Fields of Study

Visual and Media Arts

Sculpt as you learn about the chemistry of clay. Draw to study stream ecology. Produce a documentary film. Exhibit pieces to the public.

Studying visual and media arts at Evergreen is different than attending an arts school. By setting your study within the context of an interdisciplinary liberal arts education, you will expand your skills in analytical thinking, critical reading, writing as well as discover themes and ideas that support and refine your artistic practice.

Our students apply the theoretical and critical concepts they are learning to a range of artistic practices, from solving design problems to the production of full-scale independent projects. You will not just learn to create art; you will learn to use artistic skills as a means for exploring the vast world of ideas.

Join us in an education that doesn’t just change your life; it gives you the tools to change the world.

Sample Program

Taking Things Apart

Winter & Spring 2014

Sometimes taking things apart results in a paradigm shift: suddenly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Expand your skills in analytical thinking, critical reading, writing, as you receive hands-on instruction in a variety of formats and disciplines.

In one strand, we use a biologist's tool kit to explore how biology takes apart and studies life in different ways. In winter, we focus on visual perception, ranging from anatomy to the logic of visual processing to an examination of the specialized neurons and molecules involved in phototransduction. In spring quarter, we investigate how genetics is used to dissect complex processes and provide an entry point for the molecular understanding of inheritance at the level of DNA.

Another strand uses visual art to combine what we learn about the anatomy and physiology with a study of using sight to apprehend and appreciate the world around us. We will work with different tools—charcoal pencils and cameras—both to take apart and to construct new things. During winter quarter, we will learn the basics of drawing. In spring, we use black-and-white photography to study life at a more macroscopic level than in the biology lab.

Our goal is to weave these strands together to produce an understanding about the world informed by both cognition and intuition.

View this program in the catalog.

Rites of Passage Show

Offerings Proposed for 2013-2014

Lower Division

Programs for Freshmen and Sophomores

Upper Division

Programs for Juniors and Seniors

All Levels

Both upper and lower division students may take these programs

After Graduation

Audrey Marrs '96 On her first try at feature filmmaking, Audrey Marrs '96 scored an Oscar nomination. On her second, she won.

Evergreen alumni artists routinely break new ground, creating original works that change the way we look at art—and the world. From making innovative textiles to reinterpreting traditional carving, photographing rock-n-roll to portraying Antarctica’s rarely seen environment, Greeners continue to add beauty and insight to the world around them.

Others make it their business to nurture creative talent and bring it to the larger community. They are graphic designers, documentary film directors, animators and illustrators, fashion designers, photographers, clothiers, jewelers, carvers, and sculptors. Beyond making their careers directly in art, many Evergreen alumni are involved in the arts in other ways, either as artists outside of their jobs or in promotion, arts board leadership, or volunteering.

The skills learned at Evergreen — visual and media literacy, presentation and communication, analytical and critical thinking — give students an advantage in their future work.

Facilities and Resources

Art Spaces

The art curriculum is supported by a wide range of studios and facilities for students to experience a variety of media. 

  • Sculpture studios supporting stone- and wood-carving, plaster casting and assemblage are located close to the metal shop and wood shop for convenient access to equipment and tools
  • 3-D studios are equipped with tall ceilings, bright lighting and plenty of work space
  • Two metals studios: one shop dedicated to large-scale, ferrous metal work including welding, cutting and metal casting equipment; and a second fine metals studio for small-scale work with copper, brass, and silver, enameling and small-scale metal casting
  • Newly renovated wood shop that includes tools and equipment to support sculpture and traditional wood crafts
  • Newly renovated ceramics studio equipped with potter’s wheels, a slab roller, clay mixer, gas and electric kilns
  • Spacious painting and drawing studios lit by both natural and electric light specifically designed for 2D media
  • Non-toxic printmaking studio featuring etching, engraving, lithography, the largest typesetting collection in the state, silk-screen, wood- and lino-cut
  • Photo studios (Photoland) support photography in a variety of formats
  • Digital Imaging Studio (DIS) is accessible to students interested computer-based imaging and production

Center for Creative and Applied Media (CCAM)

Evergreen offers advanced media access and education in a highly-current and technologically fluid environment. The CCAM facilities include:

  • TV Studio
  • Production Control
  • Green Room
  • Sound Effects Studio
  • Audio Lab
  • Small Scale Studio
  • Audio/Video Post-Production
  • 5.1 Surround Mix Studio

Electronic Media

Electronic Media (EM) provides technical media instruction and support for facilities that include:

  • Animation Lab
  • Audio Studios
  • Film Editing Suites
  • Music Technology Labs
  • Video and Multimedia Editing Lab

Evergreen Art Gallery

Newly renovated art gallery features a cycle of provocative exhibits and installations by regional artists and touring exhibitions.

Media Loan

Students of all levels are welcome to borrow film, audio/video and photographic equipment from Media Loan. You can learn how to use this equipment from our staff.