Studio Art Major
Hone your skills and develop a unique creative vision, then prepare to make your mark in the art world.
Why Earn Your BA or BFA in Studio Art?
Both the BA and BFA unlock exciting career opportunities in the visual arts. If you dream of becoming a professional artist or designer, a BFA will provide you with the training and confidence to build your own studio practice, then apply for artist residencies or an MFA. If you’re interested in a career in curating, art direction, web design, multimedia animation, art conservation or arts administration, a BA—a liberal arts degree—will help you develop highly marketable professional skills like analysis, critical thinking and problem solving.
Why Earn a BA or BFA in Studio Art at Adelphi?
- Receive one-to-one attention in small classes from successful artists and seasoned educators.
- Tailor your degree to your unique interests and goals with courses in painting, printmaking, photography, digital art, illustration/cartooning, ceramics and sculpture. We also offer a BFA concentration in graphic design.
- Graduate career-ready with the portfolio and practical experience you need to succeed outside the classroom.
What Can You do With a Degree in Art?
You can create and exhibit your artwork or go on to graduate school to become a curator or art conservator. With a degree in art education, you can teach grades K–12. Or pursue a career in graphic design and do multimedia animation or web design for marketing or publishing companies. Or use your skills to create murals in neighborhoods and other community engagement opportunities.
Mural Design for Swirbul Library/Innovation Center Entrance
Nine students in instructor Cara Lynch ‘12’s Spring 2022 Mural Arts Workshop developed designs and proposals for a mural to decorate the entrance wall to Swirbul Library and the Innovation Center. Junior Mehgan Geyer’s design was chosen and renamed “Knowledge Is Power.”
Concentrations
Studio Art
Both the BFA and BA programs in studio art will equip you with the skills and confidence needed to build your own studio art practice while simultaneously providing you with the tools needed to pursue work in commercial art and design. As a studio art student, you will work closely with professional artists to help build your techniques and refine your vision.
Graphic Design
The BFA in Graphic Design combines rigorous coursework with industry experience. You will take classes in studio, advertising design, web design and computer graphics applications. In your final year, you will work with clients from industry pulled from both the University as well as neighboring communities, complete a semester-long professional internship, and develop a thesis project to be exhibited in one of the University galleries.
Minors
Art and Design Education Minor
The minor in Art and Design Education introduces students to contemporary issues and methodologies in the field of art and design education including cutting-edge technologies and new forms of cultural expression, across a range of settings including preK-12 schools, community arts programs, and museums.
Art History Minor
The minor in Art History gives an Adelphi student the opportunity to study art from passionate scholars who care deeply about research and teaching. Our art faculty regularly takes advantage of the University’s proximity to New York City by holding classes in museums and art galleries, inviting guest scholars and curators to campus, and encouraging students to pursue internships in the city.
Art Therapy Minor
The art therapy minor is useful for students majoring in either art or psychology who are interested in pursuing graduate training in art therapy (a requirement for both licensure and practice). The minor conforms to the recommendations made by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA).
Graphic Design Minor
The graphic design minor will introduce students to both traditional studio skills and cutting edge digital image making, providing them with the necessary foundation for contemporary visual communication.
Studio Art Minor
The studio art minor will equip students with the skills and confidence needed to build their own studio art practice while simultaneously providing them with the tools needed to pursue work in commercial art and design.
Video Game Design Minor
The video game design minor introduces students to the components of game design from the perspectives of Art, Film, and Computer Science. The program culminates in a course in which students collaborate in creative teams to develop and produce an original video game.
Adelphi’s art program gave me all the essential tools I needed to carry with me throughout my career. It has fostered the way in which I see myself in the world, as well as the type of artist I wish to be.
Galleries and Exhibitions
We are proud of the work of our students and faculty. View the Student Art Gallery.
Exceptional Hands-On Learning
At Adelphi, we believe strongly in the power of hands-on learning and the value it adds to our students’ future careers. Take advantage of our proximity to New York City—just 40 minutes by train—and land an internship at a leading museum, publication or advertising firm. Our students have interned at organizations such as:
- Atlantic Records
- Marathon Digital
- Marvel Worldwide Inc.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- O, The Oprah Magazine
You’ll also have the exciting opportunity to see your work exhibited on campus. Our gallery spaces in Garden City and Manhattan host museum-quality installations featuring pieces from students (including BFA senior thesis works), faculty and guest artists throughout the year.
An Adelphi art student cleans her printing screen as she works on an assignment during printmaking class.
Program Info
Application Requirements
To apply for this program, submit the appropriate application requirements along with a portfolio of recent work.
Transformative Educational Opportunities
All undergraduate students have the opportunity to apply for the following programs to expand their educational landscape:
- The Honors College – fostering intellectual perspectives and critical skills
- Levermore Global Scholars – preparing students to become global thinkers and leaders
- Study Abroad – providing opportunities to experience another culture and see the world from a new perspective
Art Studios
Art History Lecture Hall
Senior Art Studios
Sculpture and Ceramics
Printmaking Studio
Graphic Design and Digital Production
Painting and Drawing
Art History Lecture Hall
With small class sizes, the art history lecture hall located in Blodgett Hall offers one-on-one attention from our experienced art professors. 2 Photos-
Blodgett Hall art history lecture hall. -
Blodgett Hall art history lecture hall.
Senior Art Studios
Individual studio space for BFA Studio and Art and Design Education students is available in their senior year. 2 Photos-
A student working in their own personal studio space. -
Located in Blodgett Hall, each senior studio is filled with natural light from skylights overhead.
Sculpture and Ceramics
The 5,000 square foot sculpture studio and adjacent yard house a small foundry for lost wax and sand casting, wood fabrication equipment, and a sheet metal shop with welding machines. 3 Photos-
The clay area which recycles and pugs its own clay includes wheels, electric kilns, gas kilns, an anagama kiln, a slab roller, and an extruder for ceramics. We also have installation space for the less object-oriented disciplines of installation and performance art. -
A student working in the sculpture studio in the Klapper Center for Fine Arts. -
A student working on a 3D sculpture in the Klapper Center for Fine Arts.
Printmaking Studio
The 1400-square-foot printmaking area is well equipped to support a number of different printmaking techniques including all varieties of intaglio, solarplate, monotype, relief, and screenprint printmaking. 3 Photos-
Two Adelphi art students working with screenprints in the studio. -
Three large Brand presses in the printmaking studio further service student work, in addition to a mini, in-house digital lab that includes a large-format archival color inkjet printer. -
The printmaking studio in the Klapper Center for Fine Arts offers ample natural light through skylights.
Graphic Design and Digital Production
We have 2 digital labs that include 40 Mac Pro computers equipped with a full suite of art and design software, 2 large format archival color inkjet printers, 4 color printers, 6 scanners, and 20 Wacom tablets. 4 Photos-
A design student working in the Blodgett Hall digital lab. -
The design space features individual workstations for students to work on advertising, branding, and package design projects. -
Design students will take classes in the studio to explore advertising design, web design, and learn computer graphics applications. -
Painting and Drawing
The 3 painting and drawing studios are well lit and feature skylights, easels, and designated storage areas for canvas and 2D work. 8 Photos-
Associate professor Jennifer Maloney mentors a student in the painting studio. -
Designed to inspire artistic expression, each of the two 700-square-foot painting studios in the Herbert J. Klapper Center for Fine Arts features skylights and provides painting racks, easels and taborets. -
An Adelphi student concentrates on the work in front of her. -
Art students working diligently at easels. -
The Blodgett Hall drawing studios offer ample natural light and space to create. -
Art students drawing during class. -
Art students working in charcoal in the Blodgett Hall studios. -
The drawing studios provide students with a creative space to work and are adjacent to storage racks and locker space to house supplies.
Awards & Recognition
