Curriculum Requirements and Course Options:

Studio Courses

Book Arts Studio: Concept, Image Type (first semester)
The student is introduced to practical and conceptual concerns intrinsic to the production of books and prints. Emphasis is on both print processes, including hands-on experience with letterpress, lithography (plate and offset) and digital printmaking, and conceptual/production processes, including creating dummies and pre press work. Conceptual explorations further the development of the student’s visual language.

Book Arts Studio: Color/Mark (first semester)
The student is provided with a broad range of image-making approaches. Personal imagery is investigated through various printmaking and drawing techniques.

Book Arts Studio: Projects (second semester)
Building on what has been learned in the previous semester, the student continues to develop his or her skills and techniques and explore particular interests in the creation of several works.

Thesis Studio I and II (third and fourth semesters)
In the third semester, in conjunction with the faculty advisor, the MFA candidate develops an individual course of study and defines the projects, in preparation for the required thesis exhibition. In the fourth semester the student develops and executes that exhibition, one that constitutes a mature body of work.

Bookbinding (all four semesters)
Basic book structures are explored in the first semester with emphasis on sound conservation techniques and good craftsmanship. In the second semester historic book structures serve as models and departure points for innovative bindings. In the third semester, investigation of the book structure at an advanced technical level continues. Through critiques and individual instruction, the fourth semester is devoted to developing structures that support thesis work.

Departmental Colloquia

Colloquium: Text and Image (first semester)
The focus is on the development of the student’s sensitivity to language and verbal constructs and an understanding of the relation of text to image and structure. The course also supports the development of the student’s creative writing, in particular in the context of artists’ books.

Colloquium: The Artist’s Book (first semester)
Semester 1. The student is introduced to the history of the artist’s book and investigates the artist’s book as a complex art form. Classes consist of discussing readings and examining artists’ books in Special Collections in various libraries and institutions.

Colloquium: History of the Book (second semester)
This course provides hands-on study of rare books and manuscripts from antiquity to the present, with discussions dealing with their structural, historical, and artistic significance. The class meets at the Library Company of Philadelphia, with field trips to local Special Collections.

Colloquium: Professional Practices (third and fourth semesters)
In the first semester, professional practices and issues related to the fields of printmaking and book and publication arts are explored through visiting lecturers, discussions, and field trips. In the second semester the course focuses on the completion of the student’s professional portfolio.

University Seminars

University Seminar: Visual Culture Studies (second semester)
[Needs rewriting] In this interdisciplinary seminar students from the various graduate programs examine theoretical issues of structure and metaphor in relation to art and design.

University Seminar: Contemporary Topics in Art and Design (third semester)
[Needs rewriting] In this second interdisciplinary course students from all the graduate programs examine theoretical issues relating to the place of art and design in society.

Credit Breakdown