Studio Foundations at George Mason University builds a broad based foundation for all AVT students by instilling a work ethic and a set of guiding principles that will be applied to the entirety of their course of study and to their careers.
As prerequisites for all Studio Art courses, the curriculum of AVT 101, 104, 105, 222, and 323 emphasize:
- The development and application of technical skills with two dimensional, three dimensional and time based media
- The synthetic importance of process in art
- The development of conceptual strategies to approach and solve studio problems
- The development of the student’s ability to recognize and articulate their highest ideals through their work
- Establishing criteria, methods and vocabulary for analysis of one’s own work, the work of one’s peers, and the work encountered in museums and contemporary art galleries
- The recognition of historical and contemporary trends in art and popular culture which may inform one’s own work
Each year, several hundred George Mason University Art majors and non-majors enroll in AVT Foundations courses. The faculty members who teach Studio Foundations recognize that fine art is derived from and feeds into the broad culture of intellectual and process based inquiry. For students who are undecided about a major, the Studio Foundations experience may awaken a passion. Students whose focus is other disciplines find the methodology, conceptual approaches to problem solving and the exposure to the history and culture of Fine Arts valuable to the approach of study in their major.
Director of Studio Foundations: Rachel Debuque
