BFA Program Heats Up
An increasing number of UW-Madison students signed up for the Art Department’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program this past year, following a decline in recent years.
The rise in interest came after faculty and staff revised the department’s undergraduate degree programs to address students’ scheduling concerns and to make the program more competitive.
A few years ago, Art faculty members began to notice that relatively few of the advanced undergraduate art majors were enrolling in high-level studio courses and found that troubling.
Advanced studio classes attract mostly students following the Bachelor of Fine Arts track. Faculty and staff hadn’t realized that only a small percentage of art majors – as little as 10 percent – opted for the BFA program.
To learn why more so many chose the BS program over the BFA, Student Services Coordinator Julie Ganser surveyed students during advising sessions.
Among their reasons, students cited the challenge of completing the required 72 credits of studio classes within a reasonable number of semesters. They also didn’t perceive enough difference between the two degrees to warrant taking the additional studio credits.
To address those concerns, the department revised the BFA program, including an overhaul of course credits. Several intermediate and advanced-level studio courses were upgraded from three to four credits, so students now require fewer classes to earn their 72 studio credits.
The department also increased the program’s rigor by requiring a portfolio review and a minimum studio GPA of 3.0 for admission. Also, BFA candidates must reach advanced-level courses in at least two areas, and must participate annually in the BFA group exhibition or another public show.
The changes spurred renewed student interest in the BFA program.
Illustrator Kevin Henkes Receives Alumni Award
Children's book author and illustrator Kevin Henkes received an Honorary Alumni Award from the Art Department and the UW-Madison School of Education on Sept. 15, 2009.
Henkes, a former student in the Art Department, spoke about his work to a full crowd at the first of this year's visiting artist lecture series, Tuesday Talks. Dean Julie Underwood presented Henkes with an award plaque and, in the style of one of Henkes' book characters (Lily), a small purple bag containing a few UW mementos.
Henkes has published 18 self-illustrated picture books, nine novels, and five board books; and he has collaborated with others on seven picture books. His works have been recognized more than 170 times by literary organizations such as Kirkus Reviews (Best Children’s Books of 2007 – A Good Day) and School Library Journal (Best Children’s Books of 2008 – Old Bear). In addition, Henkes is one of the elite few who have received both a Newbery Honor and the Caldecott Medal, two of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature for writing and illustration respectively.
Art Ed Gets Technology Boost
The Art Education area received more than $10,000 from the School of Education’s instructional lab modernization fund in order to update its computer lab with six laptops. Five classes per week meet in the classroom that houses the computer lab, often making it difficult for students to work on computer projects during those times. Having the laptops gives students the flexibility to work in other rooms of the department without disturbing class sessions, said Art Ed Professor Doug Marschalek.
Colescott Book To Be Released
The University of Wisconsin Press will soon publish a large-format book, “The Prints of Warrington Colescott: A Catalogue Raisonné” by Mary Weaver Chapin, associate curator of prints and drawings at the Milwaukee Art Museum. This summer, the museum will present a retrospective exhibition of Colescott’s work entitled, “Out of Line: The Satirical Prints of Warrington Colescott.” Colescott, an emeritus professor of art at UW-Madison, is a satirist in the tradition of Hogarth, Daumier, and Grosz. He continues to make art at his studio in Hollendale, Wisconsin.
The book will feature more than 400 color images, a detailed biographical essay, and an art historical essay examining the evolution of Colescott’s printmaking career and contributions to technical innovation. The catalogue portion of the book documents 359 of Colescott’s editioned prints from 1948 to 2008.
To see more about the book, please visit www.uwpress.wisc.edu/books/4588.htm.
UW Masters-Level Art Show At CAA
The Art Department will host Forward – a showcase exhibition of its current graduate students during the same weekend as the CAA Conference in Chicago, February 10-13, 2010. Selected artists will present a range of works in both static and non-static media.
The exhibition will be held at Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 S Morgan St, Chicago IL, 60608. An opening reception will be held on Fri, Feb. 12 from 6-10pm. We hope you can join us if you are in town for the conference. For more information, contact the Art Department office at 608-262-1662 or email velliquette@wisc.edu.
Visit Our MFA Studios Documentary Website
Calling all MFA alums: remember those odd spaces you once called your studios? Well, they don’t exist in real life anymore. But they do exist on the Web. Please visit “40 Years of MFA Studios: A Nooks and Crannies Retrospective” at mfastudios.art.wisc.edu.
The site contains information on all of the current and former MFA studios including photos, maps, historical information about the buildings, memories from alumni, and the chance to submit your own memories.
The Art Department Is Now On Facebook!
Please visit www.facebook.com/pages/Madison-WI/UW-Madison-Art-Department and become a fan. The page contains photo albums, an alumni directory, event listings and other news.
2009-10 Scholarship and Fellowship Winners
Undergraduate
Alberici Memorial Scholarship
Mary Ruth Shea
Marie Thorsen Austin Scholarship
Caitlin M. Klein
Brown & Kaentje Scholarship
April Nett
Sarah A. Stone
Butler Scholarship
Anthony J. Smith Broadus
Melvin & Beverly Butor Scholarship
Mary Ruth Shea
Franco L. Parisi
Kristina M. Kleinschmidt
Zoe Berg
Carrie Jones Cady Scholarship
Sarah J. Ripp
Daniel Davidson
Benjamin J. Sperry
Michael Konopacki
Elsie Iwen Eblig Scholarship
Jacquelyn Whisenant
Logan J. Woods
Samuel Schlenker
Rose Schneck
Betty J. Frazier and John Perry Wiltgen Scholarship
Mitchell E. Siefert
Edith L. Gilbertson Scholarship
Michael Konopacki
Mary Ebling Guhl Scholarship
Jessica M. Schmitt
Heideman Minority Teacher Preparation Scholarship
Dominique J. Lark
Catherine Esther Hokin Memorial Scholarship
Kitty Huffman
Hooper Foundation Scholarship
Ana C. Hansa Ogren
Dudley P. Howe Scholarship in the Arts
Samantha Rose Gray
Mary Ruth Shea
Constance K. Knop Scholarship
Ellen R. Roubal
Margaret Martens Scholarship
Sandra N. Schoen
Laurie Regan Scholarship
April Nett
Lois G. Roberts Scholarship
Colin Bloomfield
Julie A. Novakofski
Isaac Wexler Mann
Matt E. Martin
Sarah A. Stone
Roger Cleaves
Eugenia K. Schacht Scholarship
Franco L. Parisi
Elizabeth Sewell Scholarship in Art Metals
Georgia Harden
Catherine V. Tenuta and Virginia E. Tenuta Scholarship
Nicole Powers
Eva O. Maxwell
Joy A. Larson
Chanel M. Govreau
Ana C. Hansa Ogren
Santos Zingale Memorial Scholarship
Lauren Morrison
Graduate
Merton R. and Peggy E Barry Fellowship
Ginger Lukas
Anne Wilkins and Robert Mayer Bolz Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
Juin Pyo
Julie I. Youn
Eugene F. Dana Graduate Art Student Scholarship
Sue V. Medaris
Andrea Brdek
Shelly VonGlahn
Julie I. Youn
Frederick M. Logan Scholarship
Alison E. Leonard
Ernie Moll Scholarship
Ginger Lukas
William J. Wartmann Graduate Sculpture Scholarship
Ginger Lukas