Painting
The graduate program in Painting is designed to expose students to formal languages unique to contemporary painting, as well as the theoretical foundation to engage a variety of critical discourses on contemporary art. Study emphasizes the relationship of painting to other forms of picture making, such as drawing, printmaking, photography, and film. Individuals are encouraged to express constructions of their subject in relation to such fertile issues as history, popular culture, identity, architecture, media, technology, diversity, ecology, vernacular art, post-millennialism, regionalism, etc. The curriculum is designed to be “disciplinary” but with enough flexibility for students to stretch the structure and contour of the accepted definitions of painting. We desire students who understand that art making is both a technical and intellectual process and who exhibit idealism resiliency and determination. Our faculty is composed of artists who value the notion of cultural hybridization, which are accomplished, accessible mentors and whose individual research, in many of the aforementioned areas, is integrated into their relationship with students. This relationship, built upon critical evaluation of individual production is an extension of a professional dialogue faculty maintains with national and international art communities via exhibitions, faculty and student exchanges and visiting artists and scholars.
Facilities
Are located on the top floor of the Creative Arts Center. The studios totaling 3000 sq. ft. are well lighted by windows and skylights and they are well ventilated. Graduate painting students are assigned private studios that average 160 sq. ft. with 16 ft. ceilings and skylights. Spaces are partitioned with portable walls that allow ample space, privacy and basic storage. Power tools and shop equipment are available to build stretchers and construct more elaborate painting supports. The faculty maintains an excellent variety of artists‘ monographs, magazines and exhibition catalogs to augment what is available for research at the Evansdale Library.
Contact Info:
Paul Krainak, M.F.A. (Northern Illinois University), Painting
paul.krainak@mail.wvu.edu 293-4841 ext. 3136
Naijun Zhang, M.F.A. (West Virginia University), Painting Visiting Position
naijun.zhang@mail.wvu.edu 293-4841 ext 3148
