
BFA | Art, Culture & Technology
Through interdisciplinary art practice and research, students in the Art, Culture and Technology (ACT) concentration bring together contemporary art, cutting-edge technologies and critical thought to imagine and create artifacts with cultural impact. Being located at a top-ranked comprehensive tier-1 research institution, well-known for its engineering and science disciplines, Art, Culture and Technology students have the opportunity to connect their work to a larger socio-technological discourse on campus and beyond and are encouraged to develop interdisciplinary ties to other areas of study within and outside of the College of Liberal Arts.
The Adaptive Creator
The goal of the Art, Culture and Technology program is to develop creative specialists that are not only experts in their field, but that are also equipped with a flexible set of skills to adapt to the challenges of rapidly changing job requirements.
Graduates of the ACT program may go on to continue their studies in MFA programs nationally or internationally or work as artists, educators, photographers, videographers, new media consultants, new media producers (in culture, entertainment and advertising industries).
Areas of Study
Electronic and Time-Based Art
In their research and art practice, ETB students explore the creative and expressive potential of electronic and time-based media such as digital video and sound, real-time computer graphics, interactive digital systems, augmented and virtual reality, physical computing and robotics. The goals of the program are to provide an interdisciplinary laboratory for the exploration and creation of new forms of art, the exchange of ideas and concepts across disciplines and the critical investigation of emerging technologies. The program’s curriculum promotes individual inquiry and collaboration across the different divisions and departments of the Rueff School of Design, Art and Performance (such as Art & Design, Music, Theater and Dance) as well as encouraging and supporting links to academic partners and resources outside of the school.
Photography and Related Media
The Studio Arts Photography Area defines photography broadly as a lens-based medium. The curriculum offers a multifaceted approach focusing on contemporary issues in photography discussed through the understanding of a historical and material relationship to fine-art photography. In the Studio Arts and Technology BA and Integrated Studio Arts BFA programs, courses offered include darkroom photography, digital imaging, studio lighting, alternative processes, documentary photography, and constructed image. In these programs, there is an emphasis on developing the student’s perspective within the medium through critique, technical expertise in courses offered, and interdisciplinary exploration.
State of the Art Facilities
Students in the Art, Culture and Technology area have access to two fully equipped dedicated computer laboratories, a flexible reconfigurable multi-purpose space for larger-scale artistic experiments, dedicated photography laboratories; darkroom, digital photography lab and professional photography studio, equipment resources (DSLRs, video cameras, artificial lighting kits, tripods, sound recording devices and accessories) located within the department. Access to wood and metal shops as well as 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC routing equipment is also available.