About
The Art Program's mission is embodied in the 'plus' approach,
where art and design are integrated, infused with the spirit of
generosity and community.
The Art Program is committed to social engagement and the
building of communities through art. We provide a degree in
creativity and the liberal arts. Built around a nimble, modular
framework, our curriculum emphasizes generosity, integration,
flexibility and resourcefulness. Our students create mission-driven
art refracted by a personal vision.
We offer a degree in creativity built on the belief that
artistic thinking and design processes form the basis of leadership
and resilience. Our students understand that emotional
intelligence, empirical investigation, resourcefulness and artistic
transformation allow them to see opportunities in any circumstance.
Our students use the tools of art and design to navigate an
ever-expanding and changing world in which nature, science,
literature, business and the arts combine. Our students are
prepared for the hybrid careers they will create.
The Art Program strives to:
- Provide majors the skills to identify and succeed at a career
they are passionate about.
- Provide minors the skills to enhance their marketability in
their chosen majors.
- Provide supporting coursework to students in other
disciplines.
- Provide students in Butler's core curriculum with a creative
framework with which to approach the rest of their coursework.
- Infuse Butler University's campus with art, through
interdisciplinary collaborations and public exhibitions of student
work.
Principles of the program:
(1) Integration - we believe that the
future of creativity lies at the intersection of art and design,
that design tools and strategies are vital for artists, while
designers benefit from an immersion in artistic thinking. Every
course in the program utilizes a hybrid approach that combines art
and design thinking and processes.
(2) Creativity - we encourage the
creation of art using digital tools and everyday materials.
Students in our program will never be limited by the availability
of materials.
(3) Flexibility - we are deliberate in
our accounting for and anticipation of the constant changes that
characterize this period in history. The modular, non-sequenced
nature of the program coursework allows us to respond to new
opportunities, paradigms, and ideas. The program similarly takes a
flexible approach to exhibition, portfolio development and career
planning for our students.
(4) Sustainability - we believe in two
distinct types of sustainable artistic practice. First, we provide
students with marketable skills and the creativity to sustain a
lifetime of innovative thinking. Second, we promote an ecological
practice of reuse and repurposing of sustainable materials.
(5) Collaboration - we believe in
community involvement. We have built relationships with
organizations throughout Indianapolis and regularly collaborate
with other academic disciplines including biology, urban ecology,
marketing, pharmacy, music and theatre.
(6) Leadership - our students demonstrate
high academic achievement, show a strong sense of initiative and
are willing to advocate for their beliefs. They seek and take
advantage of leadership opportunities. Our students are also
teachers who help classmates, present material in class, and are
comfortable working as part of a team.