The department will monitor the classroom, laboratory, research, and out-reach (service) needs of the unit. Budget requests will reflect these needs.

The department, once again, will begin planning for new facilities scheduled to be built in five years.

The department will assess its current facilities and determine the needs for future facilities based on the following standards

• Facilities, equipment, and technology must be adequate to support faculty needs, all curricular offerings, and all students enrolled in them, and be appropriately specialized for advanced work.

• Space, equipment, and technology allotted to any art/design unit function must be adequate for the effective conduct of that function.

•The number of studio and classroom spaces and the amount and availability of equipment must be adequate to serve the scope of the program and the number of students enrolled.

• Ventilation and safety treatments appropriate to art/design facilities shall be provided.

• All instructional facilities shall be accessible, safe, and secure, and shall meet the standards of local fire and health codes.

• Facilities for the instructional and administrative aspects of the art/design program should be sufficiently localized to function cohesively and effectively.

• Provision should be made for students to have access to adequate studio facilities at other than scheduled class times.

• Adequate, safe, and secure storage space should be provided for instructional equipment.

• Adequate office space for faculty and staff should be provided in close proximity to the instructional facilities.

• There should be appropriate space and equipment for the administrative functions of the program.

• All facilities and equipment should produce an environment conducive to learning and be sufficient to enable faculty and students to focus on academic and artistic endeavors.

The Department of Art completed an evaluation of its facilities in the Fall of 2013 in a Self Study Submitted to the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Self Study and NASAD evaluation found that the facilities were deficient in the following areas:

• Water leakage and potential for mold in several buildings

• Inadequate ventilation to remove fumes and particles and provide fresh air in the Woodshop, Photography Darkroom and Ceramics Studio.

• Overcrowded conditions in Sculpture Studio

• Lack of Safety Signage in Sculpture Studio.

• Lack of Emergency Shower and Eyewash Station in Sculpture Studio.

• ADA compliance issues in Photography Darkroom and Studios.

The Department has received support from all levels of upper administration to meet the needs of the aging facilities in the Fine Art Complex.

• Extensive maintenance was conducted in the Summer of 2014 to repair leaks, paint and clean walls and other general maintenance. This maintenance will be scheduled annually.

• Ventilation systems are being upgraded in Photography and Ceramics studio and a dust collection system is being installed in the woodshop.

• The Sculpture Studio is being renovated. New plywood walls are being installed in the studio. An eyewash station has been installed and an emergency shower is being installed in the welding area. Safety signage has been installed.

• A new staff position has been created for a lab technician / shop supervisor to oversee the sculpture and ceramics studios and to train faculty and students in safety standards.

• The Photography Darkroom facility has been assessed for ADA compliance and will be renovated to meet standards.

• The Department of Art held faculty retreats in the Spring of 2013 to develop a strategic plan and focus on long term goals, needs and design of new facilities and program assessment and development. These retreats will continue in the Fall 2014. 

The Department will recruit qualified and exceptional students.

The Department will market the art program to area high schools, develop a recruitment plan, and redesign and update the departmental website.

The Department of Art will develop materials to promote its programs and increase enrollment.

• Communications with prospective students and parents will be accurate and presented with integrity.

• The department will recruit and admit students only to programs or curricula for which they show aptitudes and prospects for success.

• The department will send informational material in the form of brochures and/or posters to high schools and community colleges throughout the state of Texas.

• The department will develop a plan to send recruit students from Arts Magnet Schools in major metropolitan areas in the state.

The website for the Department of Art was completely recreated in Fall 2014 to include updated and accurate information regarding curriculum, program requirements, news and events, and other departmental information.

Two Graphic Design students worked with a faculty mentor to design posters, brochures, a Department Logo and other promotional materials. These materials will be ready for distribution in Fall 2014.

Brochures for each BFA program were designed by the SHSU Enrollment Marketing Department and distributed to High Schools across the state.

Promotional videos for each of the BFA programs were created and uploaded to YouTube and the University website.

Students from local high schools visited the campus for tours of the Art facilities and galleries.

The Department will distribute the promotional materials developed over the past year to high schools throughout the state. High School Art teachers will be invited to bring their students to visit the galleries and facilities in the Department.

Money for marketing projects will be incorporated into the Department budget and a strategy will be developed to increase enrollment and to recruit qualified students.

The Department of Art will continue to examine its curricular offerings to ensure that its degree programs provide students with structured opportunities to develop the skills, concepts, and sensitivities essential to be professional artists and designers. The curriculum will develop technical competence, a broad knowledge of art, and the ability to integrate knowledge and skills into intellectual and cultural life.
 
The curriculum will meet the needs of students seeking professional BFA degrees in Studio Art, Photography, Graphic Design, Computer Animation, and provide liberal arts BA degrees that combine a breadth of general studies with visual arts studies.

The Department of Art will develop the curriculum of the Art History program with the intention of offering a BA in Art History within the next five years.

The Department of Art will develop a curriculum in Art History that will

 

• provide students with an overview of the History of Art from Prehistoric to Contemporary Time.

• provide students with an awareness of Contemporary Art and its relationship with art of the past and with art of cultures other than their own.

• provide opportunities to study western art since the Renaissance in depth.

• provide opportunities to study non-western art in depth.

• provide opportunities to study the history of specific disciplines within art.

• teach students to analyze works of art/design perceptively and to evaluate them critically.

• develop students understanding of the common elements and vocabulary of art/design in and of the interaction of these elements and the ability to employ this knowledge in analysis.

• teach students  to place works of art in historic, cultural and stylistic contexts.

An assessment of the curriculum revealed the need to redefine the periods covered by ARTS 4388 19th & 20th Century Art, and ARTS 4386 History of American Art. Redefining the periods covered and the content of these courses will provide a more focused and thorough study of late 19th century, 20th century, and recent art.

Replacing these existing courses with new curriculum will be essential for the future development of a BA in art history and the improvement of current art history curriculum in the studio program.

Two courses will be added to the curriculum to replace ARTS 4388 19th & 20th Century Art, and ARTS 4386 History of American Art.

ARTS 4384 Modern Art before 1945 and ARTS 4385 Art Since 1945, have been submitted for approval to the University Curriculum Committee.

Once approved, these courses will replace 4388 and 4386 in the curriculum.

This addition will bring curriculum up to date with similar art and university programs. By splitting the existing nineteenth and twentieth century course (and incorporating materials covered in the history of American art course), Art Department students will gain more proficiency in histories crucial to their development as artists and students of art.