The Department of Visual and Performing Arts offers a major in the visual and performing arts with concentrations in art history, studio art, and music. The program gives students a solid background in academic training while exposing them to a wide variety of media, techniques, and contemporary issues. The result is a graduate confident in her abilities and clear in her artistic and performing goals.
You may choose from among these programs within the Visual and Performing Arts Department:
A minor is also available.
It goes without saying that you are creative and have a passion for the arts! You are also likely to be motivated, creative, and independent, and you bring a solid work-ethic to the classroom. You will be encouraged to share your ideas and opinions as well as to seek out inventive ways of learning. You will take part in internships right here in Winston-Salem, the City of the Arts, at organizations such as the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, SECCA (South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art, MESDA (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts), the Winston-Salem Symphony, and Classical Voice of North Carolina journal, as well as many other organizations in town. You may also want to join the Arts Society.
Your Visual and Performing Arts professors are active scholars, performers and artists whose talents and scholarly achievements are matched only by their dedication to classroom and studio teaching. In addition to their activities at Salem, our professors also lecture regularly to audiences outside the Salem community, have active exhibition and performance schedules, and coordinate the activities of the College Fine Arts Galleries and Performance spaces.
Thanks to the comprehensive, interdisciplinary nature of the department, you will graduate with a plethora of professional opportunities, including such as graduate school or a wide range of careers. Recent Salem studio art and art history graduates went on to East Carolina University; Maryland Institute College of Art; Pratt Institute/School of Art and Design; Rhode Island School of Design; and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. Some are working as a design consultant at Ethan Allen Inc; a historical programs assistant at the Maymont Foundation; an interior designer with the Group 3 firm; curator of education at Columbia Museum of Art; and a member of the Peace Corps in Zambia. Other recent Salem music graduates went on to Shenandoah Conservatory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Oregon, and Dalhousie University, pursuing graduate studies in performance, musicology and music theory. Some are working as music ministers, band directors, professional performers, private teachers, K-12 music teachers, and arts administrators.
Required core courses for all concentrations (12-14 hours):
ARTV 105. Design Thinking (3 hrs)
ARTV 390. Senior Project or Thesis in Visual and Performing Arts (3 hrs)
A course in the visual arts (choose one):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs)
ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTS 020. 2-D Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs)
A course in the musical arts (choose one):
MUSI 105. Women in Music (3 hrs)
MUSI 119. Fundamentals of Music I (4 hrs)
MUSI 130. Introduction to Musical Styles (3 hrs)
Choose one concentration:
Studio Art (34 hours):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs) or ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTH 244. Modern Art (3 hrs)
ARTS 020. Two-Dimensional Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 025. Color Theory (4 hrs)
ARTS 030. Three-Dimensional Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs) or ARTS 112. Anatomical and Figure Drawing (4 hrs)
ARTS 113. Introduction to Painting (4 hrs) or ARTS 135. Introduction to Printmaking (4 hrs)
ARTS 114. Advanced Painting (4 hrs) or ARTS 235. Advanced Printmaking (4 hrs)
ARTS 310. Senior Studio (4 hrs)
Art History (18 hours):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs)
ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTH 180. Women and Art (3 hrs)
ARTH 111. African and African American Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 113. Precolumbian and Latin Art (3 hrs)
ARTH 244. Modern Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 231. Ancient Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 232. Medieval Art (3 hrs)
ARTH 268. Art and Empathy in Renaissance and Baroque Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 170. Empathy in the Western Graphic Novel (3 hrs)
Required Specialized Courses in Art History (12 hours):
ARTH 200. Independent Study in Art History (3 hrs) or ARTH 290. Honors Independent Study in Art History (3-4 hrs)
ARTH 220 Special Topics in Art History (3 hrs)
ARTH 270. Internship in Art history (3 hrs)
Music (29 hours):
Musicianship courses (8 hrs):
MUSI 119. Fundamentals of Music I (4 hrs) (if not taken as part of the core)
MUSI 129. Fundamentals of Music II (4 hrs)
Music History and Literature courses (15 hrs):
MUSI 105. Women in Music (3 hrs) (if not taken as part of the core)
MUSI 130. Introduction to Musical Styles (3 hrs) (if not taken as part of the core)
MUSI 220. Special Topics in Music and Health (3 hrs)
MUSI 236. Research Methods in the Visual and Performing Arts (3 hrs)
MUSI 240. Music and Culture (3 hrs)
Holistic Performance and Wellness courses (9 hrs):
MUSI 223 Alexander Technique (1 hr)
A minimum of four semester hours of Applied Music for Majors in a primary instrument or voice selected from:
MUSI 022. Applied Piano for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 025. Applied Organ for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 028. Applied Voice for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 043. Applied Strings for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 046. Applied Winds for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 048. Applied Guitar for Majors (1 hr)
A minimum of four semester hours of ensemble selected from:
MUSI 050. Salem College Chorale (1 hr)
MUSI 052. Symphony Chorale (1 hr)
MUSI 055. Chamber Ensemble (1 hr)
MUSI 058. Salem Band (1 hr)
*MUS 128. Athletic Band I (1 hr) – WFU
The minor in visual and performing arts requires the completion of the following six courses:
Required courses (9-11 hours):
ARTV 105. Design Thinking (3 hrs)
A course in the visual arts (choose one):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs)
ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTS 020. 2-D Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs)
A course in the musical arts (choose one):
MUSI 105. Women in Music (3 hrs)
MUSI 119. Fundamentals of Music I (4 hrs)
MUSI 130. Introduction to Musical Styles (3 hrs)
Select three courses from either studio art, art history, or music (9-11 hrs).
The minor in visual literature requires the completion of the following:
Required courses:
ARTD 209. Digital Design (3 hrs)
ARTH 170. Visual Literacy and the Western Graphic Novel (3 hrs)
ENGL 245. Hayao Miyazaki: Anime Master Storyteller and His Influences (3 hrs)
ENGL 299. Shakespeare Meets Manga (3 hrs)
Any additional ARTH course (3 hrs)
Select ONE of the following:
ARTS 020. Introduction to Two-Dimensional Design (4 hrs) OR
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs)
You may choose from among these programs within the Visual and Performing Arts Department:
A minor is also available.
It goes without saying that you are creative and have a passion for the arts! You are also likely to be motivated, creative, and independent, and you bring a solid work-ethic to the classroom. You will be encouraged to share your ideas and opinions as well as to seek out inventive ways of learning. You will take part in internships right here in Winston-Salem, the City of the Arts, at organizations such as the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, SECCA (South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art, MESDA (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts), the Winston-Salem Symphony, and Classical Voice of North Carolina journal, as well as many other organizations in town. You may also want to join the Arts Society.
Your Visual and Performing Arts professors are active scholars, performers and artists whose talents and scholarly achievements are matched only by their dedication to classroom and studio teaching. In addition to their activities at Salem, our professors also lecture regularly to audiences outside the Salem community, have active exhibition and performance schedules, and coordinate the activities of the College Fine Arts Galleries and Performance spaces.
Thanks to the comprehensive, interdisciplinary nature of the department, you will graduate with a plethora of professional opportunities, including such as graduate school or a wide range of careers. Recent Salem studio art and art history graduates went on to East Carolina University; Maryland Institute College of Art; Pratt Institute/School of Art and Design; Rhode Island School of Design; and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. Some are working as a design consultant at Ethan Allen Inc; a historical programs assistant at the Maymont Foundation; an interior designer with the Group 3 firm; curator of education at Columbia Museum of Art; and a member of the Peace Corps in Zambia. Other recent Salem music graduates went on to Shenandoah Conservatory, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Oregon, and Dalhousie University, pursuing graduate studies in performance, musicology and music theory. Some are working as music ministers, band directors, professional performers, private teachers, K-12 music teachers, and arts administrators.
Required core courses for all concentrations (12-14 hours):
ARTV 105. Design Thinking (3 hrs)
ARTV 390. Senior Project or Thesis in Visual and Performing Arts (3 hrs)
A course in the visual arts (choose one):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs)
ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTS 020. 2-D Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs)
A course in the musical arts (choose one):
MUSI 105. Women in Music (3 hrs)
MUSI 119. Fundamentals of Music I (4 hrs)
MUSI 130. Introduction to Musical Styles (3 hrs)
Choose one concentration:
Studio Art (34 hours):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs) or ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTH 244. Modern Art (3 hrs)
ARTS 020. Two-Dimensional Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 025. Color Theory (4 hrs)
ARTS 030. Three-Dimensional Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs) or ARTS 112. Anatomical and Figure Drawing (4 hrs)
ARTS 113. Introduction to Painting (4 hrs) or ARTS 135. Introduction to Printmaking (4 hrs)
ARTS 114. Advanced Painting (4 hrs) or ARTS 235. Advanced Printmaking (4 hrs)
ARTS 310. Senior Studio (4 hrs)
Art History (18 hours):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs)
ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTH 180. Women and Art (3 hrs)
ARTH 111. African and African American Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 113. Precolumbian and Latin Art (3 hrs)
ARTH 244. Modern Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 231. Ancient Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 232. Medieval Art (3 hrs)
ARTH 268. Art and Empathy in Renaissance and Baroque Art (3 hrs) or ARTH 170. Empathy in the Western Graphic Novel (3 hrs)
Required Specialized Courses in Art History (12 hours):
ARTH 200. Independent Study in Art History (3 hrs) or ARTH 290. Honors Independent Study in Art History (3-4 hrs)
ARTH 220 Special Topics in Art History (3 hrs)
ARTH 270. Internship in Art history (3 hrs)
Music (29 hours):
Musicianship courses (8 hrs):
MUSI 119. Fundamentals of Music I (4 hrs) (if not taken as part of the core)
MUSI 129. Fundamentals of Music II (4 hrs)
Music History and Literature courses (15 hrs):
MUSI 105. Women in Music (3 hrs) (if not taken as part of the core)
MUSI 130. Introduction to Musical Styles (3 hrs) (if not taken as part of the core)
MUSI 220. Special Topics in Music and Health (3 hrs)
MUSI 236. Research Methods in the Visual and Performing Arts (3 hrs)
MUSI 240. Music and Culture (3 hrs)
Holistic Performance and Wellness courses (9 hrs):
MUSI 223 Alexander Technique (1 hr)
A minimum of four semester hours of Applied Music for Majors in a primary instrument or voice selected from:
MUSI 022. Applied Piano for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 025. Applied Organ for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 028. Applied Voice for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 043. Applied Strings for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 046. Applied Winds for Majors (1 hr)
MUSI 048. Applied Guitar for Majors (1 hr)
A minimum of four semester hours of ensemble selected from:
MUSI 050. Salem College Chorale (1 hr)
MUSI 052. Symphony Chorale (1 hr)
MUSI 055. Chamber Ensemble (1 hr)
MUSI 058. Salem Band (1 hr)
*MUS 128. Athletic Band I (1 hr) – WFU
The minor in visual and performing arts requires the completion of the following six courses:
Required courses (9-11 hours):
ARTV 105. Design Thinking (3 hrs)
A course in the visual arts (choose one):
ARTH 121. Survey of Western Art I (3 hrs)
ARTH 122. Survey of Western Art II (3 hrs)
ARTS 020. 2-D Design (4 hrs)
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs)
A course in the musical arts (choose one):
MUSI 105. Women in Music (3 hrs)
MUSI 119. Fundamentals of Music I (4 hrs)
MUSI 130. Introduction to Musical Styles (3 hrs)
Select three courses from either studio art, art history, or music (9-11 hrs).
The minor in visual literature requires the completion of the following:
Required courses:
ARTD 209. Digital Design (3 hrs)
ARTH 170. Visual Literacy and the Western Graphic Novel (3 hrs)
ENGL 245. Hayao Miyazaki: Anime Master Storyteller and His Influences (3 hrs)
ENGL 299. Shakespeare Meets Manga (3 hrs)
Any additional ARTH course (3 hrs)
Select ONE of the following:
ARTS 020. Introduction to Two-Dimensional Design (4 hrs) OR
ARTS 111. Drawing (4 hrs)
See our Academic Catalog for all of our course offerings.
