About

Visual literacy and visual acuity – looking with awareness and intention – are fundamental to liberal arts education.

The Art and Visual Culture Department offers courses in studio practice and in the study of the intersecting categories of art, architecture, visual and material culture, from the distant past to the present.

This study also provides insights into intellectual currents, religious doctrines and practices, and social institutions, with attention to issues of class, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Studio art involves the integration of traditional disciplines and methods with contemporary practices and the study of visual culture.

The major offers two tracks: one in history and criticism; the other, in studio art. Students intending to study abroad must discuss fulfillment of major requirements with their advisor and the department chair in advance. Students planning graduate study in architecture, landscape architecture, or design are advised to confer with the department chair early in their college careers in order to plan appropriate undergraduate programs.

The art, you’ll see, is beautiful and striking. Frieda Kickliter ’23, a studio art major from Mobile, Ala., is making large abstract paintings inspired by architecture and landscape. She shares a studio with her roommate Jordan Wilson ’23 of Medfield, Mass., a double major in art history and studio art, who’s painting portraits of people she knows. And Tricia Ballard ’23, a studio art major from Larchmont, N.Y., is a ceramicist who loves simplicity. You’ll find the three of them in their Olin Arts Center studios with ) days to prepare for the installation of the Annual Senior Art Exhibition that opens on April 14 in the Bates College Museum of Art. The museum partners with the Department of Art and Visual culture to support the work of Bates students through an exhibition that highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors majoring in studio art. Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art and Visual Culture faculty, and culminates in this exhibition. Stay tuned for more coverage of the installation and opening. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) #batescollege #fineart #art #painting #ceramics #exhibition

The art, you’ll see, is beautiful and striking. Frieda Kickliter ’23, a studio art major from Mobile, Ala., is making large abstract paintings inspired by architecture and landscape. She shares a studio with her roommate Jordan Wilson ’23 of Medfield, Mass., a double major in art history and studio art, who’s painting portraits of people she knows. And Tricia Ballard ’23, a studio art major from Larchmont, N.Y., is a ceramicist who loves simplicity. You’ll find the three of them in their Olin Arts Center studios with ) days to prepare for the installation of the Annual Senior Art Exhibition that opens on April 14 in the Bates College Museum of Art. The museum partners with the Department of Art and Visual culture to support the work of Bates students through an exhibition that highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors majoring in studio art. Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art and Visual Culture faculty, and culminates in this exhibition. Stay tuned for more coverage of the installation and opening. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) #batescollege #fineart #art #painting #ceramics #exhibition

Olivia Rabin ’24 of Montclair, N.J., works in her Olin Arts Center studio on March 21, 2024. From a young age, I was fascinated by nature and the fantastical. This and the works by people similarly inspired by the natural world inspire my current work. While I am interested in many different things, I am always working to visualize them to help me understand how I connect them internally. In my work, I am trying to synthesize my own process into something tangible and observable. I am exploring the connections between my headspace, the act of expression, and the physical world. I want to explore the emotions and sensations of the world around me, being captivated by nature and the fantastical. I love the mysterious blues and otherworldly qualities of water, especially found in oceans and waterfalls. I am thoroughly enchanted by them. This was only heightened by my favorite creative works like The Blue Planet by David Attenborough. This film not only allowed me to see the ocean’s depths in ways I had never seen before but also showed me ways in which form can create fantastical emotions out of the real. Works like Hayao Miyazaki’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky expand on this in artistic and sensory ways that become their own mythology. Works by artists like Heikala and Gabriel Picolo expand upon mundane elements of reality, abstracting them into the fantastical. Heikala’s illustrations often explore the magic in mundane moments by abstracting an element like size, time, or location to convey an emotion fantastically. In Picolo’s Icarus and the Sun, the already metaphorical wax of Icarus’ wings becomes more emotional as Icarus’s body is made of wax and the sun becomes his lover. Wax is quite captivating for me as its qualities are intrinsically related to water. Wax flows like water but as it cools and solidifies it almost freezes a moment in time and space allowing for the magic to be captured. In these works, I was able to find connections between my int

Olivia Rabin ’24 of Montclair, N.J., works in her Olin Arts Center studio on March 21, 2024. From a young age, I was fascinated by nature and the fantastical. This and the works by people similarly inspired by the natural world inspire my current work. While I am interested in many different things, I am always working to visualize them to help me understand how I connect them internally. In my work, I am trying to synthesize my own process into something tangible and observable. I am exploring the connections between my headspace, the act of expression, and the physical world. I want to explore the emotions and sensations of the world around me, being captivated by nature and the fantastical. I love the mysterious blues and otherworldly qualities of water, especially found in oceans and waterfalls. I am thoroughly enchanted by them. This was only heightened by my favorite creative works like The Blue Planet by David Attenborough. This film not only allowed me to see the ocean’s depths in ways I had never seen before but also showed me ways in which form can create fantastical emotions out of the real. Works like Hayao Miyazaki’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky expand on this in artistic and sensory ways that become their own mythology. Works by artists like Heikala and Gabriel Picolo expand upon mundane elements of reality, abstracting them into the fantastical. Heikala’s illustrations often explore the magic in mundane moments by abstracting an element like size, time, or location to convey an emotion fantastically. In Picolo’s Icarus and the Sun, the already metaphorical wax of Icarus’ wings becomes more emotional as Icarus’s body is made of wax and the sun becomes his lover. Wax is quite captivating for me as its qualities are intrinsically related to water. Wax flows like water but as it cools and solidifies it almost freezes a moment in time and space allowing for the magic to be captured. In these works, I was able to find connections between my int

Taking place in the spring of each year, this exhibition highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors in Studio Art. This year, seven emerging artists will present work in various media: Alex Provasnik ’25 in her Olin Studio with her paintings Elizabeth R. Barrow Miryam Keller Avery Lehman Erin McCarthy Alex Provasnik Lila Schaefer Danny J. Zuniga Zarat Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art & Visual Culture (AVC) faculty, and culminates in this exhibition. The Bates College Museum of Art maintains a close relationship with the college’s AVC department, and is committed to supporting the work of Bates students through this Annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. To see more about the artists’ work, visit the website: https://www.bates.edu/museum/exhibitions/senior-thesis-exhibition-2025/

Taking place in the spring of each year, this exhibition highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors in Studio Art. This year, seven emerging artists will present work in various media: Alex Provasnik ’25 in her Olin Studio with her paintings Elizabeth R. Barrow Miryam Keller Avery Lehman Erin McCarthy Alex Provasnik Lila Schaefer Danny J. Zuniga Zarat Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art & Visual Culture (AVC) faculty, and culminates in this exhibition. The Bates College Museum of Art maintains a close relationship with the college’s AVC department, and is committed to supporting the work of Bates students through this Annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. To see more about the artists’ work, visit the website: https://www.bates.edu/museum/exhibitions/senior-thesis-exhibition-2025/

Taking place in the spring of each year, this exhibition highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors in Studio Art. This year, seven emerging artists will present work in various media: Miryam Keller ’25 with her work in her Olin Studio Elizabeth R. Barrow Miryam Keller Avery Lehman Erin McCarthy Alex Provasnik Lila Schaefer Danny J. Zuniga Zarat Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art & Visual Culture (AVC) faculty, and culminates in this exhibition. The Bates College Museum of Art maintains a close relationship with the college’s AVC department, and is committed to supporting the work of Bates students through this Annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. To see more about the artists’ work, visit the website: https://www.bates.edu/museum/exhibitions/senior-thesis-exhibition-2025/

Taking place in the spring of each year, this exhibition highlights work selected from the thesis projects of graduating seniors in Studio Art. This year, seven emerging artists will present work in various media: Miryam Keller ’25 with her work in her Olin Studio Elizabeth R. Barrow Miryam Keller Avery Lehman Erin McCarthy Alex Provasnik Lila Schaefer Danny J. Zuniga Zarat Thesis projects vary from student to student, each pursuing an individual interest. The emphasis of the program is on creating a cohesive body of related works through sustained studio practice and critical inquiry. The year-long process is overseen by Art & Visual Culture (AVC) faculty, and culminates in this exhibition. The Bates College Museum of Art maintains a close relationship with the college’s AVC department, and is committed to supporting the work of Bates students through this Annual Senior Thesis Exhibition. To see more about the artists’ work, visit the website: https://www.bates.edu/museum/exhibitions/senior-thesis-exhibition-2025/

Associate Professor of Art and Visual Culture Carolina González Valencia, adviser in the winter semester to senior studio art majors, install their work in the Bates Museum of Art for the Annual Senior Exhibition on April 9, 2025. On the lower level is Avery Lehman ’25 of Portsmouth, NH, and also exhibition installer….. Upstaris, González Valencia works with Visiting Lecturer in Art and Visual Culture Michel Droge to help Elizabeth (Lizi) Barrow ’25 of Winchester, Mass., to hang her painting on the upper level.

Associate Professor of Art and Visual Culture Carolina González Valencia, adviser in the winter semester to senior studio art majors, install their work in the Bates Museum of Art for the Annual Senior Exhibition on April 9, 2025. On the lower level is Avery Lehman ’25 of Portsmouth, NH, and also exhibition installer….. Upstaris, González Valencia works with Visiting Lecturer in Art and Visual Culture Michel Droge to help Elizabeth (Lizi) Barrow ’25 of Winchester, Mass., to hang her painting on the upper level.