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About The Program

School of Fine Arts

Art (Fine)

Unleash your creative vision and hone your artistic abilities in Northern's fine art program, in which you'll develop advanced visual design skills and be trained to master the use of traditional studio media and tools. We have the resources you need to study art history, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, photography, painting, drawing, design and mixed media.

All classes are taught by caring, supportive professors and instructors, and our fully equipped facilities include upgrades for health and safety.

Northern has one of the nicest art studios in the region, and seniors have the opportunity to work in a private studio. Student work can be showcased in one of three galleries located in modern and historic campus spaces.

Through Northern's annual Visiting Artists program, well-known artists create exciting art and work with students through critiques, lectures, and community collaborations.

You may also get the chance to travel with professors to prominent art destinations such as Minneapolis, Chicago, Omaha, Washington, D.C., New York, and Italy.

Crowning this comprehensive program is a senior capstone experience, for which fine art students complete a written thesis, solo exhibition of artwork, statement of purpose and resume.

Careers

An art degree from Northern prepares you for careers in advertising design, graphic design, visual fine arts and art education. For graduating seniors, the senior capstone experience includes practical steps and strategies for career planning.

Northern's art students are trained in entrepreneurial thinking as self-starters, problem solvers and innovators, and career paths are varied and plentiful. Graduates are prepared to succeed in self-employment as professional artists and designers; employment with public and private galleries and museums; web-based sales and promotion; and teaching for private schools, colleges and community centers.

For more information on careers in your major or help choosing a major, contact the NSU Career Center.

Internships

An internship is not required for Northern’s Fine Arts B.A.; however, students may participate in an internship for elective credits.

Scholarships

The art department offers a variety of competitive, merit-based awards. Scholarship assistance requires strong academic performance, minimum GPA of 3.0, and demonstrated potential for academic and career success. Scholarships also are available for minority students and students who excel in specific art disciplines or media.

Fine Arts Scholarships

Northern Scholarships

Course Requirements

Art- Fine Arts Specialization (BA) Course Requirements

Art Minor Course Requirements

Plans of Study

Art- Fine Arts Specialization (BA) Plan of Study

Our Faculty

Gratia Brown

Department

Art

School of Fine Arts

Programs

Art Education

Art (Fine)

Peter Kilian

Department

Art

Programs

Art Education

Art (Fine)

MFA in painting and drawing, University of California at Santa Barbara

peterkilian.com

Discipline specialties

Painting

Drawing

Printmaking

I have exhibited my artwork in regional and national venues for more than 25 years, with works in the Knight-Ridder Collection, South Dakota State Art Collection, Contemporary Arts Forum (Santa Barbara) and numerous private collections.

Nadya Preszler

Department

Art

School of Fine Arts

Programs

Art Education

Art (Fine)

M.Ed., Lesley University

B.S.Ed., Northern State University

Nadya Preszler graduated from NSU in 1999. A Roscoe, S.D., native, she was a track athlete during her time at Northern. She spent five years teaching art in Marshall, Minn., and five years at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, S.D. At Northern, she concentrates on art education.

Greg Blair

Department

Art

School of Fine Arts

Programs

Art Education

Art (Fine)

Greg Blair holds a BFA in sculpture from the University of Lethbridge and a MFA in sculpture from the University of North Dakota. He is currently nearing the completion of his Ph.D. Visual Art and Art Theory from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts based in Portland, Maine.

Professor Blair has exhibited his artwork and presented his research both nationally and internationally, in locations including Rome, Tuscany, NYC, New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, and many others. Much of his research encompasses interdisciplinary sculptural practices, cultural critique, ecocriticism, and philosophies of place.

Sara Christensen Blair

Department

Art

School of Fine Arts

Programs

Art Education

Art (Fine)

Sara Christensen Blair teaches design, graphic design and mixed media at Northern State University. In 2000, She earned a bachelor of arts at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., followed by a bachelor of fine arts at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2002. In 2004 she achieved a masters of fine arts in mixed media with emphasis in fibers and metals from the University of North Dakota. In 2008, she began work toward a Ph.D in visual arts: aesthetics, art theory and philosophy through the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts. She is pursuing her Ph.D. from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts in Portland, Maine, and plans to defend her dissertation in July 2015.

Recent exhibitions, presentation and awards include the Dakota Creative Connection Grant through the Bush Foundation and an invitation to be one of 24 international scholars at the World Ornamental Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in February 2014. She has had several solo and two-person exhibitions at locations throughout the country, including the University of Minnesota, University of Miami and the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, N.D.

For more information on her artwork, research and scholarship, visit saracblair-art.com.