Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design

Department Chair Jeffrey W. Hanson – BH 227B	Faculty & Staff
Administrative Assistant Kaycee Turek – BH 227	Student Success Advisors
	Website

Overview of Programs

SUU is among the small group of institutions that are accredited in art and design by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Two types of degrees are offered: liberal arts degrees, i.e., the BA and BS degrees, which require fewer credits and allow a broad base of general studies; and professional degrees, i.e., the BFA degrees, which offer intensive studies in a narrower field.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design is to provide aspiring filmmakers, artists, designers, and art historians with professional training and to provide a critical fine arts component of a university liberal arts education. In fulfilling this mission, we will:

Foster appreciation and critical awareness of the visual arts.
Prepare students for further study and careers in art education, art history, ceramics, filmmaking, graphic design, illustration, museum studies, painting/drawing/printmaking, photography, and related fields.
Educate students, faculty, administration, and community that the visual arts are intrinsically valuable to all engaged learners; that they inherently embody diverse individual, cultural, and philosophical expression; that they have the power to change the way in which we perceive things; and that they are the most direct way to vicariously transfer meaning and experience.

Goal Statement

The Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design at Southern Utah University will:

Infuse student artists with philosophies and skills that enable them to pursue professional work, teaching opportunities, and further education.
Enrich SUU and environs with opportunities to experience creative achievement in the visual arts and instill students with an enthusiasm for creative expression.
Provide models for success and examples of the diverse opportunities that are available in visual arts disciplines.

Objectives

Design and provide vibrant degree programs.
Facilitate student involvement in clubs, internships, competitions and exhibitions.
Prepare students to publicly present their work and intellectual achievements.
Prepare students for related employment and advanced schooling.
Share a broad range of visual arts with students, faculty and the community
Provide General Education in art and design.
Establish meaningful connections with disciplines other than the visual arts.
Administer a program of visiting artists, designers, filmmakers, and other relevant presenters.
Encourage professional work by faculty members and provide exhibition opportunities for students and others to experience it.

Department/Program Learning Outcomes

Gain functional competence with principles of visual organization (two-dimensional design), including the ability to work with visual elements in two and three dimensions; color theory and its applications; and drawing.
Present work that demonstrates perceptual acuity, conceptual understanding, and technical facility at a professional entry level in their chosen field(s).
Become familiar with the historical achievements, current major issues, processes, and directions of their field(s).
Be afforded opportunities to exhibit their work and to experience and participate in critiques and discussions of their work and the work of others.
Learn to analyze works of filmmaking, art, and design perceptively and to evaluate them critically.
Develop an understanding of the common elements, composition principles, and vocabulary of filmmaking, art, and design, and be able to employ this knowledge in analysis.
Acquire the ability to place works of filmmaking, art, and design in historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts. In certain areas of specialization, it is advisable to require that students study the historical development of works within the specialization.
Students will acquire a working knowledge of technologies and equipment applicable to their area(s) of specialization.
While synthesis is a lifetime process, by the end of undergraduate studies students should be able to work independently on a variety of filmmaking, art, or design problems by combining, as appropriate to the issue, their capabilities in studio, analysis, history, and technology.

Other Information

Program Selection

The various Filmmaking, Art, and Design degree programs have been crafted to meet national and state standards of excellence in order to offer students the greatest opportunity for success after graduation. Students should consult the college advisor and the instructors that define their discipline area for guidance in meeting career objectives.

A BA/BS or a BFA may be preferable depending on career goals. In general, the BA/BS is a liberal arts degree focusing on art and design and its history, in the context of a broad program of general studies. The BFA is a professional practicing artist/designer degree focusing on intensive studio work in filmmaking, art, and design.

Policies

Studio courses are experiential. Consequently, attendance is mandatory. Students who miss more than 1/4 of the class time will receive a grade of “C-“ to “F” regardless of other considerations.
In lecture courses, one hour of credit represents one hour in class each week of the term, and two hours of work outside class. In studio courses, one hour of credit represents three hours of studio time each week of the term: typically, two hours in class with the instructor and one hour with studio access for studio class preparation.
A grade of “C” (2.0) or better is required for all courses applying to major or minor requirements.
Applying Advanced Placement class credit as specific studio courses must be determined by an authorized faculty member. The student should arrange a review of their work through the Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design Administrative Assistant–otherwise these credits will be applied as elective credits.
TRANSFER STUDENTS: Transfer students in Filmmaking, Art, and Design are subject to a portfolio review to determine transferability of art courses taken at other schools. The student should arrange this review through the Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design Administrative Assistant in their first semester at SUU. This could coincide with their BFA Program Application if they have already completed 24 credits in art and art history at other institutions.
Transfer students, both majors and minors, must earn 50% of their art credits from SUU.
FILMMAKING PROGRAM APPLICATION: All filmmaking majors are required to apply and be officially admitted into their program of study in the second semester of their freshman year or at the time of transfer to SUU. A successful application results in permission to register for classes. Students should apply after they have completed the FILM 1100 - Personal Cinema class. Students preparing to apply should sign up in the Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design office or by emailing artoffice@suu.edu. The application is an online process which occurs during spring semester; check for a specific date with the department office. The Filmmaking program application requires students to upload audition materials including any video, photo, or other relevant art samples, such as storyboards and concept drawings. Results of the application review may require repetition of courses, deny entrance, or grant acceptance.
ART AND DESIGN BFA PROGRAM APPLICATION: Art and design majors seeking a BFA degree are required to apply and be admitted into their specific program of study during their sophomore year or at the time of transfer to SUU. A successful application results in admittance into the selected degree program or emphasis. Students should apply after they have completed their foundation art courses, survey art history courses, and at least two (2) courses in their desired major program (approximately 24 credits of ART & ARTH classes). Students preparing to apply should sign up in the Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design office or by emailing artoffice@suu.edu. The application is an online process which occurs both fall and spring semesters; check on specific dates with the department office. The BFA program application requires students to upload images of 20+ examples of their foundation coursework, transcripts, and a letter of intent. Results of the application review may require repetition of courses, deny entrance, or grant acceptance.
Students may not enroll in ART 4790 - Senior BFA Studio I: Professional Practices and Portfolio Systems or nine specific graphic design courses unless they have been accepted into a BFA program through the application process.
ART 4990 - Senior Seminar - Specific Area of Study may be taken with permission of an instructor only. This course may be taken for 1 or more credits, with 1 credit representing 42 hours of coursework.
Graduation requires a total of 40 upper-division credits (courses numbered 3000 or higher). These may include college credit taken outside the Department of Filmmaking, Art, and Design.
FINAL BFA PORTFOLIO REVIEW: All BFA students must produce a body of work, of sufficient quality, during or prior to their Senior BFA Studio class to pass a faculty review of that body of work.
Thesis Film Greenlighting: All Filmmaking BFA students must participate in the production of a Thesis Film. Prior to their Junior year, they must participate in a Thesis Film Pitch, where films will be greenlit. If a student’s film is not approved, they will be assigned to assist on a film that has.

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

Minor