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 receive hands-on instruction in a variety of formats and disciplines.

Our students apply the theoretical and critical concepts they are learning to a range of media 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 see the possibilities in the world around you.

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

Arts Annex

The Arts Annex is home to a wide range of spaces for students to work across a variety of mediums.

  • Sculpture studios are in close proximity to the metal shop and wood shop to provide convenient access to meet students' sculptural needs
  • 3-D studios are equipped with large sinks, excellent ventilation, tall ceilings with bright lighting and plenty of work space
  • Metal shop that includes mig and tig welding, plasma cutting, oxy-acetylene, and bronze/metal casting that are available to all students who pass a proficiency test
  • Wood shop that includes planers, various saws, lathe, horizontal mortiser, router table and jointer that are available to all students who pass a proficiency test
  • Ceramics studio equipped with both electric and kick potter’s wheels, a slab roller, clay mixer, gas and electric kilns
  • Two large painting studios, a smaller studio for independent work, one large drawing studio and a multi use critique space provide a dedicated space for painting and drawing
  • Printmaking studio committed to using techniques and materials that do not harm students or the environment which includes etching, relief, silk screen, plate lithography and letterpress
  • Neon studio where students can learn to heat, bend, weld and anneal glass tubing using a ribbon burner, cannon fire and tipping torch as well as lampworking and scientific glassblowing

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

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.

Photoland

Photoland provides the Evergreen community with photo production services, instruction, supplies and support. Traditional and digital production facilities are available.