USF St. Petersburg expands arts program, adding classes never offered before.
Courtesy of Christina Ferrante.
By Adriana Reeves
The USF St. Petersburg has added new arts industry and architecture programs to the College of The Arts that are offered for the first time.
“Offering these new courses was the initial low-hanging fruit we wanted to get done in the first year of consolidation as we build up partnerships and opportunities among campuses and with the city of St. Petersburg,” said Chris Garvin, dean of the College of the Arts.
The expansion is the start of what leaders of the College of The Arts hope to be a continuous expansion to the arts programs offered at USF St. Petersburg.
“Our strategy is to spread offerings across all the campuses and give students the best of both worlds, providing as much of the arts curriculum and allowing flexibility,” Garvin said.
One of the new courses offered is an arts industry class. The class will share the importance that the arts play in our community as well as its economic impact.
The College of the Arts will also be partnering with staff members at The Dalí Museum and the city’s new Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement to help students connect with the local arts community and host special topics classes.
“A student graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is as likely to get a job as someone with a degree in business administration,” Garvin said. “The myth is if you go to school for business, you get a job, but if you go to school for arts, you move back in with your parents, and that is something we want to debunk.”
Senior graphic arts student, Valeria Costa, works as a student assistant for the College of The Arts and is excited about the new opportunities that the program expansion offers to new students.
“I believe that integrating different design disciplines in one space may help students think of design challenges differently. It could allow students to open their eyes to the many connections that the arts have with each other,” Costa said.
Even though her time as an undergraduate is ending, Costa believes that the graphic arts program has given her the necessary tools to continue her journey in the field. She hopes to continue her education and obtain a Master of Fine Arts degree before settling into a career.
“I hope to also work in the design field to refine my craft and learn more about the different avenues of graphic arts that I find interesting such as motion graphics, printmaking and 3D design,” Costa said. “I feel so grateful to be in the graphic arts program as I have learned and grown so much as a person. This program has pushed my artistic talents and thought processes.”
Depending on individual degree requirements, students can now enroll in the new programs and courses offered.
