Painting

Long revered as one of the most traditional of the fine arts, painting now encompasses a variety of media. Professional painters may work as independent studio artists or in a wide range of professional fields, from museum curation to multimedia and film.

The SCAD painting department welcomes conceptual approaches as well as traditional academic methods of painting. 

At the undergraduate level, emphasis is placed on technical skill, understanding of traditional and contemporary approaches to painting, and the concept of personal vision.
 
Students learn the practical skills to succeed: editing a portfolio, approaching a gallery, creating a self-promotional website and more. 

Advanced painting students may compete for a 10-week studio residency in New York City.

Graduate painting students may be sponsored to attend annual meetings of the College Art Association and Southeastern College Art Conference in order to make valuable professional contacts in the field.

Graduate students work in private studios with ongoing mentoring and critical feedback from faculty, visiting artists and their peers. Rigorous studio classes encourage development of personal vision. Courses in contemporary art, art criticism and critical theory offer advanced perspective.

Through SCAD eLearning, the painting M.A. and M.F.A. programs are offered with a limited residency requirement, allowing educators to gain advanced standing or meet school district requirements, or to gain advanced or terminal qualifications while continuing to teach. Students begin in residence in Savannah or Atlanta, take courses online from fall through spring, then finish in residence in Atlanta or Savannah. These are cohort-based programs requiring a summer start.

Department-sponsored exhibitions, symposiums and a strong visiting artist program offer valuable opportunities for students to network and gain exposure to the professional world.

Visiting artists spend a term at SCAD giving presentations, teaching classes, conducting critiques and visiting studios. Recent artists-in-residence or distinguished faculty include Steve Locke, Matt Blackwell and Adam Cvijanovic.