Fine Arts Professor John Kortlander on the value of CCAD's curriculum

The Value of a Fine Arts curriculum

Success in fine arts requires the ability to be curious, innovative, and, of course, hardworking. CCAD’s Fine Arts program brings together a community of diverse students and faculty who share a desire to engage in the kind of thinking and making that shapes a better world and brings greater joy to life.

Our Fine Arts curriculum is carefully crafted to make students succeed as studio artists, gallery and exhibition managers, teachers and arts administrators. The broad communication skills, methods of ideation, and critical thinking they learn are applicable to any business or entrepreneurial pursuit that strives to be at the vanguard of an industry. The college’s facilities and the expertise of the CCAD faculty allow CCAD Fine Arts majors to access the equipment, technologies, and computer programs needed to bring relevant ideas, forms, and systems to life. Beeler Gallery and its Visiting Artists & Scholars Series present broad viewpoints that are at the forefront of innovation in the world of contemporary art. 

In their freshmen year, Fine Arts majors take a course called Studio Art and Entrepreneurship, which teaches them how to evolve their artistic concepts while introducing the fundamentals of business, and marketing they will need to advance and promote what they create. Simply put, the mission of our fine art program is centered on developing smart people who have the tools to engage in a wide range of relevant activity.