The Fine Arts Department offers a wide and diverse array of courses, service-learning projects, field trips and artist performances and workshops that encourage hands-on, experiential learning. Studio art, art history and music courses help you to develop analytical and technical abilities, as well as the critical inquiry and creative thinking skills essential for any future career.
Saint Anselm Fine Arts majors graduate not only with creative and intellectual skills, but also with an understanding of the deeper historical, cultural and philosophical dimensions of the arts, and the ways in which creative artistic expression plays an essential role in human identity and experience.
For information about taking music lessons for credit, please contact Prof. Sean Parr at sparr@anselm.edu.
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LLC Galleries
Location: in the Living Learning Commons
Hours: Open to the public 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Current Exhibition Info
Dana Center Alcove Galleries
Location: in the Dana Center
Hours: Open to the public M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Current Exhibition Info
Learn More
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Concentrations and Courses
The Fine Arts major is designed to provide a strong foundation in the study of the visual arts or music within a liberal arts education. The course requirements for the Fine Arts major provide a focused path of study in one of three emphasis areas: Art History, Studio Art, or Music. The emphasis requirements also provide students with the opportunity to partake in the interdisciplinary nature of the Fine Arts program. The Fine Arts curriculum provides courses that develop analytical and technical skills, emphasize critical inquiry and aesthetic appreciation, and foster an understanding of the historical, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of the arts. In addition to the course requirements, all Fine Arts majors are required to complete the Senior Seminar, a Senior Thesis Project, and a Senior Comprehensive Examination. The Senior Thesis Project culminates in a public presentation representing the student's achievement in a specific area of the Fine Arts.
The Fine Arts degree program prepares students for a wide array of career opportunities in arts management and administration; museum, gallery, and curatorial work; digital and graphic design; visual communications and media marketing; and graduate studies in art history, arts education, art therapy, studio art, music performance, and musicology. Several Fine Arts courses offer a service-learning option that allows students to apply their skills and talents in outreach to community organizations, and aid in the development of professional portfolios. Student internships are available through the on-campus gallery and performing arts center as well as off-campus sites such as local museums, galleries, advertising and graphic design companies, music schools and performing organizations. Fine Arts majors are also encouraged to study abroad. Students may participate in the annual Juried Student Art Show, attend the Fine Arts Lecture and Performance Series, take part in workshops, and join student clubs such as the Art Society, Lucubrations, Abbey Players, and the Anselmian Music Society. Music emphasis students have opportunities for performance in curricular music lessons and in the Saint Anselm College Choir, the Chamber Singers, the jazz band, or chamber music ensemble. In addition, Fine Arts classes make field trips to art exhibitions, concert performances, and art centers in the region.
A Fine Arts minor in Art History, Studio Art, Music, or Theatre is also available to students who wish to combine Fine Arts skills and knowledge with other majors such as Biology, Business, Classics, Communication, Computer Science, English, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Politics, Sociology, or Theology.
Fine Arts majors from one Emphasis can minor in another Fine Arts Emphasis (e.g., a Fine Arts Major with an emphasis in Art History can minor in Studio Art).
A double-major within Fine Arts or combined with another major outside of Fine Arts is also an option.
Major Requirements: 10 courses/40 credit hours (See possible major emphases below.) One of these courses may be an internship. No more than one internship course may be taken to fulfill the Major Requirements.
Programs
Major
Minor
Refer to the Online College Catalogue for more information, including course descriptions.
Facilities
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Comiskey Art Center
The Comiskey Art Center is the central space for Fine Arts on campus. In addition to a theater classroom, the center features painting, drawing, printmaking and ceramics studios, as well as office spaces and classrooms for graphic design, watercolor painting, and mixed media. The Center also contains a state-of-the-art Macintosh computer lab for graphic design, digital art, and computer music courses. In addition, there is a gallery space used for display of student class work, critiques and senior thesis exhibitions. The Comiskey Art Center is named in honor of Professor Edward J. Comiskey, who served as director of the Saint Anselm theater group, the Abbey Players, for 35 years.
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South Alumni Hall
Fine Arts spaces in Alumni hall include faculty offices, a music lab, a photography classroom and darkroom, and an art gallery.
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Dana Center Music Facilities
Students have access to 8 individual practice rooms in the Dana Center, each equipped a new Yamaha upright piano. Each of the classrooms has a grand piano: one new Yamaha grand piano and a Steinway grand piano. The piano lab contains 15 electronic pianos. An electronic pedal organ is also available for students to practice on.
The music recording studio is outfitted with two computer stations, one running Pro Tools and the other running Finale. (Both Finale and Sibelius are available in the music lab in South Alumni Hall.)
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Dana Center Alcove Galleries
Located in the Dana Center lobby. For current exhibition information, please visit our Facebook Page.
Alcove Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and during show times. -
LLC Galleries - in the Living Learning Commons
The Living Learning Commons, Saint Anselm College's newest residence hall, continues the innovative blending of living and learning through new exhibition spaces which incorporate six museum-quality art cases installed on all three floors.
These new galleries provide additional exhibition space to showcase fine arts student, faculty and outside professional artists works, while also making art accessible to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additional workshops, programs, and future exhibitions hosted in the LLC integrate art into everyday campus life, give students an audience, and make art education available to the entire college community. For current exhibition information, please visit our Facebook Page.
LLC Gallery Hours: Open to the public 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Student Work
- Visit the Fine Arts Department Flickr gallery for a sampling of student, and faculty works.
In addition to studio art, art history, and music courses, Fine Arts students can take advantage of many campus events and opportunities that combine practical learning experiences with community engagement.
- Internships: on- and off-campus positions in museums, galleries, performing arts centers, advertising and design companies, music schools, and performing organizations
- Service Learning: classroom experiences put to work in the "real world"
- Study Abroad: study art and music all over the world
- Annual Juried Art Show at the Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center
- Guest Lecturers and Performers: outside experts share their knowledge with students
- Visiting Artist Workshops: hands-on experience with professional artists
- Student Performance Groups: Saint Anselm College Choir, Jazz Band, Chamber Music Ensemble, Abbey Players
- Anselmian Abbey Players: theatrical and musical performances
- Student Clubs: Saint Anselm Art Society, Anselmian Music Society, online cultural magazine, Lucubrations
Student Work
Visit the Fine Arts Department Flickr gallery for a sampling of student, and faculty works.
In addition to studio art, art history, and music courses, Fine Arts students can take advantage of many campus events and opportunities that combine practical learning experiences with community engagement.
- Internships: on- and off-campus positions in museums, galleries, performing arts centers, advertising and design companies, music schools, and performing organizations
- Service Learning: classroom experiences put to work in the "real world"
- Study Abroad: study art and music all over the world
- Annual Juried Art Show at the Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center
- Guest Lecturers and Performers: outside experts share their knowledge with students
- Visiting Artist Workshops: hands-on experience with professional artists
- Student Performance Groups: Saint Anselm College Choir, Jazz Band, Chamber Music Ensemble, Abbey Players
- Anselmian Abbey Players: theatrical and musical performances
- Student Clubs: Saint Anselm Art Society, Anselmian Music Society, online cultural magazine, Lucubrations
Student Clubs
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Abbey Players
The Anselmian Abbey players, the Saint Anselm College drama group, regularly offers plays and musicals throughout the year and offers students an excellent opportunity to participate in and to learn all phases of theatre production. Typical annual productions include the Family Weekend show, a night of one act plays, a spring semester musical, and scenes from Shakespearian plays.
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Chamber Music Ensemble
Comprised of student, faculty and staff musicians, the Chamber Music Ensemble focuses on woodwind and string instruments in order to promote a greater presence of music on campus through the performance of popular to classical pieces. The Ensemble performs at events around campus, such as award ceremonies and Mass, as well off-campus at local nursing homes and churches.
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Jazz Band
The Jazz Band promotes the study of the art of music in the most professional way possible, motivating the individual members in all musical fields, specifically jazz. The organization seeks to stimulate interaction among students and faculty through both formal and informal performances.
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Lucubrations
Lucubrations is a Cultural Magazine for the Saint Anselm Community. It publishes, in both informal and formal settings, thoughtful content of all descriptions from art, photography, and music to literature, essays, and poetry.
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Art Society
The Art Society seeks to promote the appreciation of art on campus and to bring together students with common interests in art and art history. It is open to all students at Saint Anselm College - not just Fine Arts Majors and Minors. The club organizes informal museum and gallery field trips, movie nights with art films, and additional art-related events. SAAS also volunteers with the Meelia Center for Community Service in order to promote community awareness and an appreciation for art.
