The Venice Studio Arts Program offers students an unparalleled opportunity to refine their skills during the summer term and find inspiration in a city whose name is synonymous with visual art. The program is based at Boston University’s beautiful center near Campo Santa Margherita, which includes studio space, classrooms, and administrative offices. Students also profit from art history lectures that are held on site in Venice’s grand piazzas, churches, and museums. During the six-week program, students in Venice will take two courses of their choice in painting, drawing, graphic design, or Italian art history. No background in Italian language is required and all courses are taught in English.
Requirements & Considerations
- Program open to painting, graphic design, art history, sculpture, and art education majors, as well as non-majors
- Undergraduate and graduate students may apply
- Previous painting or graphic design experience required
- Admission requirements for all programs
Curriculum
Courses
Students enroll in two of the following four-credit courses. All students must enroll for a total of eight credits.
Course List
- CAS AH 354 Image and Word in Venetian Renaissance Art (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Writing Intensive course
- During the course students will learn to comprehend the complexity of Venetian artistic and cultural life, reconnecting past and present, by experiencing works of art in the physical and historical contexts for which they were originally created. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand as well how Renaissance Venice relates to the modern and global city in relation to mass-tourism, tourism of art, as well as the dislocation of works of art in museums. Lessons are held both in class and on-site.
- Syllabus
- CFA AR 501 Drawing Venice (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Creativity/Innovation
- Drawing Venice is a course in which students experiment with drawing as a way to translate their own experience as travelers. By engaging in the sketching process and selecting subjects of the city of Venice, students will develop a drawing narrative that include specific content including personal thoughts and emotions. Students will expand their technical skills by both drawing in class and on-site, through targeted exercises and creative and innovative projects. On-site practice, discussions and critiques allow the student to directly experience and instinctively reinterpret Venice in a set time, immersed in historical places, in museums and art galleries, in artist studios and artisan workshops of the city.
- Syllabus
- CFA AR 519 Painting in Venice (4)
- Includes weekly projects that ask students to consider the role of site/place and sight/perception while painting in Venice. Formal and technical issues of working with color, light, and design are addressed through both experiential work and historical and contemporary examples.
- Syllabus
- CFA AR 522 Graphic Design (4)
- This multi-part course focuses on editorial graphics and design. The course teaches students the technical foundations for transforming an idea into an editorial object, focusing on the magazine, the newspaper, and the book. Students also learn the essential elements necessary to creating logos, including how to create the final image, the visual material, the use of words to describe the product, and the realization.
- Prerequisite: Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop
- Projects and class meetings help students develop a personal design process as well as critical thinking and critique skills. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the role of graphic design as it relates to the art world, foundational principles, and skills which serve as a strong base for all future visual arts course work.
- Syllabus
Housing & Student Services
University Dormitory
- Double occupancy rooms with beds, desk, kitchenette, private bathroom, and air conditioning.
- Kitchenette includes a sink, small microwave, refrigerator, electric cook top, and basic utensils.
- Bed and bath linens changed weekly, plus weekly room cleaning.
- Board is not included in this program. A café/restaurant is available onsite (additional charges apply), in addition to kitchenette facilities.
- Common areas include study spaces, a courtyard, laundry facilities (additional charges apply), and a fitness room.
- Wireless is available throughout. 24-hour reception.
- Limited single rooms may be available, if for medical needs, for an additional charge.
Program Dates
- Summer Term: Late May to early July
Application Timeline
This program follows rolling admissions and may fill before the official deadline.
Summer Semester
- Applications Open December 1
- Applications Deadline March 1
This program is rolling admissions; applications are reviewed once all application materials are received, prior to all deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials are received by the BU Study Abroad office. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible as some programs and internship tracks have limited space and may fill up before the deadline. Submitting a complete application prior to the application deadline, does not guarantee acceptance. Students will be emailed an admissions decision within three weeks of a completed application.
Information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision and exceptions to the standard admission calendar for all students can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
