Course General Description

Hand-made marks allow a viewer to recreate in their mind the actions of the artist. In this way, the artist opens a portal through which a viewer can observe the artist’s perspective of the world. The history of the discipline of mark making offers a multitude of perspectives from which all artists and cultural makers can sample. Marks made without the hand illuminate processes in the world that give rise to actions. These processes become a surrogate for the hand and offer artists a new context for mark making. The Drawing and Painting Area fosters an environment of exploration and promotes a variety of approaches to art making, ranging from traditional media, such as oil paint on canvas, to experimental tactics that challenge the idea of tradition and blur boundaries between media. Moreover, the Drawing and Painting Area approaches material and conceptual explorations as inextricable and encourages students to carefully consider the implications of their decisions when making art. Students working towards a Studio Arts degree can select drawing or painting as their area of emphasis. The diverse faculty in the Drawing and Painting Area are working contemporary artists whose professional practices operate within the tradition while, at the same time, challenging the boundaries of drawing and painting.

School General Description

As one of only 36 public research institutions in the Association of American Universities (AAU), the University of Colorado Boulder is all about realizing the positive impacts of new knowledge. From offering dozens of exciting programs in a range of academic fields, to serving as one of the world’s most dynamic research and innovation hubs, to working closely through hundreds of public outreach efforts with communities across Colorado and the world, we take pride in helping our students, faculty, staff and partners turn new ideas into productive outcomes that change lives. CU Boulder’s vision is grounded in its statutory mission as a national public research university. In Colorado statute, the university is defined as the “comprehensive graduate research university with selective admissions standards . . . offer(ing) a comprehensive array of undergraduate, master and doctoral degree programs” of what is now designated the University of Colorado System. CU Boulder recognizes the exceptional opportunities associated with its role as a research university, and values the unique strength and character research achievements bring to undergraduate education. It is keenly aware of its responsibility for educating the next generation of citizens and leaders, and for fostering the spirit of discovery through research. Indeed, CU Boulder believes that its students, both graduate and undergraduate, benefit from the comprehensive mix of programs and research excellence that characterize a flagship university. Thus, CU Boulder’s statutory mission is relevant today and will remain relevant tomorrow.