Visual Arts provide a true liberal arts education, providing greater understanding of the human experience.

     Almost one out of every four students takes at least one art class while at PC. After taking their first art class, many choose to pursue another to explore how art relates to their own experiences. Ceramics, photography, Introduction to Drawing, and Art Appreciation are just a few of those classes. Despite several spatial limitations, our faculty has successfully offered a balanced menu of studio courses and art history that allows their students to learn about and experience visual arts.

     We have a talented art faculty. What they and their students need is space. Currently, our Visual Arts Department has only 10,000 usable square feet. A department of their size should have 15,000 net square feet of space, which, according to a study, is how much 44 other liberal arts colleges have. Consider, too, that the three PC art professors each have only 3,300 net square feet for storage, teaching, and creating.

     To make matters more difficult, the entire space for the art program is divided between two buildings on campus: Douglas House and Godfrey House. While structurally sound, neither of these buildings were constructed with the arts in mind.

     In recent years, many of our peer institutions have invested significant amounts in renovating and expanding their art facilities. For PC to remain competitive with these schools and to meet the current and future needs of our student body, we must address the critical needs of our visual arts department.

     A new facility with 36,000 square feet would provide the necessary classroom, lab, and display space for all the visual arts disciplines currently offered at PC, including ceramics, clay sculpture, photography, wood and metals, and art history. Proposed to be located across from the Harper Fine Arts Center, the facility would also have plenty of space for new art classes too, should those be added in the future.

   For more information on how you can help support the art program contact:

David Atchley
Vice President of Advancement
Office: 864.833.8482
Cell: 704.400.8095
Fax: 864.833.8481
Email: datchley@presby.edu