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The program has a great teacher-to-student ratio, providing students individual attention. The studio faculty are all active professionals, strongly committed to effective teaching. Fully engaged in their own creative research, the faculty also have an outstanding record of exhibiting their work in prestigious local, national and international venues.

The emphasis of the Studio Art Program is creative work in the areas of:

Drawing and Painting
Printmaking
Sculpture
Digital Art

Elective studio work is available in photography, graphic design and ceramics. The art program covers a broad range of approaches – from traditional fine arts techniques to the use of new and emerging technologies. The first year entails a very thorough and varied foundations program. This enables students with different levels of preparation in art to develop the necessary skills to be successful in the program and beyond. The study of art history is seen as necessary to intelligent studio development, as is the orienting of the student to the attitudes, philosophies and language of the contemporary art world.

Emphasis is placed on students developing and applying creative and innovative problem-solving strategies and demonstrating refined aesthetic knowledge and expressive skills. In areas such as digital and graphic arts where links to the applied arts industries are prevalent, students develop the skills to work with conventions essential to these fields.

A unique distinction of the University of Maine Studio Art Program is the opportunity to work in Maine with its rich history of great artists, and with the incredible diversity and vitality of its contemporary art scene.

The BFA in Fine Arts is a professional degree with a choice of six concentration areas: Drawing, Digital, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Cross-Disciplinary. Each concentration area consists of 18 credits of area-specific advanced studio work, with the Cross-Disciplinary concentration allowing a more individualized pathway for students to develop and combine skills across a range of advanced studio art offerings. Each BFA student will work closely with their academic advisor to choose and direct their concentration area courses.

Student Learning Outcomes

Understanding of professional standards and accomplishments in the visual arts
Breadth and depth of knowledge (use of a wide range of tools, technologies, and structures inherent to the discipline/subject)
Understanding of content, tools, and structures
Independent and critical thinking
Ability to articulate and express ideas with appropriate language
Understanding that knowledge is collectively built
Ability to effectively state and solve creative problems
Ability to set, organize, and realize goals
Resourcefulness and tenacity in working through problems
Innovative thinking in all phases of problem solving
Confidence in ability to meet creative challenges of the field
Awareness of the responsibilities of the artist to the larger community

Career and Graduate Opportunities

Diverse career opportunities exist for Department of Art graduates. The degrees offered prepare students for a wide range of vocational choices inside as well as outside the field of art. They also provide a solid foundation for those choosing to go on for graduate study. Many graduates of the Department of Art have developed careers in different aspects of Studio Art, Art Education and Art History, including graphic design, fashion design, museum administration, arts administration, and multi-media.