Fine Arts

While the College will provide some basic art supplies, materials and hand tools, you will need to purchase most of the art materials needed in your studio art courses. 

Textbooks are required for art and film history courses and are required or are optional, supplementary reading in some studio courses. These texts will be available in the College Bookstore. The College Bookstore, however, cannot provide a competitively priced range of art supplies, and it will be necessary for you to become familiar with the major art supply stores in the region.

A listing of these stores follows. A listing of required materials will be provided at the first meeting of each studio course. A rough estimate for expenses of art supplies is as follows:

Drawing courses $40 - $70

Design courses $30-$50

Color Theory $60-$80

Painting courses $80 - $125

Sculpture courses $30 - $60

Photography courses $100 - $150

(35 mm. camera required)

Art Supply Stores

Art supply stores in the New York area are as follows. Many stores will give discounts if you present your LaGuardia I. D. Card. Ask your instructor about the best prices.

In support of the LaGuardia’s mission to educate and graduate its students to become critical thinkers and socially responsible citizens, the College has undertaken a team approach toward advising, designed to support you in your major from orientation through graduation.

Your Advising Team is made up of faculty, professional and peer advisors. They will guide you at every step during your college career. They are ready to help you:

• Explore your major
• Select introductory and advanced courses
• Connect you with campus support services
• Prepare an educational and career plan

In your first semester, your First Year Seminar (FYS) professor is your advisor. In your second semester and beyond, you can log in to My LaGuardia to contact advisor(s) or make an appointment.

Visit the Advising page to learn more about when to get advised and how to prepare for an advising appointment, and check out the Advising Calendar for information sessions, events and more.

The Visual Arts Area is located on the second floor of the Main or "M" Building. These studios are as follows:

• Painting: M-Building, M-232
  
• Design: M-Building, M-227
  
• Sculpture: M-Building, M-226
• Drawing: M-Building, M-229
• Supply Room: M-Building, M-224
• 3D Design and Illustration: M-Building, M-223.
• Visual Art Resource Center and Art Office: M-Building, M-223.

Art History courses are taught in multi-media (SMART) classrooms located throughout the college, but predominantly in the  Room M-156.

The art studios are available for individual use whenever classes are not scheduled. Materials are available from the supply room. A Canon camera is available for use by seeing Gary Vollo in M-223. An Epson 12000XL scanner is available for use in the Arts Area computer lab.

Any questions involving studio use should be directed to:

Room M223
718-482-5709
gvollo@lagcc.cuny.edu

Helmut Eppich
Room M224
718-482-5709

The Fine Arts curriculum will provide an introductory preparation for careers in either the Fine or Applied Arts. Further training in advanced or specialized art programs will complete your career preparation.

As you begin your studies at LaGuardia, it will be important that you become informed about the range of careers available to the visual artist.The best resource available to you is the Fine Arts faculty. The faculty are professional artists and educators with many years of experience. Take advantage of their knowledge by asking questions about courses, your portfolio, art careers and advanced art programs for transfer.

Transfer Opportunities

The Fine Arts Program is fully articulated with the BA and BFA programs in Fine Arts at Queens College and Hunter College. That means if you graduate from LaGuardia College with the AS Degree in Fine Arts, all 60 credits will transfer, and you will begin your studies toward the baccalaureate degree at third year, junior status. 

The Fine Arts Program is also articulated with the School of Visual Arts. Graduates of LaGuardia's Fine Arts Program may transfer directly into the third year of SVA's programs in Fine Arts, Advertising Design, Illustration, Cartooning, and Graphic Design. 
Many courses in the Fine Arts AS Degree are transferable to other four-year colleges at CUNY on a course-by-course basis only. The same is true with the Fashion Institute of Technology and many of the private colleges in the region. Remember that credits will transfer most easily if you have completed your AS Degree.

Most colleges will grant transfer credit for studio art courses on review of your personal portfolio and an interview. Placement in an advanced art program is often based on the evaluation of the student's personal portfolio.

To plan for continued study in the Fine or Applied Arts, you should become familiar with other art programs in the New York area. Select the program that best fits your needs by visiting the campus and art facilities, looking at student artwork, speaking with an admissions counselor and determining the requirements for transfer.

If you need to have an instructor write a letter of recommendation you should contact him/her at least a month in advance. You should supply information on the school and program you wish to transfer to, the person and address to whom the letter should be sent, and perhaps an example of your art portfolio.

At LaGuardia, the Office of Transfer Services, Office B-215, will provide assistance. The Visual Arts Resource Center, Office M-223, may also provide assistance through art faculty advisors and college catalogs.

Explore career possibilities on Career Connect.  

Current Students

Log in to the CUNY Portal to review your Degree Audit to find out what classes to take. Have questions about using Degree Audit? Visit LaGuardia’s Degree Audit page for tutorials and how-to guides.

Prospective Students

Review Curriculum for  Fine Arts and Design Studies, and see recommended course sequence below.

Coursework

The Fine Arts curriculum places emphasis on drawing techniques and visual fundamentals. There are two required courses in drawing and one in design. A third drawing course may be selected as an elective.

Within the curriculum, it is possible for students to select concentrations in painting, sculpture or design.

Two required art history survey courses provide an introduction to the major movements of world art. A third elective course in art history focuses on the arts of a particular culture or period. Recommended areas of study in the Liberal Arts include writing, literature, mathematics, science, history, and the humanities, providing indispensable cultural and practical background for the visual artist.

Selecting Flexible Core Courses

The courses you should take to satisfy the Pathways Flexible Core depends upon many factors, including: schools you are considering transferring to, your academic strengths and interests, and credits that you have earned from previous colleges. It is also important to note that some Pathways Flexible Core courses will also satisfy LaGuardia’s Urban Study requirement.

Fine Art majors are advised to select the following courses:

*satisfies Urban Study requirement

Note:Student can select only two courses from any one discipline

Planning Your Schedule

As you register for courses and plan your schedule, carefully consider the sequence in which you take courses. Good planning will enhance your educational experience. Use the following list of suggestions and study plan as a guide.  

• Take First Year Seminar (LIF101) as soon as possible.
• Take HUA 103 Beginning Drawing or HUA 104 Introduction to Design in your first semester.
• Take HUA 165 Art History: Prehistoric to Gothic or HUA 166 Art History: Renaissance through Modern in your first semester or as soon as you complete the basic skills prerequisites. HUA 165 is not a prerequisite to HUA 166, but it is preferable that you take HUA 165 first if possible. Never take both courses in the same semester.
• Do not take more than two studio art courses in the same semester.
• Take the First Year Seminar (LIF101) as soon as possible.
• Take HUA 180 Life Drawing after you have completed HUA 103 Beginning Drawing. Never take both drawing courses in the same semester.
• Never take HUA 180 Life Drawing and HUA 203 Intermediate Drawing in the same semester.
• Students registering for HUA 180 Life Drawing or HUA 203 Intermediate Drawing in the Fall I or Spring I session should make every effort to schedule additional drawing time on Wednesday afternoons, 1:00- 5:00p.m., when a free practice drawing session from the life model will be provided.
• Take the Art History elective course after you have completed HUA 165 and HUA 166

Two Year Study Plan

The following course sequence is recommended for new students. Students are advised to check Degree Audit and the College Catalog that corresponds to the year you began your studies for program requirements. 

First Year, Fall I

First Year, Fall II

First Year, Spring I

First Year, Spring II

Second Year, Fall I

Second Year, Fall II

Second Year, Spring I

Second Year, Spring II

See flexible sequence for students with basic skills needs.

For information about this program’s retention and graduation rate visit the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment website page.

The Design Arts Option provides the foundation coursework and experience necessary to begin a career as an Industrial Designer, Graphic Designer, Package Designer, Product Designer, Interior Designer or Fashion Designer, or to transfer to a four-year institution. Students study Design both in theory and in practice. They take rigorous courses in Design fundamentals and principles and the specialty area of Model making. Model makers employ techniques, tools and materials used by architects and other design professionals to make 3-dimensional prototypes and mockups of everything from toasters to interior spaces.

See flexible sequence for students with basic skills needs.

Your portfolio lets others know what you know and what you can do. It is an ongoing record of your best creative achievements. For the Visual Arts student, it is the most important credential for successful transfer or employment. Detailed assistance is available on ePortfolio.

You should begin to build your portfolio in your first studio art course. The portfolio should show quality and variation. Quantity is not so important. Quality will be achieved through practice.

Generally, your portfolio should emphasize drawing techniques, particularly drawing from the human figure. Examples of painting or photography or design or sculpture are also important. The work should be presented clearly, cleanly, and in a positive sequence. Generally, work does not need to be matted or framed. Sculptures should be photographed and sometimes digital images of drawings and paintings are required. Finally, your portfolio should show expressive and interpretive qualities that go beyond class assignments or basic problem-solving. In your Art and Design Seminar course you will also be encouraged to create an ePortfolio, an electronic compilation of your course work at LaGuardia Community College. Visual Arts Majors benefit from the ePortfolio, by allowing easy access of electronic images of your artwork to future academic instructors and institutions, as well as possible employers.

Open Drawing Sessions from the life model will be available every Wednesday, 1-5 p.m., during the Fall I and Spring I sessions. Check in Office M-223 for scheduled dates/location. Take advantage of this excellent opportunity to develop the quality of your portfolio.

Studio Art Courses will generate many of the art works you will wish to include in your portfolio. However, to achieve true technical and expressive quality you will need to do more than your basic class assignments. Practice, experimentation and revision must occur to achieve excellence. As you complete your studies at LaGuardia plan extra time to practice each week. Generally you should plan to practice a minimum of two hours outside of class for every hour in class.