, and studio art with nine areas of concentration, the department is both a magnet and catalyst for students wishing to study the arts within the context of a liberal arts education. The goal of the department is to raise the level of awareness, appreciation and support of the arts, to cultivate and nurture the creative spirit, and to highlight the important role the arts play in the quality of life of its students and the community.
our mission
our programs
BFA Art HistoryStudio Art
BFA 2D Studios3D StudiosCommunication Art & DesignInterior Architecture
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BA
BA in Art History • BA in Studio Art • BA in Art History • BA in Studio Art •
BA art historyBA studio art
The BFA provides the opportunity for a student to go into more depth
in the studio arts. The 2D and 3D Studio tracks allow students to
customize their degree to either focus primarily on a specifi c studio
area or to work cross-media taking courses in several studio areas.
AdmissionAdmission to this program is selective and competitive. Enrollments
are limited. Current BA students may apply to the program after having
completed the Foundations Program in Studio Art, or equivalent, plus
having completed or are currently enrolled in the 300-level course
in the program track area for which they intend to apply (ART 301,
305, 341, or 351, for 2D Studios; ART 311, 321, 331, or 381 for 3D
Stuadios; ART 371 for Communication Art & Design; ART 361 for
Interior Architecture). Students must also have a minimum GPA of 3.01
in studio art and art history classes and a minimum overall GPA of 2.25
to be admitted and to remain in the program. If accepted to the BFA
program, students take additional courses at the 500-level in one of
the four BFA program tracks: 2D Studios, 3D Studios, Communication
Art & Design, or Interior Architecture (see below).
art history
The Department of Fine Arts and the Hite Art Institute of the University
of Louisville offers undergraduate Studio Art majors the choice of two
degrees: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts. The faculty are
committed to providing our graduates with technical competence,
aesthetic judgment and a strong dedication to artistic quality within the
framework of a solid liberal arts background.
The BA degree is primarily intended as a program for art students
who wish to receive a broad experience in studio practice within the
context of a liberal arts education. Students are required to complete
the Foundations curriculum plus a minimum of four courses at the
300-level in different studio areas. Well prepared students may take up
to six additional hours at the 500-level with the consent of their advisor
and the instructor of the course.
All undergraduate students in the Department of Fine Arts are required
to complete a non-art academic program of General Education
requirements. Students in the Bachelor of Arts program are also
required to achieve competency in a foreign language. art historyhite art institute | 7
studio art
The Department of Fine Arts and the Hite Art Institute of the University
of Louisville offers undergraduate Studio Art majors the choice of two
degrees: Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts. The faculty are
committed to providing our graduates with technical competence,
aesthetic judgment and a strong dedication to artistic quality within the
framework of a solid liberal arts background.
The BA degree is primarily intended as a program for art students
who wish to receive a broad experience in studio practice within the
context of a liberal arts education. Students are required to complete
the Foundations curriculum plus a minimum of four courses at the
300-level in different studio areas. Well prepared students may take up
to six additional hours at the 500-level with the consent of their advisor
and the instructor of the course.
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BFA
The BFA provides the opportunity for a student to go into more depth in the
studio arts. The 2D and 3D Studio tracks allow students to customize their
degree to either focus primarily on a specifi c studio area or to work cross-
media taking courses in several studio areas.
AdmissionAdmission to this program is selective and competitive. Enrollments
are limited. Current BA students may apply to the program after having
completed the Foundations Program in Studio Art, or equivalent, plus having
completed or are currently enrolled in the 300-level course in the program
track area for which they intend to apply (ART 301, 305, 341, or 351, for
2D Studios; ART 311, 321, 331, or 381 for 3D Stuadios; ART 371 for
Communication Art & Design; ART 361 for Interior Architecture). Students
must also have a minimum GPA of 3.01 in studio art and art history classes
and a minimum overall GPA of 2.25 to be admitted and to remain in the
program. If accepted to the BFA program, students take additional courses
at the 500-level in one of the four BFA program tracks: 2D Studios, 3D
Studios, Communication Art & Design, or Interior Architecture (see below).
BFABFA interior architecture BFA communication of art and designBFA 2d studiosBFA 3d studios
interior architecture
interior architecture
The Interior Architecture Program is based upon dual strategies: conceptual development and technical profi ciency.
Creative thinking in Interior Design has a close relationship to all forms of artistic activity. Good designers use an understanding of society and culture to form critical judgments about people’s lives.
Conceptually, our Interior Architecture program is based upon the principles of Interior Architecture as defi ned by John Kurtich and Garret Eakin in their book Interior Architecture. These include an emphasis upon the enclosing structure, as a reference for the selection of furnishings, the importance of both three and four dimensional design thinking, the importance of light, and the use of color and materials to impart a human character.
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IA
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communication of art and design
Graphic design, the planning and development of visual
communication, is a very broad discipline. Designers create books,
magazines, visual identifi cation systems, web sites, packaging,
advertising, architectural graphics, information graphics, museum
displays, and many other applications. However diverse in its usage,
all graphic design shares the same purpose–the articulate exchange of
information between people through the use of image and word.
The Communication Art & Design studio art track is a professional
preparatory program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
It is intended to prepare students to eventually assume leadership
positions in the fi eld of graphic design. The Communication Art &
Design program at the Hite Art Institute is focuses on three aspects:
conceptual development, compositional eloquence, and technical
profi ciency. These aims are accomplished through both hand and
computer-based work.
communication of art and design
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stud
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CA
&D
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2D studios
2D studios
The Hite Art Institute, the Department of Fine Arts at the University of
Louisville, is the largest studio art program and the only PhD program in Art
History in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Department currently has
over 450 undergraduate majors, 60 graduate students, 22 full-time faculty
members and a full-time staff of seven.
The Fine Arts program in enriched by the Institute’s Exhibition program and
the Visiting Artist’s and Scholars Program which invites artists and experts
to lecture and exhibit at the institute. The Institute’s Galleries also provide
students a venue to exhibit work in Student, BFA, and MA Thesis Shows.
concentrations:photography• drawing• printmaking• painting•
photography
The photography program explores the unique qualities of the medium
and its possibilities for personal expression. Through a series of visual
assignments students experiment with the various reasons for making
photographs: as documents, as images designed and directed by the
photographer, and as social commentary. Instruction is tailored to the
individual student's needs and abilities with the hope that each one
will fi nd her or his own voice. Students learn fundamental camera,
darkroom and electronic imaging skills necessary for convincing picture
making. While photographic technique is stressed, emphasis is always
given to ideas and how to make those ideas visual and exciting. In
addition to the studio courses, all photography students are required to
take a class in the whistory of photography.
The photographic facilities include a large (fourteen person) darkroom
for beginning classes and a smaller (four to six person) darkroom for
advanced students. There are individual darkrooms for printing both
color and black and white. One studio is equipped with professional
lighting equipment and view cameras.
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2D studios
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phot
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The drawing program consists of intermediate and
advanced level courses for students who wish to pursue
drawing as an area of specialization or to develop their
drawing skills in relation to other studio areas. Students
may work in a variety of traditional media, including
graphite, charcoal and pastel, and are encouraged to
explore the use of new and mixed media as well.
Our program allows work in either abstract or realistic
idioms. Regular courses are supplemented by a visiting
artist program and by special topic courses, such as
Landscape Drawing and Anatomy and Life Drawing.
A well-equipped studio provides working spaces for
non-fi gurative drawing and ample community space for
complex projects and drawing from live models.
drawing2D studios
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draw
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print making
The Printmaking Program provides instruction in all traditional printmaking techniques: Relief (Woodcuts and Linocuts), Intaglio (Etching and Engraving), Silkscreen and Lithography. Students are able to work with newer technologies such as photo processes and computer designs.
The program emphasizes personal expression and encourages original and serious contemporary concepts in printmaking.
Visiting artists in the fi eld are invited to participate in the program and often show their work and demonstrate special techniques. Field trips to important print exhibitions and to museums are also a feature of the printmaking program.
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2D studios
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prin
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The painting program offers instruction at all levels. Based upon the premise that excellent painting may occur within a tradition, or outside of it, our program adheres to no single school of thought, but is structured to allow students to begin to develop their own vision through disciplined training. While beginning painting students are given a solid foundation in the discipline, advanced students, depending upon their respective stages of development, are encouraged to explore avenues of expression pertinent to their own interests. A primary objective of the program is to encourage awareness among students that learning about oneself and the world in which one lives is as important as developing visual skills.
painting2D studios
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pain
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3D studios
The Hite Art Institute, the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Louisville, is the largest studio art program and the only PhD program in Art History in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Department currently has over 450 undergraduate majors, 60 graduate students, 22 full-time faculty members and a full-time staff of seven.
The Fine Arts program in enriched by the Institute’s Exhibition program and the Visiting Artist’s and Scholars Program which invites eminent artists and experts to lecture and exhibit at the institute. The Institute’s Galleries also provide students a venue to exhibit work in Student, BFA, and MA Thesis Shows.
3D studios
concentrations:glass• ceramics• fi bers• sculpture•
The Hite Art Institue offers Introduction to Glass, a 300 level course intended for beginners with no experience. In it students learn the fundamentals of hot glass and glassblowing. The focus is on the primary skills needed to create basic shapes from hot glass. Students learn techniques including gathering glass, using tools and creating different shapes on the blowpipe. A variety of vessel forms are demonstrated with an emphasis on teamwork and communication. Hot Glass is a 500 level course offered to students who have completed the 300 level introductory class. In this level students expand upon the techniques learned at the introductory level and experiment with and create new shapes in their work.
glass
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3D studios
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glas
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Taught within the context of a broad liberal arts curriculum, the ceramics program places strong emphasis on developing a repertory of fundamental techniques that give students a basis for further experimentation.
An unusually high number of our graduates continue to work professionally in the fi eld, teaching and supporting themselves as ceramicists.
The program has studio facilities equipped for throwing, hand building, and fi ring clay, with electric and gas kilns for high temperature reduction techniques. In addition to the regular course offerings of our faculty, we feature annual workshops conducted by internationally acclaimed artists.
ceramics3D studios
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fi bers
The fi ber program provides instruction in two major areas: surface
design and fi ber construction. The fi ber curriculum includes traditional
as well as nontraditional techniques, not as an end in themselves, but
as a means to develop a vocabulary for contemporary expression.
The design process and its relationship to materials and techniques
is stressed at introductory levels while the advanced student is
encouraged to focus and develop a strong personal direction.
Nationally recognized artists and professionals in textile related fi elds
are often invited to lecture and conduct workshops. We use our
regional galleries and museums as resources for both contemporary
and historical work in fi ber.
The fi ber studio has facilities for dying, printing and papermaking,
and is organized to accommodate a broad range of surface design
processes. An adjacent weaving area provides space for loom and
off-loom processes including tapestry, basketry, and feltmaking.
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3D studios
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The sculpture program provides an opportunity for development on
many levels. Entering the program, students learn basic skills with tools
and materials, and begin an investigation of spatial organization and
communication through three-dimensional form.
Advanced courses offer an opportunity to develop both conceptually
and technically in sculpture. Working with a variety of media, students
are introduced to genres within the discipline, from fabrication of the
discrete object to installation. Through group discussion and critique,
students develop the skill of critical thinking, and learn to view their
work within a social and historical context.
The sculpture studio is a spacious, modern facility with a complete
woodshop, metal fabrication equipment, and areas for working with
plaster, clay, and stone. Graduate students accepted into the M.A.
program are eligible based on availability for a private graduate studio
located within the sculpture facility.
sculpture3D studios
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scul
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faculty
James Grubola, MFA, Professor and Chair DrawingMoon-he Baik, MFA, Associate Professor Interior Architecture, 2-D DesignKaren Britt, PhD, Assistant Professor Medieval and Byzantine Art HistoryTodd Burns, MFA, Associate Professor Ceramics, 3-D DesignMary Carothers, MFA, Associate Professor Photography, Video, 2-D DesignYing Kit Chan, MFA, Professor Drawing, Web Design, 2-D DesignH. Stow Chapman, M.Arch, Associate Professor Interior Architecture, DrawingMitch Eckert, MFA, Associate Professor Photography, 2-D & 3-D DesignLeslie Friesen, Designer-in-Residence Graphic DesignChristopher Fulton, PhD, Associate Professor Renaissance Art HistoryLinda Gigante, PhD, Associate Professor Ancient, Classical Greek, Roman Art HistoryLida Gordon, MFA, Professor Fibers, Mixed Media, 2-D DesignBarbara Hanger, MFA, Associate Professor Art Education, 2-D Design, DrawingBenjamin Hufbauer, PhD, Associate Professor American Art History, History of ArchitectureSusan Jarosi, PhD, Assistant Professor Contemporary Art and TheoryDelin Lai, PhD, Assistant Professor Asian Art HistoryScott Massey, MFA, Associate Professor Sculpture, 3-D DesignGabrielle Mayer, MFA, Assistant Professor Painting, DrawingMark Priest, MFA, Associate Professor Painting, DrawingChé Rhodes, MFA, Assistant Professor Glass, 3-D DesignSteven Skaggs, MS, Professor Graphic Design, 2-D DesignJohn Whitesell, MFA, Professor Printmaking, 2-D Design