When you study Studio Arts at PennWest, you are held to the same rigorous standards as the finest art programs in the nation. You will learn from highly educated, professionally accomplished faculty. They not only share their expertise with you, but they go out of their way to ensure your success.
Dedicated studio spaces become your home away from home as you hone your talents and acquire new skills. You’ll find yourself surrounded by like-minded students, and exceptional opportunities to express yourself.
During your time at PennWest, permanent, professional art galleries will provide a constant flow of inspiration. You will have numerous opportunities interact with visiting artists and speakers. You’ll also enjoy visiting—and participating in—regular exhibitions of student and faculty work, joining a variety of welcoming and supportive student organizations and connecting with real-world experts through our internship programs.
Upon completion of your bachelor of fine arts degree, you’ll be ready to fulfill your dream of becoming a working artist or go on to earn a master’s degree in a related field from PennWest University.
There is no portfolio review prior to admission. Just bring your passion for the arts and a desire to work hard in a multidisciplinary, highly supportive environment.
Contact:
Dietrich Wegner
dwegner@pennwest.edu
by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), which sets the standard for excellence in the field.
of instruction in the visual arts and arts education.
Highly acclaimed concentrations
Credits: 120
Location: Edinboro In-Person
Imagine developing your individual artistic vision alongside a diverse student population studying in a variety of disciplines.
In our BFA Ceramics program, your vision will become a reality as you learn about an array of techniques available to a ceramic artist including hand-building and wheel-throwing, gas and electric kiln firing, glaze and clay body chemistry, mold making, general design principles and recent technological possibilities.
You’ll have access to 23 different kilns or various sizes and types and be invited to attend regional and national ceramics conferences every year. You can also participate in summer courses or residencies at renowned places such as Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, the Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Tennessee or Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina.
Visiting artists sponsored by the SGA and the Clay Club will spark your imagination, while internships with studio or industry potters will help you focus your individual interests.
Credits: 120
Location: Edinboro In-Person
Sharpen your creative skills and develop your aesthetic voice with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Arts with a concentration in Drawing & Painting from PennWest University. Whether you envision yourself exhibiting your work in an art gallery or producing book covers and album covers for a publishing company, this renowned program will jump-start your career.
Our expansive curriculum offers you a rich and deeply meaningful education in the arts. Under the mentorship of highly credentialed faculty, you will develop your own aesthetic voice as you explore your potential as an artist in a contemporary world.
The initial drawing concentration courses are skill-based and perceptual, focused on building basic knowledge of linear perspective, tonal structure and composition, while later classes focus on content and expression. As you work with still life, the human figure, landscape and contemporary subjects, you will acquire a thorough grounding in traditional foundations as well as current trends in visual art. Your capstone project will define your personal aesthetics.
You will graduate ready to tackle the challenges of life as a highly trained artist or graduate school student.
Credits: 120
Location: Edinboro In-Person
The work of illustrators is all around us in books and magazines, medical and scientific journals, commercial signs, posters and advertisements, product packaging, on the web and, of course, in art galleries and museums. If you want to prepare for a rewarding career in one of these fields, Penn West’s bachelors in Illustration is right for you.
Our Illustration curriculum is both broad and deep. In order to be a great illustrator, you must be highly competent in nearly all media, composition and design, be collaborative and able to work with established content. You must also be an expert communicator.
In 2019, Edinboro illustrators swept the prestigious awards presented by the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, winning more acclaim and money than any art school or university in Western Pennsylvania.
Faculty members with broad experience in the subfields of editorial, medical and scientific, commercial and children's book illustration will serve as your mentors and guides as you work in our digital and traditional studios. With a vast network of design, painting, drawing and print faculty to support your professional development, you will have powerful guidance toward your personal aesthetic goals and the strongest possible senior portfolio.
Along the way, you will cultivate a professional demeanor with well-rounded, problem-solving skills.
Credits: 120
Location: Edinboro In-Person
Discover your capabilities and expand your creative boundaries while you explore materials, skills and ideas. It's all part of the program when you pursue a Jewelry & Metals degree at PennWest.
As a student, you'll start by learning traditional techniques for making jewelry, functional hollowware and sculptural objects. Move into advanced assignments that focus on conceptual development. Experienced faculty will work with you on an individual basis to develop your personal aesthetic and help prepare you for many career possibilities.
You will thrive in our expansive Jewelry and Metals studio as you master a broad range of techniques and define your artistic style. Separate rooms are fully equipped for fabricating, forming, enameling, etching, casting, mold making, die forming, electroforming, finishing and documenting work.
You’ll graduate ready to join our alumni who are finding success making custom and production jewelry, starting their own businesses or continuing their education in graduate school. Many garner national recognition from national galleries, exhibitions and publications.
Credits: 120
Location: Edinboro In-Person
Love to sculpt but wondering what you can do with a Sculpture degree? You can become a maker, thinker and doer. Explore all the possibilities with PennWest’s BFA in Sculpture.
Prepare to learn the basics of joining metal, wood and found objects. Carve Styrofoam and wood. Make rubber molds. Cast aluminum, bronze, wax and plaster. Take a class in figure-modeling or steel fabrication, or embrace time-based works of performance, installation, video or social practice.
You'll grow under the guidance of professionally trained Sculpture professors. They produce a wide range of work and foster an energetic dialogue that will help you find your unique voice as an artist.
Visiting artists and critics offer you the chance to hear from regional, national and international art world figures. If you like, you can work with faculty to arrange an internship with an artist, an arts organization or in related fields such as museum display, theater arts, industrial design or fashion.
Sculpture students are given 24-hour access to the sculpture "Barn" in the Loveland Annex. Here, you can explore a wide range of materials, processes and practices, including basic woodworking, clay and wax-working, cement and plaster casting, ceramic shell, steel cutting, bending, cold joining and welding, as well as cutting and joining found objects, fiber, plastics and more.
Upon graduation, you'll be ready to pursue a career in studio arts or in allied fields as a foundry technician; mold-maker; theater set, prop or costume designer; fabricator in a metal, wood, fiberglass or art or science museum; an art director or educator, or even an entrepreneur.
Credits: 120
Location: Edinboro In-Person
Build a solid foundation in traditional and contemporary woodworking techniques as you earn a BFA in wood working and furniture design. You'll learn by studying the work of major designers and artists, then develop your own designs through sketching, model making and creating full-scale drawings.
You will work in a well-equipped studio, using both power and hand tools that allow you to employ a wide variety of design and construction processes. You’ll complete assignments on topics such as chair design, box and cabinet construction, bending wood and designing for production. As you acquire the experience you will need for future success, you will participate in critiques that encourage you to push your work in new and unexplored directions.
As a student, you'll not only gain technical expertise in the field of woodworking and furniture design, but you’ll also acquire transferrable skills that will help you succeed in every facet of your career. Professors will emphasize creative problem solving, craftsmanship and innovation in design.
By participating in organizations such as the Wood Club, visiting professional artists’ studios and exhibitions, applying for internships and attending conferences and workshops, you will develop your talents even further and prepare for future success.
Art enriches our lives and the people around us. Jobs in the field of art are as diverse as the types of art and the styles of artists. As an artist, you may work in a private or commercial art studio that’s in your home or in an office building, warehouse or loft. Some artists share studio and exhibition space, while others opt to work alone. You may sell your work privately or create artwork that is marketed by small—or large—corporations.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment of craft and fine artists is projected to grow 6 percent from now until 2031. They estimate about 5,900 job openings for craft and fine artists each year.
Your unique talents and your ability to market your skills will make you a valuable commodity in the marketplace.
PennWest’s three campuses, California, Clarion and Edinboro universities, have been delivering award-winning online programs for more than 20 years. You’ll graduate with a degree from Pennsylvania Western University, completely supported by the expertise and community of learners on our brick-and-mortar campuses.