Foundations in the Visual Arts
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this studio-based introduction to visual art practice designed for beginning architecture students. The course builds long-range artistic skills and draws direct analogies between artistic and architectural thinking. Students work across two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and time-based media, including installations, performance, and video, developing a personal studio practice alongside critical analysis of their own and others' work. Course materials include lecture notes, visiting artist presentations, field trip assignments, and studio project briefs that structure the semester's progression. Readings supplement the studio work and ground discussions of form, material, and concept. As with other MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, all materials are free to access online, with no certificate offered, licensed under Creative Commons for independent study or classroom adaptation.