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Studio Arts Major and Minor

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Students in the Studio Arts degree program at Curry College collaborate in the studio arts spaceA degree in Studio Arts from Curry College helps students develop their own creative voice and gives them the conceptual skills needed to communicate that voice through works of art. Students work closely with their professors in a student focused setting to develop professional skills and connections through exhibition opportunities, internships and portfolio reviews with faculty and external critics.

Seniors participate in two annual exhibitions: an off-campus exhibit at the Menino Art Center, and the Senior Exhibit at Curry. With close proximity to Boston, students engage with great works of art in internationally recognized museums.

During your first-year and sophomore year, you'll receive a rigorous foundation in drawing and design. As you build on that foundation, you will take courses in a variety of media including painting, printmaking, digital art, and photography. During junior and senior year, you will specialize in the medium of your choice, and work closely with faculty mentors to develop your work.

As part of your senior coursework, you will create your own website and a digital and physical portfolio of work you can use to impress potential employers, submit with graduate school applications, and present at exhibitions.

Courses You'll Love

Digital Art
Figure Drawing
Printmaking
Studio: Painting & Drawing

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First-Year students applying as Graphic Design or Studio Arts majors are required to submit a portfolio of 10 original works of art for admission to the programs.  Transfer students applying to Graphic Design are required to submit a portfolio of 15 original works of art.  Transfer portfolios will aid in placement into appropriate courses. Acceptable works include, but are not limited to, 2-D and 3-D design, drawing, painting, mixed-media, sculpture, and still or animated digital representations.

Portfolios can be submitted to curryportfolio.slideroom.com. Acceptable files in the portfolio include:

  • Images (jpg, gif, png) up to 5 MB each
  • Videos (fav, wmv, mov, mp4) up to 60 MB each
  • Audio (mp3) up to 30 MB each
  • Documents (pdf) up to 10 MB each 

Please reach out to adm@curry.edu if you have additional questions about the portfolio requirement.

Laptop Requirement for Students Majoring in Studio Arts

The College requires all students in the Studio Arts Program to have a laptop computer when they declare their major in Studio Arts. Classroom instruction, course assignments and research during and outside of class hours will require the use of a personal computer.

We require a minimum of 16GB RAM to ensure ease when running Adobe Creative Suite. Up-to-date operating systems and software are required. If a laptop is purchased that doesn’t meet the recommended laptop specifications it may not be able to run industry software or last the length of the undergraduate program.

The Visual and Performing Arts Department also highly recommends that all students purchase an external hard drive for additional portable storage and file back-up (1TB is optimal). Several models are available through the College Bookstore or from Apple Education. The department also recommends that students obtain AppleCare+ and a USB-C to USB Adaptor.

Required Laptop - Minimum Specifications: 14-inch MacBook Pro

Hardware:

  • Apple M2 Pro with 12‑core CPU, 19‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
  • 16GB unified memory
  • 1TB SSD storage
  • 16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display²
  • Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
  • 140W USB-C Power Adapter
  • Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID - US English
  • Accessory Kit
  • AppleCare+

While enrolled in certain software intensive courses, students must also obtain the Adobe Creative Suite through a monthly subscription online. Subscriptions for students are offered at a reduced fee and proof of enrollment at Curry College is required when subscribing.

Financial Aid

The purchase of the recommended model of the required laptop and the annual student subscription to Adobe Creative Suite will be included in the cost of attendance that is used to determine financial aid and loan eligibility one time during a student’s undergraduate experience at Curry College.

Technical Support

Please note that Curry College’s Information Technology Services (ITS) Department does not provide full support to student laptops. Curry ITS provides best-effort support including software installs/troubleshooting, virus removal, and general use questions. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain AppleCare+ to access additional support including service, accidental damage coverage, and battery service coverage directly from Apple.

The Path to Your Dream Career

Just a few of the many career options include:

  • Art Administrator
  • Art Educator
  • Art Therapist
  • Community Artist
  • Curator
  • Illustrator
  • Visual Artist

Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

Independent Study– Partner with a faculty member and create works of art in your area of expertise. Students develop a contract, work with faculty to conduct research, and create projects using all the skills they have learned throughout the program.

Internships – Position yourself to gain hands-on experience in a field that you love. Students are encouraged to seek internship opportunities with professional organizations to enhance their skills, learn how their major can earn them a rewarding career, and develop relationships with mentors in the field.

Portfolio Development – Present your website and portfolio components to faculty and outside evaluators, and receive a professional critique of your work. Through the capstone project, Curry students prepare a digital and physical portfolio to be presented to galleries and future employers.

The Curry College ThinkTANK Design Studio

Welcome to the ThinkTANK

To replicate the industry atmosphere, Curry College renovated space in the Kennedy Academic Building in to mirror a “ThinkTANK” design studio. In this space, students brainstorm, conceptualize, and develop dynamic systems that facilitate meaningful, consumer-based interactions. Students now have access to a digital photography studio, large format printers, and industry-standard Wacom tablets.

Explore the ThinkTank
Students from the Fine and Applied Arts Seminar interact with artist Wangechi Mutu's installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Experience Art and Design

Students from the Fine and Applied Arts Seminar interact with artist Wangechi Mutu's installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

"Hour 15" - a recent exhibit on display at the Menino Arts Center in Hyde Park, featured the work of Curry students graduating with degrees in Design and Studio Arts.

Professional Student Exhibits

"Hour 15" - a recent exhibit on display at the Menino Arts Center in Hyde Park, featured the work of Curry students graduating with degrees in Design and Studio Arts. 

Student work is featured from the Drawing I class.

Always Creating

Highlighting student work from the Drawing I class.

Explore Related Programs:

Curry College Sing! student performers belt out a tune on stage

Sing!

Curry College Sing! prepares music selected from a cappella and accompanied choral repertoire from a variety of styles and genres for performance events on and off campus.

Curry College Sing!
Curry College Pure Vocals a capella group sings the National Anthem

Pure Vocals

Pure Vocals is a student run, co-ed, acapella group that showcases Curry College's vocal talent. Pure Vocals represents Curry College both on and off campus at a wide variety of events.

Pure Vocals
Curry College theatre students perform in the Keith Auditorium on campus

Theatre

Participation in Curry Theatre stage shows and our Improv Team brings students from a wide variety of academic programs, including those interested in the Visual and Performing Arts.

Curry Theatre
A Curry College Study Abroad student pets an elephant in Thailand

Study Abroad

Along with institutional partnerships, you can create your own Study Abroad opportunity, or go global with our own faculty members as part of our Short-term, Faculty-led Courses.

Study Abroad
Curry College students laughing in science lab

First-Year Experience

Making the transition to college can be a little confusing and lot of fun. Your First-Year Experience at Curry College helps smooth out the bumps and puts you on the path to success.

First-Year Experience
A Curry College faculty member interacts with students in the classroom

Gen Ed

At the heart of Curry College's undergraduate curriculum is our General Education (Gen Ed) Program. Gen Ed is based on our belief in the power and potential of the liberal arts.

General Education

Take the next step

We're excited you're considering our outstanding Curry College academic programs and look forward to helping you reach your career goals.

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