Art Programs

The Art and Music Department at Gaston College has a wide range of course offerings in the fine arts.  Students interested in the arts may enroll in a College Transfer Degree Program or take a sequence of courses to prepare for a career.

You may also take just one or two courses on a part-time basis for enjoyment and self-expression.

Programs Offered

We offer two art degrees:

Associate in Arts (Pre-Major: Art Education) (A1010A)

The Associate of Arts, pre-major in Art Education, degree program is for students who are preparing for a teaching career.  This major provides students with their first two years of coursework in art foundations and general college requirements and prepares them for transfer to a university bachelor degree program.

Recommended Course Sequence               A.A. Art Ed. Checklist

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Associate in Fine Arts (Art) (A10200)

The Associate of Fine Arts degree program prepares students for many career options in art. Each participant receives training for entry into a career as an art professional.  This major requires coursework in art foundations and general education courses as well as electives in a variety of studio art classes.  Students may chose from course offerings in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, computer art, and jewelry.  Upon completion of an A.F.A degree, our students usually transfer into a Bachelor of Fine Arts program at a four-year university.

Recommended Course Sequence               A.F.A. Checklist

 

Electives

All art (ART) courses have been approved for transfer to institutions in the University of North Carolina system and may used as elective credit by non-art majors.

Humanities/Fine Arts Core Requirements

Some of the art (ART) courses are approved to satisfy the core requirement in humanities/fine arts.

Art students should confer with a member of the art faculty about course selection prior to registration.

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Individually Structured Programs

Programs can be individually tailored to emphasize art education with a focus on museum training or studio art with a focus on painting, ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, architectural design, graphic design, jewelry, or photography and digital arts. 

The many benefits of Gaston College’s Art Programs include small class size allowing for individual instruction with faculty and limitless opportunities to learn, create, and exhibit. Teacher-student ratios in the Art Department are very low and classes are taught only by faculty (no teaching assistants) providing opportunities to build lasting professional relationships with faculty as mentors and friends.  

Upon completion of a degree at Gaston College, you will probably want to continue your education at a four-year university.  The NCCCS has an articulation agreement with the University of North Carolina system so that academic programs transfer easily into any branch of the UNC system.  With a four-year degree, you will be prepared to work and teach in studios and schools, start your own business or exhibit professionally.  Gaston College has the programs of choice to begin such a career track. 

Students can plan their program in order to transfer to a particular four-year college and university.  Some students take only a few courses each semester, but they may enroll in a two-year sequence and earn the Associate in Arts or Associate in Fine Arts degree, which offers courses that parallel those offered during the first two years at four-year institutions.  Students who intend to transfer their credits should plan their courses with a Gaston College art faculty advisor to be certain they will meet the current requirements at the four-year college or university.  Students who have not decided upon a major but intend to transfer their credits toward a four-year degree should also meet with a counselor from the four-year school.

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Studio Art

Instruction in a variety of studio art classes is available at Gaston College. Courses in recent years have included drawing, design, painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and jewelry. Instruction in studio art takes place in the spacious, well-lit studios of the Beam Center for Visual Arts.  Student gallery space offers exhibition possibilities and extensive access to the studios and darkrooms encourages the growth of technical skills. 

The introductory design courses provide an intensive foundation for beginning art students as they study art fundamentals and use the elements and principles of art to create hands-on two-dimensional and three-dimensional projects. 

Beginning drawing investigates several subjects, techniques and media, including still life, figure, and linear perspective with pencil, charcoal, ink and ink wash. 

The introduction to painting course includes sessions on painting materials, techniques, and color theory. Students learn to construct supports and create and analyze paintings by working predominantly from still life, but also with figure and abstraction. The advanced painting course focuses on meaning and content in student work. Through independent and collaborative work, students begin to develop a body of work that reflects their own interests as painters informed by an awareness of art history and contemporary art trends. 

Sculpture class builds on three-dimensional work in the first year design course. Students sculpt in clay, plaster, wood, and cement and work in additive, constructive and subtractive techniques.  Three-dimensional facilities include welding, woodworking, plaster casting, ceramics, and small metal casting and fabrication. 

Ceramics courses introduce students to clay as an artistic medium and include instruction in coil, slab, wheel throwing, surface decoration, and firing methods. 

Studio courses are limited to 16 students so that each student possesses maximum room in which to work, direct access to all equipment, and a great deal of individualized attention from faculty. 

Field trips to museums and art centers such as the Mint Museum of Art, the Mint Museum of Craft & Design, the McColl Center for the Arts in Charlotte and the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh as well as many different art galleries are a common feature of studio classes.

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