The ability to think three-dimensionally is an essential and empowering tool in the visual arts. Sculpture is a discipline that encompasses a wide variety of media and concerns, with the made object at its core.
At Boston University, the BFA Sculpture program embraces both traditional techniques and materials alongside an expanded definition of creative spatial practice, allowing students to explore diverse approaches of making and refine their artistic vision.
Program of Study
Prior to entering the BFA Sculpture program, students must complete the Foundation program, which includes courses in drawing, painting, and sculpture in their first two years of study. Working from the figure and through observation, students learn about medium, form, and content. These foundations set the stage for coursework that focuses on investigating materials, developing concepts and methods of artistic research, and expanding students’ definitions of sculptural practice.
Students are given their own private studios starting in the Junior year, and embark on developing their own artistic vision and voice.
Sculpture electives including welding, ceramics, sculpture techniques, kinetic sculpture, installation, and new genres provide students the opportunity to focus more intensely on specific media and areas of the discipline.
Students work closely with core Sculpture faculty, benefiting from both one-on-one mentorship and group critiques. Undergraduates also benefit from studio visits with visiting artists, including guest speakers from the Tuesday Night Lecture Series.
Students are also encouraged to take coursework outside of the School of Visual Arts and explore programs across the BU community, and many undergraduate Sculpture students are dual-degree majors.
Sabrina Tso
Grace Chang
Vasilisa Gladyshe
Sarah Carmody
Sculpture majors meet in small groups, working closely with faculty, peers, and visiting artists. Many hours of concentrated work are equally divided between the development of a wide range of techniques and skills, experimentation with new materials, and the refinement of personal artistic language and concepts. In addition to studio work, Contemporary Issues Seminars help students to articulate their creative vision and chart their personal trajectory after graduation.
Opportunities
Students are given numerous opportunities to display work in Boston University galleries. Undergraduates are encouraged in their senior year to develop solo or two-person exhibitions in Gallery 5, in preparation for the annual Thesis Exhibition held in the Boston University Art Galleries.
Undergraduates can study sculpture alongside printmaking, glassblowing, and other disciplines in the School’s study abroad program in Venice, Italy.
The department takes frequent field trips to New York museums and galleries, Storm King Sculpture Park, Dia Beacon, and Mass MoCA.
Facilities
Undergraduates are assigned private studios at the start of the Junior year. Spacious and light-filled, the studios have expansive views of Boston and the Charles River from the fifth floor of the CFA Building.
Undergraduate Sculpture students have access to their own fully equipped woodshop, spray room, materials room, ceramics studio, open communal work spaces, and a space dedicated to temporary installations and group critique.
Additional facilities available to undergraduates through elective courses include a welding shop, black-and-white darkrooms, a digital photography lab, and digital media studios including vinyl cutters and a Risograph printer.
The Sculpture program regularly works with EPIC (Engineering Product Innovation Center), a pioneering facility at Boston University for fabrication that offers laser cutting, 3D printing, robotic manufacturing, and more.
Students have access to the Visual Arts Resource Library, a non-lending library of art books, periodicals, and media resources including computers, scanners, and printers, as well as equipment for short-term rental, including cameras, lighting kits, projectors, tripods, audio recording equipment, and more.
Sue Saco
Caitlyn Serpico
Guanyi Ji
Dalila Bennett
Faculty
-
Gregory Gómez
Associate Professor, Sculpture and Drawing
-
Jesse Kaminsky
Lecturer
-
Jeffrey Nowlin
Lecturer in Art, Foundation Sculpture
-
David Snyder
Assistant Professor of Art, Sculpture; Chair of Graduate Studies in Sculpture
-
E Tubergen
Assistant Professor of Art, Sculpture
Next Steps for Applicants
The best way to determine if BU is right for you is to visit us in-person or remotely. Observe classes. Faculty members are available to meet with you and to discuss your educational interests, individual learning needs, and career goals.
Explore our admission requirements, financial tools, and resources to determine if the program is the right match. Reach out to visuarts@bu.edu with any questions along the way.
