Department of Art
MARY D. SHERIFF, Chair
Professors
Jaroslav T. Folda, S. Elizabeth Grabowski, Jim Hirschfield, Yun-Dong Nam, Mary D. Sheriff, elin o'Hara slavick, Mary C. Sturgeon, Dennis J. Zaborowski.
Associate Professors
Pika Ghosh, Juan Logan, Mary Pardo, Dorothy Verkerk.
Assistant Professors
Glaire Anderson, Cary Levine, Carol Magee, Mario Marzan, Kimowan McLain, Jeff Whetstone, Lyneise Williams.
Lecturers
Susan Harbage Page, Michael Sonnichsen, David Tinapple
Ackland Art Museum:
Adjunct Professors
Emily Kass, Timothy Riggs.
Adjunct Associate Professors
Barbara Matilsky, Carolyn Wood.
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Carolyn Allmendinger.
Adjunct Instructor
Lyn Koehnline.
North Carolina Museum of Art:
Adjunct Associate Professors
John Coffey, Kinsey Katchka, Mary Ellen Soles, David H. Steel, Dennis P. Weller.
Professors Emeriti
Robert Barnard, James Gadson, Frances Huemer, Sara Immerwahr, Richard W. Kinnaird, Arthur Marks, Jerry Noe, Marvin Saltzman.
For those considering professional careers as art historians (teaching and research), critics or museum or gallery professionals, the Department of Art offers graduate work leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy. Those who aim to become professional artists should take the degree of master of fine arts. The Hanes Art Center provides exhibition galleries, a departmental library, a visual resources library, offices, study areas, classrooms and studios. Additional studios and shops are located in the Art Laboratory building on Airport Drive, one mile from campus. The Joseph C. Sloane Art Library has a collection of nearly 100,000 volumes and is supplemented by the University's Academic Affairs libraries, with holdings of more than 5,000,000 volumes. The Sloane Art Library collection provides computer terminals for catalogs and houses the reserve holdings for Art Department courses. Graduate students have access to the departmental visual resources library, which has current holdings of 225,000 slides, 15,750 digital images and 40,000 photographs.
Admission
Deadline for applications is January 1. The Graduate School application is submitted via the online application for admission (https://admissionsapp.unc.edu/grad/default.asp). This user-friendly, online application is faster and easier than completing a paper application and provides for the prompt receipt and distribution of application information. Individuals who are unable to utilize the online application may request a paper application from gradinfo@unc.edu or by phoning (919) 966-2612.
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Applications are welcome from students holding a bachelor's degree in art or from students with an undergraduate degree in another field who present a strong portfolio in art. A background of at least one basic-level course and one intermediate-level course is necessary to prepare the applicant adequately for the required graduate-level courses in art history and a cognate field. In addition to the UNC-Chapel Hill application, applicants to the M.F.A. program must submit directly to the Department of Art a portfolio of representative examples of creative work. Ten slides, identified and labeled as described at www.unc.edu/art/studio_art/graduate/how_to_label_your_slide.pdf, are required and should be enclosed in plastic slide sheets. Applicants should not send original works. A slide description sheet noting dimensions, media and date of each piece should be included. A statement of purpose (i.e., reasons for pursuing graduate study in studio art), along with an artist statement, should also be submitted. Portfolios of those admitted become property of the department and are retained in the student's file. The portfolios of applicants who are not offered admission will be returned if accompanied by a self-addressed envelope with sufficient return postage. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for application to the M.F.A. program.
Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Doctorate (Ph.D.)
In addition to completing an application to The Graduate School (which must include up-to-date GRE scores), the candidate for admission to the programs in art history must submit directly to the Department of Art an example of his/her written work. The writing sample should be no more than 15 pages. All applicants for graduate study in art history are admitted to the program as candidates for the master of arts degree unless they have already received or expect to receive the M.A. degree in art history from another institution. An undergraduate major in art history is not required for M.A. candidacy; however, entering candidates must have taken a minimum of 24 semester hours in art history, archaeology, cultural anthropology or aesthetics.
There are no spring semester admissions in either studio art or art history.
Degree Requirements for Studio Art
The master of fine arts degree at UNC-Chapel Hill is a two-year, 60-hour program. The majority of credits are earned as independent study and critiqued under the direction of a resident professor advisor. Further interaction with the studio faculty is encouraged through a series of critiques/reviews. In the first year, students interact one-on-one with the whole studio faculty through appointments and in a series of scheduled individual meetings. In the second year, students select a thesis committee composed of at least three members, two of whom must come from the studio faculty. Students may have representation of faculty on the thesis committee from outside the Department of Art. Through interaction with faculty both within the art department and in the University at large, students are guided technically and intellectually toward producing work that reflects the unique and personal conviction of the artist/student.
Believing that technique must serve the visual ideas, the Studio Art faculty stresses the image-making/conceiving process as integral to the execution of the work. As each student understands his or her own point of view with regard to issues being addressed in the work, faculty serve as guides and instructors in technique when necessary and appropriate. Given this approach, students do not necessarily choose a particular medium for specialized concentration. Determinations of media focus are arrived at through an examination of aesthetic and conceptual goals. This does not preclude a media focus, but suggests that any choices made must be considered as part of the students' intellectual and aesthetic explorations.
The academic component of the M.F.A. program is designed to complement the main purpose of making art. The program operates under the philosophy that the decision to pursue the making of fine art in an academic context carries an attendant responsibility to develop the verbal and written articulation of the visual. To accomplish this goal, students participate each semester in a graduate seminar (three credit hours per semester), conducted by the faculty and/or the artist-in-residence. Contemporary critical issues including social, cultural, political and aesthetic ideas surrounding the making of art are explored and debated in this group forum. This also provides an opportunity for young professionals to interact with accomplished, successful artists, working in a variety of contexts.
A continuation of this more traditional academic endeavor is accomplished by a requisite nine hours of additional course work in art history and/or related fields. Course selections are made depending on the focus of the individual student's research; selected courses will supplement and stretch the potential of the creative work from an academic perspective. Usually students are urged to take one of these courses in the area of 20th-century art history. The remaining hours are Master's Thesis, taken in the final semester. The thesis hours basically constitute the preparation of the thesis exhibition and the writing of the thesis document.
The conclusion of the M.F.A. program is the group exhibition of the thesis work produced under the direction of the thesis committee. Students write a thesis document/statement to accompany the thesis work. A final oral defense takes place during the time of the exhibition. Once the oral defense has been passed, students submit a copy of the thesis statement (along with slide and photo documentation of the thesis work) for permanent retention in the Sloane Art Library.
An additional feature of the UNC-Chapel Hill Master of Fine Arts program is the Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series. This program has proved to be a vital conduit for graduate students to see the work of and interact with a large and diverse number of professional artists. The artists are typically invited to campus for a two-day visit, in which they give a public lecture and then give private critiques for the department's graduate students.
Financial Aid for Studio Art Students
All applicants for admission to the M.F.A. program are automatically considered by the department for nomination in the University Fellowship Competition. Applicants and students in residence are eligible for teaching assistantships and graduate assistantships that are awarded on a semester basis. Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, CB# 2300, 300 Pettigrew Hall, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-2300 (www.unc.edu/studentaid) for information about work-study jobs and loans.
Degree Requirements for Art History
Master of Arts Degree
The master of arts degree generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in The Graduate School Handbook.
Purpose of the M.A. degree: both a broad knowledge of world art and a basic sampling of the diverse theory and methods employed by our faculty in the discipline of art history.
The master's program in art history is designed to be completed in four semesters.
Diagnostic Slide Examination
During the first week of their first semester, entering M.A. students take a diagnostic slide examination (DSE). The purpose of the DSE is to identify one or more areas where the graduate students need to develop visual knowledge beyond their undergraduate background. It is in no way punitive, nor is it graded. Since the field of art history is increasingly global, and our program encourages a more global approach, the diagnostic exam serves to assist the new graduate student in identifying an area in which he or she would like to increase his or her visual repertoire by auditing a survey class offered by one or more of the faculty.
Course Work
Total of 12 courses, 36 credits.
Three required courses: Methods (ART 750) in the first semester; Thesis Writing (ART 992) and Thesis Registration (ART 993) in the fourth semester.
Nine courses, of which five should be graduate seminars (900 level).
At least two courses must be before 1700 C.E.; two after 1700 C.E.
Student must take courses with five different members of the graduate faculty.
Students are advised to audit two survey courses over the course of their first two semesters in order to develop some breadth of knowledge.
Graduate Courses: www.unc.edu/gradrecord/programs/art.html
Language Requirement
M.A. Degree: By the end of the third semester, all M.A. students are required to have met the language requirement in German or a Romance language, either by obtaining a passing grade on the UNC-Chapel Hill reading competency exam or by passing German 602x or French 602x (graduate-level reading courses offered by UNC-Chapel Hill).
Note: No credit toward the M.A. course work requirement is given for language courses.
Master's Exam
M.A. students take this exam at the beginning of their third semester. Students who do not pass the exam at that time may re-take the exam at the end of the third semester. Only students who have successfully passed the exam may register for ART 992 (M.A. Thesis-Writing Seminar) or ART 993 (M.A. Thesis Registration). The exam is offered only during the fall semester.
Master's Thesis
The M.A. thesis is completed by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment. The completed thesis must be signed by the members of the Thesis Committee and submitted to The Graduate School in time for May graduation.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The degree of doctor of philosophy generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in The Graduate School Handbook.
Course Work
Ph.D. students take a total of nine courses, at least four of which are research seminars (900-level), plus a final course, ART 994 (Dissertation Registration). Two of the nine courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complimentary studies.
Electing to pursue an External Minor: Ph.D. students may choose to complete a formal external minor, which consists of at least three additional courses in a field related to his or her area of specialized study (such as communication studies, women's studies, history or medieval studies). The student must secure prior approval of the minor department, and a copy of the proposed courses to be taken must be signed by both departments and entered in the student's permanent record in the Department of Art and the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School.
Language Requirement
Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages (other than English) appropriate to the area of study, to be determined in consultation with advisor, director of graduate studies and graduate committee. Some fields require additional languages and students should study these languages as necessary.
Preliminary Doctoral Exams
Ph.D. students take both the written and the oral preliminary exams during the semester after the Ph.D. course work is completed. Most Ph.D. students will take the preliminary exams during the spring semester of their second year in the Ph.D. program. Those students pursuing an external minor will take the preliminary exams during the fall semester of their third year.
• Written Exams. Students take the written preliminary exams over the course of a one-week period. Students who fail the written exams may repeat them only once. These exams are taken in three parts: major field of study (eight hours), minor area of study related to the major field (four hours), minor area of study not related to the major field (four hours).
• Oral Exam, or "Prospectus Meeting." Approximately three weeks after passing the written exams, Ph.D. students defend their dissertation prospectus orally. At least two weeks before the oral examination, the student submits a dissertation prospectus to his or her dissertation committee, which should consist of five faculty members, three of whom must be permanent members of the UNC-Chapel Hill art history faculty.
Dissertation and Final Oral Exam
After passing the preliminary doctoral exams, the student begins work on the dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed and approved by the advisor and dissertation committee, the student defends the finished dissertation. Doctoral students have eight calendar years from the date of first registration in the Ph.D. Graduate School to complete the Ph.D. For doctoral students, there is a minimum residence credit requirement of four semesters, and at least two semesters must be earned through continuous full-time registration on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
For further information the applicant should write to the director of graduate studies for art history.
Financial Aid for Art History Students
All applicants for admission who have completed their applications by January 1 are automatically considered by the department for nomination for Graduate School awards. Applicants and students in residence are also eligible for teaching and research assistantships, which are awarded by the department. There are also annual service and nonservice awards. Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, CB# 2300, 300 Pettigrew Hall, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-2300 (studentaid.unc.edu) for information about work-study jobs and loans.
Art History
Courses for Graduates and Advanced Undergraduates
451 [151] WOMEN IN THE VISUAL ARTS II (WMST 451) (3). Prerequisite, ART 151, ART/WMST 254 or permission of the instructor. Discussion of topics related to the representation of women in Western art and/or women as producers of art. Sheriff.
453 AFRICA IN THE AMERICAN IMAGINATION (AFRI 453) (3). Prerequisite, art history or permission of the instructor. Examines the ways African art appears in United States popular culture (advertisements, magazines, toys, films, art) to generate meanings about Africa. Addresses intersecting issues of nationalism, multiculturalism, imperialism, nostalgia, race.
456 [128] ART AND RITUAL IN SOUTH ASIA (ASIA 456) (3). This thematic course explores how objects and monuments are viewed, experienced and used in a ritual context in South Asia. Ghosh.
457 [187] STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GRAPHIC ART (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Study of prints and printmaking in Western art from ca. 1400 to the present focusing on selected topics. Riggs.
458 ISLAMIC PALACES, GARDENS AND COURT CULTURE (EIGHTH-16TH CENTURIES CE) (3). Prerequisite, ART 154 or permission of the instructor. This course focuses on palaces, gardens and court cultures beginning with the eighth-century Umayyad period and ending with the 16th-century reigns of the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman dynasties.
460 [193] GREEK PAINTING (CLAR 460) (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A survey of the development of Greek art from geometric to Hellenistic painting through a study of Greek vases, mosaics and mural paintings. Sturgeon.
461 [194] ARCHAIC GREEK SCULPTURE (CLAR 461) (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A focused study of sculpture during the archaic period in Greece. Sturgeon.
462 [195] CLASSICAL GREEK SCULPTURE (CLAR 462) (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A focused study of Greek sculpture during the classical period. Sturgeon.
463 [196] HELLENISTIC GREEK SCULPTURE (CLAR 463) (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A focused study of Greek sculpture in the Hellenistic period. Sturgeon.
464 [190] GREEK ARCHITECTURE (CLAR 464) (3). Prerequisite, CLAR 244 or permission of the instructor. The course is a survey of Greek architectural development from the Dark Age through the fourth century BCE, with particular emphasis given to the archaic and classical periods. Among the special topics to be considered are the beginnings of monumental architecture in Greece, the evolution and development of the orders, the merging of the orders, and the varying interpretations of individual architects in terms of style, the definition of space and proportions. Sams.
465 [191] ARCHITECTURE OF ETRURIA AND ROME (CLAR 465) (3). Prerequisite, CLAR 245 or permission of the instructor. The development of architecture in Italy and in the Roman world from the ninth century BCE through the fourth century CE. The course will focus upon the development of Roman urbanism and on the function, significance and evolution of the main building types, as well as their geographic distribution. In addition, particular attention will be paid to the political, social, economic and cultural implications of public monumental as well as private residential architecture.
466 [153] HISTORY OF THE ILLUMINATED BOOK (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Chronological survey of major developments in book painting during the European Middle Ages from 300 to 1450 CE. Folda, Verkerk.
467 [155] CELTIC ART AND CULTURES (3). This course explores the art and culture from the Hallstat and La Tène periods (seventh century BCE) to the Celtic "renaissance" (ca. 400-1200 CE). Verkerk.
471 [154] NORTHERN EUROPEAN ART OF THE 14TH AND 15TH CENTURIES (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Advanced study of painting and sculpture in France, England and the Netherlands, 1300 to 1400. Folda.
472 EARLY MODERN WESTERN ART, 1400–1750 (3). Prerequisite, intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course explores specialized themes and/or broad topics in Western European art of the early modern period.
473 EARLY MODERN AND MODERN DECORATIVE ARTS (3). This course traces major historical developments in the decorative and applied arts, landscape design and material culture of Western society from the Renaissance to the present.
480 [062] BRITISH ART (3). Prerequisite, any introductory art history course or permission of the instructor. Survey of British painting from the time of Hogarth (ca. 1750) through the 19th century. Emphasis will be given to significant artists (Hogarth, Reynolds, Turner, Gainsborough, Constable); movements (neoclassicism, romanticism, pre-Raphaelitism); and ideas (impact of science, industrialization).
487 [086] AFRICAN IMPULSE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN ART (AFAM 487) (3). This class will examine the presence and influences of African culture in the art and material culture of Africans in the Americas from the colonial period to the present.
488 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART (AFRI 488) (3). Prerequisite, ART 152 or ART 155 or permission of the instructor. Examines modern and contemporary African art (1940s to the present) for Africans on the continent and abroad. Examines tradition, cultural heritage, colonialism, postcolonialism, local versus global, nationalism, gender, identity, diaspora.
490 SPECIAL TOPICS IN VISUAL ARTS (3). Prerequisite, intermediate level art history or permission of the instructor. This entails an intensive look at issues in the visual arts, and may cover specialized topics or broad themes from any part of the world or any historic period.
514 [132] MONUMENTS AND MEMORY (HIST 514, INTS 514) (3). Since the emergence of the idea of "public," museums and monuments have played a key role in the formation of cultural memory and identity, both nationally and globally. This course explores the relation between museums and monuments historically and theoretically, and relates them to national and international developments in the 19th and 20th centuries.
550 [183] TOPICS IN CONNOISSEURSHIP (3). Permission of the instructor. Works in the Ackland Museum's collection will be studied directly, as a means of training the eye and exploring the technical and aesthetic issues raised by art objects. Bolas, Riggs, Koehnline, Wood.
551 INTRODUCTION TO MUSEUM STUDIES (3). Introduces careers in museums and other cultural institutions. Readings and interactions with museum professionals expose participants to curation, collection management, conservation, exhibition design, administration, publication, educational programming and fundraising. Bolas, Riggs, Koehnline, Wood.
552 [185] THE LITERATURE OF ART (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A study of the principal critics and historians who have contributed to the development of modern art history. Also application of the principles to specific works of art. Staff.
553 [080D] THE BODY IN SOCIAL THEORY AND VISUAL REPRESENTATION (3). A study of how the human body has been represented in contemporary art and the relation of those representations to theories of the individual and society.
554 IMAGINING OTHERNESS IN VISUAL CULTURE IN THE AMERICAS (AFAM 554) (3). Prerequisite, intermediate level art history or permission of the instructor. This course examines representational othering of black, Asian, Latino/a and Native American people in images in the Americas through postcolonial topics like racial stereotyping, Orientalism, primitivism, essentialism and universalism.
561 ART AND SOCIETY IN MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC SPAIN AND NORTH AFRICA (ASIA 561) (3). Prerequisite, ART 154 or permission of the instructor. This course introduces the art and architecture of medieval Islamic Spain and North Africa between the eighth and 16th centuries.
581 [181] MODERN ART AND CRITICISM (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A study of modern art (ca. 1850–1945) with special emphasis on the reception and evaluation of works by writers and art critics. Mavor.
583 [180] THEORIES OF MODERN ART (3). Prerequisite, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A study of theoretical issues central to the understanding of trends in modern art (e.g., modernism, the avant-garde, formalism originality). Mavor.
597 STUDIOLO TO WUNDERKAMMER (3). Prerequisite, intermediate level art history or permission of the instructor. This course explores the history of early modern collecting, encompassing scholars' and merchants' "study rooms," aristocrats' menageries, humanists' "sculpture gardens" and princely cabinets of wonders.
The content of these courses varies slightly from year to year in accordance with the needs of the students and the special competence of the instructor.
Courses for Graduates
In the seminars listed, the topics for study change from year to year depending upon the professor conducting the course. Architecture, sculpture, painting or a combination of these may be the subject. Consult the department schedule for details on specific courses in any given semester.
680 [296] ROMAN SCULPTURE (CLAR 680) (3). This course surveys Roman sculpture from about 500 BCE to 400 CE, including different media such as portraiture, state reliefs, mythological and other reliefs, idealizing sculpture (divinities, mythological figures, heroes) sarcophagi and other funerary monuments, and decorative sculpture. Emphasis will be placed on style, iconography and the historical development of Roman sculpture in its social, cultural, political and religious contexts.
683 [299] ETRUSCAN ART (CLAR 683) (3).
750 [276] ADVANCED READINGS TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF ART (3).
751 [251] GENDER AND VISUAL CULTURE (WMST 751) (3). Sheriff, Mavor.
763 [201] MEDIEVAL STUDIES (3). Folda, Verkerk.
794 [294] GREEK TOPOGRAPHY (CLAR 794) (3).
797 [297] ROMAN PAINTING (CLAR 797) (3).
798 [298] ROMAN TOPOGRAPHY (CLAR 798) (3).
910 [310] SEMINAR IN ARCHITECTURE (3).
950 [301] PROBLEMS IN THE HISTORY OF ART (3). Staff.
952 [378] SEMINAR IN MUSEUM STUDIES (3).
955 [360] SOUTH ASIAN ART (3). Ghosh.
957 [359] SEMINAR IN AFRICAN ART (3). Harris.
960 [358] SEMINAR IN ANCIENT ART (CLAR 960) (3). Sturgeon.
961 [350] SEMINAR IN MEDIEVAL ART (3). Folda.
962 [351] SEMINAR IN MEDIEVAL ART (3). Verkerk.
970 [352] SEMINAR IN RENAISSANCE ART (3). Pardo.
971 [353] SEMINAR IN RENAISSANCE (3). Pardo.
972 [354] SEMINAR IN BAROQUE ART (3).
980 [357] SEMINAR IN MODERN ART (3). Mavor, Sheriff, Harris.
981 [355] SEMINAR IN 19TH-CENTURY ART (3). Sheriff.
982 [356] SEMINAR IN AMERICAN ART (3). Marks, Harris.
992 [280] MASTER'S THESIS WRITING SEMINAR (3).
993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3 or more).
994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (3 or more).
Studio Art
Courses for Graduates
700 [230] GRADUATE STUDIO ART SEMINAR (3).
701 [231]/702 [232] TA PRACTICUM (3).
710 [240] GRADUATE STUDIO (Var.).
713 [241] GRADUATE SCULPTURE (Var).
718 [242] GRADUATE PRINTMAKING (Var).
720 [250] QUALIFYING REVIEW (2).
993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3 or more).