MARY D. SHERIFF, Chair
Jaroslav Folda (10) Crusader and European Medieval Art
Elizabeth Grabowski (68) Printmaking, Painting, Drawing
Jim Hirschfield (82) Sculpture
Carol Mavor (94) Critical Theory, Modern Art
Yun-Dong Nam (128) Ceramic Sculpture
Mary Sheriff (56) Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Art, Gender Studies
elin o'Hara slavick (118) Mixed Media
Mary Sturgeon (31) Ancient Art, Archaeology
Dennis Zaborowski (15) Painting, Drawing
Pika Ghosh (144) South Asian Art
Michael D. Harris (131) African, African American Art
Juan Logan (155) Painting, Mixed Media
Mary Pardo (67) Italian Renaissance
Dorothy Verkerk (123) Late Antique, Celtic, Early Medieval
Glaire Anderson (170) Islamic Art
Carol Magee (168) African, African American, American Art
Kimowan McLain (152) Mixed Media
Jeff Whetstone (154) Photography
Lyneise Williams (169) African, African American, American Art
Susan Harbage Page (165) Photography
Timothy Riggs (65) Sixteenth-, Nineteenth-, and Twentieth-Century Prints,
(Curator of Collections, Ackland Art Museum)
Barbara Matilsky (139) Curator of Exhibitions, Ackland Museum
Mary Ellen Soles, Curator of Ancient Art, North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA)
David H. Steel Jr., Curator of European Art, NCMA
Dennis P. Weller, Associate Curator of Northern European Art, NCMA
Carolyn Wood (114) Italian Baroque Art, Ackland Art Museum
Carolyn Allmendinger (161) Educator for University Audiences, Ackland
Art Museum
John Coffey, Deputy Director for Art, NCMA
Evelyn Koehnline (106) Conservator of Art on Paper, Ackland Art Museum
Robert Barnard
James Gadson
Frances Huemer
Sara Immerwahr
J. Richard Judson
Richard Kinnaird
Arthur Marks
Kenneth Ness
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 over 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.
Deadline for applications for consideration for Graduate School fellowships and assistantships is January 1. Graduate School application may be submitted via the online application for admission (https://admprosapp2.admissions.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 with special needs or Internet access problems may obtain a paper application at gradschool.unc.edu/applicant_dom.html#app (see last paragraph under Mailing Instructions) or by phoning (919) 966-2612.
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 MFA program must submit directly to the Department of Art a portfolio of representative examples of creative work. Ten slides, adequately identified and labeled, 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 MFA program.
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 fifteen 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 MA degree in art history from another institution. An undergraduate major in art history is not required for MA candidacy; however, entering candidates must have taken a minimum of twenty-one semester hours in art history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, or aesthetics.
There are no spring semester admissions in either studio art or art history.
The master of fine arts degree at UNC-Chapel Hill is a two-year, sixty-hour program. The majority of credits are earned as independent study and critiqued under the direction of a resident professor adviser. 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 stress 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 MFA 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 twelve 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 twentieth-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 MFA 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.
All applicants for admission to the MFA program whose applications are complete by January 1 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, NC 27599-2300 (www.unc.edu/studentaid) for information about work-study jobs and loans.
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.
The MA degree requires eleven courses over a two-year period (four semesters). During the first three semesters, students take nine courses (of which two may be taken in other departments). All students are required to take Methods (ART 750) during their first semester. Of the remaining eight courses, at least four must be 900-level seminars. The other four can be 400 to 700-level courses, although students are encouraged to take as many 900-level courses as possible. At least four of the eight courses must fall within four of the five distribution areas noted:
Group 1: Ancient Greek Art, Celtic Art
Group 2: Medieval Art
Group 3: Renaissance and Baroque Art
Group 4: Eighteenth-, Nineteenth-, Twentieth-Century European and American Art, African American Art
Group 5: African, Asian, and South Asian Art; Post-Colonial Art
In the fourth semester, if they have passed the MA exam, students must sign up for ART 993 (thesis registration) and ART 992 (thesis writing seminar). By the end of the third semester, all MA students are required to demonstrate proficiency in either German or a Romance language by obtaining a passing grade on the UNC-Chapel Hill reading competency examination, or by passing GERM 602 or FREN 602 (graduate reading courses offered by the departments of Germanic Languages and Romance Languages, respectively).
At the start of the third semester, students must take the MA exam. Students will not be allowed to register for ART 993 or ART 992 until they have passed the exam.
By October 1 of the second year, the MA student must submit a thesis proposal signed by his or her committee. (The committee consists of an adviser plus two other readers. Two of the three must be permanent Art History faculty members.) The master's thesis must be completed by the end of the fourth semester.
Formal acceptance of an MA thesis by the student's adviser and two additional readers concludes the MA course of study. If the student wishes to continue into the PhD program, he or she should notify the department of that intention in writing at the time of the MA examination, in order to allow a full evaluation of his or her graduate work by the Art History Graduate Committee. A student may not continue in the Art History graduate program for more than one semester beyond thirty hours of graduate credit unless approval is granted by the graduate committee for entrance into the PhD program.
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.
Students are required to take ten three-hour courses (a total of thirty hours), all of which are beyond those completed for the MA. At least four of these courses should be 900-level seminars, and the final course must be ART 994 (Dissertation Registration). Students sign up for ART 994 during their fourth semester when they are taking their PhD exams. Two of the ten courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complementary studies.
PhD students may elect to complete an External Minor. This consists of at least three more courses in the external field (the minor department) such as Medieval Studies, Communication Studies, Women's Studies, or English, and will require an additional semester of course work. Students must secure prior approval of the minor department. The PhD requires demonstration of proficiency in German and one Romance language. Proficiency is usually demonstrated by obtaining a passing grade on the UNC-Chapel Hill reading competency examination, or by passing GERM 602 or FREN 602.
PhD students should be aware that although they are not formally required to have a command of any additional languages, their advisers may determine that other languages (e.g., Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hindi) are necessary in order to advance their research.
Students take written and oral preliminary exams the semester after they complete their PhD course work (except for ART 994).
Upon successful completion of the written exam and the First Doctoral Oral Examination, students begin the actual writing of the dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed, students seek approval of their adviser and the examining committee for the final oral defense of the finished dissertation.
A doctoral candidate has eight calendar years from the date of first registration in the PhD program to complete the doctoral degree. For the doctoral candidate there is a minimum residence credit requirement of four semesters. At least two semesters must be earned through continuous full-time registration on this campus.
For further information the applicant should write to the director of graduate studies for art history.
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 non-service 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, NC 27599-2300, for information about work-study jobs and loans.
451 [151] WOMEN IN THE VISUAL ARTS (WMST 451) (3). Sheriff.
456 [128] ART AND RITUAL IN SOUTH ASIA (ASIA 456) (3). Ghosh.
457 [187] STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GRAPHIC ART (3). Riggs.
460 [193] GREEK PAINTING (CLAR 460) (3). Sturgeon.
461 [194] ARCHAIC GREEK SCULPTURE (CLAR 461) (3). Sturgeon.
462 [195] CLASSICAL GREEK SCULPTURE (CLAR 462) (3). Sturgeon.
463 [196] HELLENISTIC GREEK SCULPTURE (CLAR 463) (3). Sturgeon.
464 [190] GREEK ARCHITECTURE (CLAR 464) (3). Sams.
465 [191] ARCHITECTURE OF ETRURIA AND ROME (CLAR 465) (3).
466 [153] HISTORY OF ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS (3). Folda, Verkerk.
467 [155] CELTIC ART (3). Verkerk.
471 [154] NORTHERN EUROPEAN ART: A.D. 1300-1500 (3). Folda.
550 [183] CONNOISSEURSHIP (3). Bolas, Riggs, Koehnline, Wood.
551 [184] MUSEUM STUDIES (3). Bolas, Riggs, Koehnline, Wood.
552 [185] THE LITERATURE OF ART (3). Staff.
581 [181] MODERN ART AND CRITICISM (3). Mavor.
583 [180] THEORIES OF MODERN ART (3). Mavor.
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.
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).
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] TOPICS 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 NINETEENTH-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).
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] GRADUATE CRITIQUE (2).
993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3 or more).