First Year Experience

First Year Experience

Begin your Studio Art journey here

The First Year Experience is an engaging variety of eight-week thematic workshop-structured art courses, designed as an experiential initiation into professional artistic practice, creative methodology and studio work ethic. First Year Experience courses are required for:

  • BA Studio majors
  • BFA Studio majors
  • BFA Art and Visual Culture Education majors

You not only will engage in the making of art but also in a critical dialog with faculty and peers to explore how your art communicates what it does — as well as strategies to sharpen this connection between the art object and its meaning.

Integrated projects and processes, rather than isolated design exercises, encourage personal investment. The focus of the program is to foster inventive and resourceful students who can express complicated ideas in a manner that is both technically and conceptually sophisticated. The First Year Experience challenges, inspires and empowers students with the basic artistic sovereignty required to pursue an art degree.

Thematic Workshop Modules

Beyond the three required themes — Mapping, Space and Surface — you will custom-build your own experience with three additional workshops to fulfill First Year Experience requirements. These courses will help students develop critical thinking and communication skills through engaging group critiques, individual critiques and written components.

The half-semester workshop courses break up the semester into smaller, more focused and digestible packages — helping you to feather your professional art practice, while also promising more variety of practice and instruction. The 16-week semester is divided into two eight-week Phases: Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Course

Workshop Title

Description

Course

ART 100A*

Workshop Title

Mapping

Description

Drawing from observation

Course

ART 100B*

Workshop Title

Space

Description

Sculpture

Course

ART 100C

Workshop Title

Gaze

Description

Digital Photography

Course

ART 100D

Workshop Title

Experience

Description

Sound, Video, and Performance

Course

ART 100E*

Workshop Title

Surface

Description

Painting and Color Theory

Course

ART 100F

Workshop Title

Amalgam

Description

Mixed-Media

Course

ART 100G

Workshop Title

Propaganda

Description

Design

Course

ART 100J

Workshop Title

The Body

Description

Figure Drawing

For a description of these courses, please review the University of Arizona General Catalog.

You can read an article featuring the program at UANews.org.

Contact an academic advisor to learn more about School of Art programs and admissions.

Facilities

Our state of the art First Year Experience studios — digital, 3D, Drawing and 2D — are ready for making, and most are accessible to FYE students 24 hours a day.

View Our FYE Studios
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Faculty

Our engaging First Year Experience faculty will work closely with you — from the generation of the idea through the realization of the object.

Yana Payusova

Yana Payusova

Assistant Professor of Practice
Danielle Jones

Danielle Jones

Visiting Assistant Professor
Half Off Special

Half Off Special

Wilbur Dallas Fremont
I fell down some stairs

I fell down some stairs

Lyle Emmerson Jr.
Floral Arrangement

Floral Arrangement

Janessa Southerland
What Do You See?

What Do You See?

Utvista Galiante
Tailgate Party

Tailgate Party

Roger Masterson