Art Courses at Dartmouth

One of my courses this term is Drawing I, a Studio Art course. Taking an art class in college is a little different from high school art classes. In high school, all I had to do for art was just go to class for the period, work on my project, get some help from the teacher, and go home without any homework. Dartmouth art courses, however, give you more independence (and a little more homework as well).

At the beginning of each class, the professor gives us some guidelines on what techniques we are focusing on for the week. Since this is Drawing I, we started from simple things like line width and negative space. We just had a week on proportions, and we are now drawing human figures. We even had a nude model pose for us last week in class! The students in my class come with varying degrees of experience in art, but it really is not a problem because the course is structured as a very step-by-step process.

What I really like about my art course is the open critiques we have. After a weekly project, we hang our works up on the wall and talk about every one of them. Instead of the generic “That’s so good” that kids always said in high school, the comments made in this class are really insightful, critical, and refreshing. It is also interesting to see how unique everybody’s talents are.

The classes go beyond the classroom because all students in studio art courses have to attend a number of art lectures. They are usually related to the artist who is having an exhibition at the Jaffe-Friede Strauss Gallery at the Hopkins Center. Since we pass by the Gallery everyday on our way to class, it is really interesting to hear the artist’s inspirations and ideas first hand from the lectures.

Art courses have a supplemental course fee for the materials. You are then given a certain amount of credit at the local art store, and you can go in and get what you need within that amount.