Minor in Visual Arts
The minor in visual arts is designed to provide students in other disciplines with an understanding of visual arts processes, issues, and skills.
Prerequisite: One visual arts studio course and one art history course
Academic Requirements for the Minor in Visual Arts
- In addition to the two prerequisite courses listed above, a total of 12 credits in visual arts studio courses are required. These are to be chosen in consultation with the academic advisor in the School of Art+Design.
- A maximum of 4 transfer credits may be counted toward these academic requirements. All studio courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher to count toward the minor.
Applying for Admission to the Minor
An application and review process are required for admission to the Minor in Visual Arts; acceptance is not automatic. To apply, students must have completed the prerequisite courses and must submit the following to the School of Art+Design:
- a completed application
- a written statement detailing your goals and objectives in pursuing the minor program
- a letter of recommendation from an A+D faculty member or a traditional or non-traditional:
Option 1: Traditional Portfolio
Use this option if your work falls largely within traditional forms of visual art disciplines - painting and drawing, photography, graphic design, illustration, printmaking, sculpture.
Your portfolio should consist of 12–20 works. These can include assignment-based projects, self-directed work and planning or sketchbook work.
We strongly encourage you to not include work that directly copies other artists’ work, including anime drawings, cartoons, video game characters, or existing designs.
Important for Painting and Drawing: if you plan to study within the Painting and Drawing department you should include the following work:
- One self-portrait in any medium
- Two drawings from direct observation (not from photos)
Option 2: Non-Traditional Portfolio
This option is intended for applicants whose creative work may not fit a traditional studio portfolio. It is especially suited for students working across expanded art and design practices, including activism, community-based projects, video, animation, sound, performance, digital media, zines, installation, social practice, conceptual work, or other experimental forms.
Applicants may submit documentation of projects, process materials, writing, research, sketches, photographs, short videos, audio works, publications, design experiments, or other evidence of sustained creative commitment. The work does not need to be polished or conventional. We are interested in seeing how you think, what questions you are drawn to, how you make things, and how your creative practice connects to the world around you.
Your portfolio can include 2D, 3D, or 4D work or writing. Provide 6 still images and not more than 3 minutes of video total (comprising not more than three video files).
As one of the video files, you should provide a narrative video (90 seconds or less) to share something about yourself that may not be visible in your work samples.
Organize all of your images with descriptions (title, medium, size, year created) into one PDF or Word document, and provide a link via a file-sharing service (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) below.
Please allow 7-10 business days for a response to your application. If you have further questions, please contact the School of Art+Design at (914) 251-6752 or email ade@purchase.edu.
Courses and Faculty
The Visual Arts Minor draws course work from the entire catalog of Art+Design undergraduate courses:
Graphic Design | Painting and Drawing | Photography | Printmaking | Sculpture | Foundations | BSVA
Faculty teaching in the Art+Design areas contribute to the Visual Arts Minor. Questions about this program, contact the Program Coordinator for the School of Art+Design at ade@purchase.edu.