Centering clay for ceramics throwing class. We also have classes in handbuilding and alternative firing.  Alternative firing includes woo...

Centering clay for ceramics throwing class. We also have classes in handbuilding and alternative firing.  Alternative firing includes wood fired ceramics.

Hand coloring an etching for the print exchange in etching class.

Hand coloring an etching for the print exchange in etching class.

Working on transparency and shadows in drawing class.

Working on transparency and shadows in drawing class.

Rooted in practice, Studio Art students create visual expressions drawn from their own experiences.

Studio Art

Students have the opportunity to master a wide range of classic and experimental techniques by creating visual expressions of ideas drawn from their own experiences and enriched by the broad spectrum of knowledge available to them in the liberal arts program. 

The visual arts can be explored in two ways: through the hands-on practice of skills and techniques in a variety of mediums, or through an in-depth study of art’s history and meaning. At Sweet Briar, the visual arts major has two tracks: art history, and studio art.

The studio art track helps students develop practical skills and the ability to access their creativity. 


Studio Art Events

Artist, Auz Miles talks about her exhibition, The Water Dancers, in the Vaulted Gallery. An artist reception will be held from 7 to 7:30 p.m. in the Vaulted Gallery where you can see her art; the artist talk will be in the Reahard Learning Gallery from 7:30-9:00 p.m.

Miles’ artwork is a series of large-scale paintings and mixed-media works examining the relationship between Black women and their families and communities. Her paintings and murals capture unseen moments of women in dialogue with ancestry and exploring their genuine selves despite the confines of societal bounds. Each installation is based on memories, spoken testimonies, and conversations that explore the relationships between Black women.

Come hear Sweet Briar’s Gallery and Museum interns Damarys Rodrigues ’24, Renee Taylor ’24, and Olivia Heffernan ’25 present on the objects they researched.