On a 24-hour basis within the walls of Tyler Hall and Hewitt Hall, students at Oswego State are creating everything from graphic designs on a computer to 6-foot oil paintings on canvas. The final products of artwork created in the studios may appear on social media or be seen while passing through the hallways, but what non-art-major viewers do not see are the countless hours and processes that are required to produce the work they are viewing. Producing college-level artwork is a strong combination of technical, conceptual and visual skills, and people often overlook just how much work an art major will have weighing on their shoulders.
Most classes occur twice per week. This does not sound too overbearing, but a semester filled with four of these classes, plus a general education class, is where it starts to get complicated. This schedule will mean an art student’s day could be filled with three classes, but they will spend a total of nine hours in them and repeat this twice per week. These three-hour studio classes only fulfill three credit hours, so students are spending triple the amount of time in a class for no additional credit.
Art professors really try to make the most out of the class time with their students. They allow for periodic five-to 10-minute breaks and for students to use headphones to listen to music while they work on projects. Some sessions are work sessions, while others are filled with lectures and quizzes on textbook material, meaning less time to get work done. Students are expected to come prepared with their projects and materials to class, especially on critique days.
A college art critique is a three-hour session devoted solely to the project that is due on that given day. All students in the class are required to display their work, and the professor guides the class in speaking about each piece. This is a time for classmates and the professor to give both positive and negative feedback to the student artist. These critiques can turn intense quickly, and it puts each person in the class on the spot to explain and defend their hours of hard work. Each artist’s work is a very personal thing to them. It comes from their mind, and they put their heart into it. It is not uncommon for a professor to tell a student to completely redo a project, ultimately trying to push them to achieve their maximum art potential. This being said, the art professors at Oswego State are always trying to create a personal experience for their students. They genuinely care about their students and are always open to a student’s creative ideas.
While in-class work is very important, working on projects outside of class is essential to time management and project due dates. Most art professors will photograph students’ projects at the end of each class to indicate how much work they have put in between sessions. This can be very overwhelming when multiple projects are due in the same week, especially during midterms and finals week. While other majors are putting in all-nighters to study for tests, art majors can be found in the painting studio at 2 a.m. putting in that same amount of work.
At the beginning of each semester, the college bookstore is jam-packed with non-art students purchasing textbooks for their classes. These textbooks can cost hundreds of dollars, but art majors are spending the same, if not more money, on their studies. Syllabus week for art majors is when the term “starving artist” is most identifiable. They are required to purchase specific art materials for each of their classes, and financial aid is not available for material costs. They are also required to purchase textbooks for art history and general education classes.
Every major across campus, no matter the subject, is work intensive in its own way. Being a college student in itself is a journey of individual academic battles, triumphs and learning experiences. Art majors endure a very unique college experience, and most people do not fully understand all they do within the walls of the art buildings at Oswego State.
