When one thinks of the disciplines available here at Princeton, subjects that easily come to mind are history, politics and economics. Rarely do individuals outside the University — and even some students within — associate Princeton with the arts.
"It's distressing the reactions I get when I tell people that I go to Princeton and major in art history," said Willow Sainsbury '04, an art history major pursuing a certificate in visual arts. "People always assume Princeton is a place you come for the sciences, politics or history."
Princeton's visual arts program is a field that most students know very little about or venture to explore. In a given semester, roughly 200 students are enrolled in visual arts classes, said James Seawright, former chair of the visual arts program. In the higher level courses, class sizes tend to be in the range of 10 to 15 students.
"I think there is an advantage to the small size of the program," said Eliza Gregory '03, a comparative literature major pursuing certificates in visual arts and creative writing. "You have the opportunity to get to know your professors incredibly well and learn so much from them."
Looking at only those in the program, the numbers are significantly smaller. According to Seawright, this year only seven juniors and 12 seniors are in the program. The most concentrators Seawright has encountered during his tenure as chair was 23 juniors and seniors.
"In my 30 years here, I've noticed that interest in the arts increases when the economy is more stable or secure," said Emmit Gowin, acting director of the program and a professor of photography. "Art is not an issue in this culture and society the way economics and politics are because in modern minds art is not what drives the economy."
The visual arts program offers introductory courses in painting, drawing, sculpting, photography and film. Gowin believes student interest in the arts is just as popular as any other major; but not many students are willing to commit their lives to serious art after an introductory course.
"I've been pleasantly surprised how interested people are in taking visual arts classes," said Ben Handzo '04, an art history student concentrating in photography. "I've had a lot of friends inquire about taking photography or drawing classes in the visual arts program before they graduate."
One of the benefits of taking a course in visual arts is that students get to learn from the best in fields of drawing, painting, sculpting and photography, said Seawright.
There are only four permanent faculty members in the visual arts program — a film historian, a painter, a sculptor and a photographer, Gowin said. Most of the artists who are brought to the University to teach are appointed for only a short time.
"Many of the instructors are practicing artists who come to the University to teach a few days a week," Gowin said. "This gives the students a chance to learn from artists who are very successful in their fields and are still active artists."
However, since visual arts is only a program, the continuity of instructors is harder to maintain.
"It can be problematic for students that many of the professors work in the department on a temporary basis," Sainsbury said. "When you find that you like working with a professor and they leave, it becomes a challenge for the student and the professors to build a relationship."
Rachel Linton '03, also studying visual arts, echoed Sainsbury's sentiment, noting that it is sometimes difficult to find advisers for independent work because an instructor who is an adviser one year may not even be at the University the following year.
The program
The Program in Visual Arts did not become a program until the 1970s, when interest in the subject increased dramatically among University students.
Gowin said he thinks that with the arrival of women to the University came a new desire to study art.
When Gowin was brought to Princeton in the spring of 1973 by Rosalyn Krouse, "the visual arts program was still in its emerging state and photography was still being offered as a no-credit night course," Gowin said.
He said the program began to emerge as a force on campus with the 1971 arrival of world renowned photographer Peter Bunnell — currently being honored in an exhibit at the University art museum. Prior to Bunnell's arrival, writing, theatre, dance and the arts were intertwined under the title of the Creative Arts Program.
Today, a student has two options for studying visual arts: work towards a certificate from the program or concentrate in visual arts by majoring in art history and preparing a studio thesis.
The certificate — not intended for art history majors, Seawright said — requires students to take eight courses in visual arts and art history, as well as completing a senior independent project.
"Students who take this path are usually more interested in the technical parts of art," Seawright said.
A second option for students interested in studying visual art is Program 2 in the art and archaeology department. Before entering the program, each student is required to take two courses in the art and archaeology department and two in the visual arts.
Before acceptance into Program 2, a student must submit a portfolio for approval by the director of the Visual Arts Program.
"The visual arts program is a highly selective program, but no one really knows that unless they try to get in," Linton said.
Sainsbury has opted for a different approach to the art history major.
"I have actually decided to get a degree in art history and a certificate in visual arts," she said. "It was very difficult to convince the program and departments to allow this kind of arrangement, but I preferred it to the other options available."
For some, the level of interdisciplinary study in the program is adequate, while for others it could always be improved. Through Program 2, students can get a background in the study of art and art theory. But even this path has presented flaws for some students.
"I think that sentiment differs from student to student," Gowin said.
In some courses, professors encourage students to integrate outside disciplines into their art, Sainsbury said.
A senior thesis a decade ago combined visual anthropology and photography to study the eating club Tiger Inn as a primitive culture.
"Visual arts students aren't required to take a lot of courses outside of the discipline," said Pablo Garcia GS. "To have a course taught by a historian and an artist together could be a really interesting way to introduce artists to academics and vice versa."
According to Garcia, such an arrangement would minimize the feeling of having to sacrifice arts for academics or academics for art.
Recently, the University of Pennsylvania has announced a major that does just that — it combines the disciplines of fine art, psychology, philosophy and art history. Starting with the Class of 2006, students will be able to declare a visual studies major.
"As far as I know, there is not a major like this at any other institution," said Eric Schneider, associate director of academic affairs at Penn. According to Schneider, many universities have started visual culture programs because there is a sense that there is a general interest for such a curriculum among students.
Students planning on declaring visual studies as their major will be required to take three core courses — two involving introductory studio work and one in theory co-taught by an art historian and a psychologist.
Though some students have expressed interest in the major, Penn will not offer visual studies as a minor because of the intense curriculum involved and the uncertainty of the popularity of the major, Schneider said.
Princeton or Art School
Given the reputation of the University in the arts, one may wonder why some students choose Princeton instead of the conventional art school. At a traditional art school, there is more focus on technical skills and there is less of a variety in the courses students can take, Gowin said.
"To become an artist is a huge commitment and may mean a lonely lifestyle," he said. "Not everyone is able to make that commitment so early in life."
Some of the current students in the Visual Arts program considered attending conventional art schools when applying to college. In the end, the variety of the curriculum available at the University brought them here.
"I think people underestimate how much literature and science can influence painting," Sainsbury said. "I carry my inspiration from other courses and bring it with me when I paint."
For others, extracurricular activities also influenced the decision to come to Princeton, which was the case for Handzo.
"I was leaning less towards art school because I didn't think it could provide as much for me in the way of extracurricular activities," he said. "I was an athlete in high school, and I play rugby here, and I don't think I would have been able to do those things had I gone to an art school."
There is always a concern for some that art is not as big a part of campus as it can or should be.
"Art is not a high priority on most people's priority list," Handzo said. "The facilities that can expose someone to art are great here on campus — not to mention the proximity to New York City and Philadelphia."
Because of a dearth of student interest in the arts outside of theater, Linton has depended more on her professors and instructors as her art community than anyone else.
185 Nassau Street
The visual arts program is housed in 185 Nassau Street which has recently been renovated. Formerly an elementary school, the building was acquired by the University in 1966. Studio spaces have been expanded and concentrators have been given a locked studio on the fourth floor of the building.
Some introductory visual arts courses require a $30 fee upon enrollment. However, in photograpy courses, students may be required to purchase a 35mm camera in addition to other necessary supplies. Art history concentrators and certificate students are given a $300 budget by the program to complete their independent work.
"I think if the program had better funding, then more students might take part in the visual arts program," Handzo said. "Most students don't look at art supplies as the same as buying textbooks."
The visual arts program is only a program because of how the University charter is set up, said Seawright. To move the program into a major, the program would have to receive an endowment to pay the salaries of permanent staff, and receive trustee support.
"I think visual arts is not a department because it's not necessary to carry out the quality of education that is already provided," he said.
In the future, most concentrators would like to see better resources and equipment at 185 Nassau, and better advertisement of its accessibility to the student body.
"I would love to come back to Princeton and see more students interested and actually involved in the visual arts program," said Linton. "I think there is a potential social aspect to art that has yet to be seen here at Princeton."
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