Gain the tools you need to push your artistic boundaries in both traditional and new media while engaging with diverse art traditions and theories across cultures and times.
Carthage art students make and study art in a breathtaking setting, mastering traditional and new media as they push the boundaries of their personal vision. Ideally located between Chicago and Milwaukee, students engage with great artworks in internationally recognized museums, prepare for careers in the creative economy, and develop lifelong professional connections and friendships.
Acrylic painting in the Painting and Drawing Studio. (Spring 2016)
Digital art, Spring 2020, Jackson Boyd ’20
Foundations students critiquing artwork in computer lab. (Fall 2018)
Gelatin silver print, Spring 2019, Megan Janiak ’20
Prof. Jojin Van Winkle and David Kirson ’25 discuss designs in Foundations, Surfaces: Images + Design (Fall 2022).
Assorted paper and Copic marker on bistol board, Spring 2018 (from Senior Thesis Exhibition), Courteney Timm ’18
Wearable art with plastic straws, Fall 2017, Cali Andrews ’18
Paper, acrylic, and oil pastel, 2017, Paul Salsieder ’18
Students show off their work during a 24-hour Draw-A-Thon. (Fall 2017)
Intaglio print, Jack Ballanger
Rachel Harvey and Jess Thierfelder ’19 experience VR artwork at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago during the Video Art course study tour. (Fall 2018)
Oil on canvas, 2016, Malcolm Andrew ’18
Large-scale temporary PVC sculpture on campus, Fall 2017
White and black charcoal on black paper, Drawing I, Fall 2018, Kyla Phillips ’20
Site-specific painting performance and installation, Spring 2019 (from Senior Thesis Exhibition), Jess Thierfelder ’19
Silkscreen, Spring 2021 (from Senior Thesis Exhibition), Hailey Williams ’19
Ceramics, Spring 2021 (from Senior Thesis Exhibition), Emily Trecroci ’21
Students and visitors at a Spring 2019 Senior Thesis Opening. (in the background, paintings by Haley Schrock ’19)
Studio Art and Art Education
Studio art majors work closely with their professors and fellow art students in a range of traditional and new media in well-equipped studios. Students develop professional skills and connections through exhibition opportunities, internships, annual portfolio reviews with faculty, individual studio spaces for seniors, solo thesis exhibitions, and art organizations in preparation for life beyond Carthage.
Carthage’s studio art courses:
Painting
Drawing
Illustration
Ceramics
Sculpture
Printmaking
Photography
Animation
Digital Arts
Video
Film
Performance
Installation
Sound
Light
The art history and theory courses allow students to study visual art as an enduring cultural legacy. Courses are designed to provide the intellectual framework for understanding and interpreting visual culture, and to build in students the analytical skills necessary to discuss the complex modes of artistic expression across the ages.
Carthage offers a major in art with K-12 public school licensure that provides the necessary preparation leading to a Wisconsin state license in Art Education. This major develops the skills students need to be practicing studio artists as well as effective teachers.
Community Connections
The Carthage art curriculum promotes connections to the local community and networking.
Central experiences include visiting artist workshops, studio visits with professional artists, and exhibition opportunities on and off campus.
original work
Each studio art major conducts a senior exhibition highlighting their abilities. Multiple artists have left a lasting imprint by painting campus murals through a paid summer research program.
Art Facilities
Students enjoy well-equipped, sunlit studios in the H. F. Johnson Center for the Fine Arts, where a computer lab also features the latest image and video-editing software. Exhibition spaces include the H. F. Johnson Gallery of Art, Visual and Performing Arts Lab, and Campbell Student Union Art Gallery, a student-run space. Additional exhibition opportunities are coordinated with neighboring institutions and local/regional galleries.
Student organizations, including Student Art Board, Art Club, and Kappa Pi, the Honors Art Fraternity, develop professional networking opportunities. Opportunities include the Annual 24-Hour Drawing Marathon, Print-a-Rama, panel talks, peer critiques, and field trips. Each semester trips are led to Chicago, Milwaukee, and abroad, visiting commercial galleries, museums, and art fairs.
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<img src="/live/image/gid/35/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,268,2133,2400/36428_22_Kelsey_Spofford-47.rev.1669651074.jpg" alt="Kelsey Spofford" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/35/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,268,2133,2400/36428_22_Kelsey_Spofford-47.rev.1669651074.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/35/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,268,2133,2400/36428_22_Kelsey_Spofford-47.rev.1669651074.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2133" data-max-h="2132" loading="lazy"/>
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</div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “I have been able to explore my individuality through academics as well as develop lifelong friendships. Being at Carthage has given me opportunities like no other.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2166-kelsey-spofford">Kelsey Spofford</a> ’25</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
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<img src="/live/image/gid/105/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2316,3088/36438_IMG_3662.rev.1669742424.jpg" alt="Amber Redmond" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/105/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2316,3088/36438_IMG_3662.rev.1669742424.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/105/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,0,2316,3088/36438_IMG_3662.rev.1669742424.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2316" data-max-h="3088" loading="lazy"/>
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</div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “Growing up, I always thought college wouldn’t be for me and everyone did their own thing, but Carthage is a strong community and everyone wants to see you succeed.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2178-">Amber Redmond</a> ’24</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
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<img src="/live/image/gid/100/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,95,2508,2606/39212_53275819724_4a158da60d_o_2.rev.1709314480.jpg" alt="Basil Kiracofe" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/100/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,95,2508,2606/39212_53275819724_4a158da60d_o_2.rev.1709314480.jpg 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/100/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,95,2508,2606/39212_53275819724_4a158da60d_o_2.rev.1709314480.jpg 3x" data-max-w="2508" data-max-h="2511" loading="lazy"/>
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</div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “The best way to make friends at Carthage is to join different organizations and campus events! I met some of my closest friends through the different organizations that I’ve joined.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2619-">Basil Kiracofe</a> ’27</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
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<img src="/live/image/gid/19/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,396,2130,2528/38313_9577_163701665847155.rev.1693353489.JPG" alt="Abigail Smith" width="183" height="183" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/19/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,396,2130,2528/38313_9577_163701665847155.rev.1693353489.JPG 2x, /live/image/scale/3x/gid/19/width/183/height/183/crop/1/src_region/0,396,2130,2528/38313_9577_163701665847155.rev.1693353489.JPG 3x" data-max-w="2130" data-max-h="2132" loading="lazy"/>
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</div><div class="blockquote__content"><div class="blockquote__quote"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="icon icon-round-left-quote" width="48" height="33"><use xlink:href="#icon-round-left-quote"/></svg><p> “Carthage has been instrumental in shaping my artistic journey and providing me with the skills and knowledge I need to pursue my dreams in the art world. I am excited about the future and the possibilities that lie ahead.”</p></div><footer class="blockquote__footer"><span class="blockquote__author"><a href="/live/profiles/2502-abigail-smith">Abigail Smith</a> ’25</span></footer></div></blockquote></div>
Arts Careers:Preparation for the Future
Studying and making art within a liberal arts curriculum at Carthage uniquely prepares students as innovators and leaders in the arts. Opportunities for internships with regional galleries and museums, professional art studios, and design firms offer students real-life experiences, networking building, and potential jobs. Strong critical thinking skills, technical knowledge, and visual communication abilities extend to a variety of arts-based fields, including:
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