Visual and Studio Arts

The Visual and Studio Arts program at Sarah Lawrence cultivates a studio culture rooted in deep individual inquiry and generative collaboration. Students build a strong foundation in traditional studio methods while engaging with experimental media, new techniques, and interdisciplinary approaches, working across artistic disciplines and incorporating ideas from their studies in other fields.

Our curriculum combines in-depth, five-credit studio courses with individualized conference work and a rotating set of two-credit “concept” courses. Studio courses span core disciplines such as drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, new genres, printmaking, performance art, digital art, and architecture. Our two-credit concept courses offer opportunities for more experimental and specialized investigations, encouraging exploration of both material fundamentals and conceptual approaches to visual art.

First-Year Studies courses ground students in analog and digital processes, materials, critique, and presentation while also helping them understand the broader context of visual culture and preparing them to think more broadly about how their artistic practice can connect with and absorb insights from other areas of study.

Critique and Workshop Weeks—where students meet with faculty and visiting artists from beyond the college and participate in short, hands-on workshops offered by faculty, staff, and fellow students—provides an opportunity to present work, share skills, and receive diverse feedback. This encourages students to think deeply about how their ideas and aesthetics translate across disciplines, helping them develop more sophisticated and interconnected practices.

Our robust lecture series brings practicing artists from the New York City area to campus to share their work and engage directly with students. These talks introduce a variety of perspectives and connect classroom learning with current dialogues in contemporary art.

The Heimbold Visual Arts Center Gallery functions as an integral part of the curriculum, serving as an active exhibition and teaching space. Students engage with curated contemporary and historical artworks while also learning about installation, interpretation, and the varied critical dialogues that shape how art is experienced. 

Together, these elements cultivate an environment in which students learn not only technical skills and visual languages but also how to think critically, work independently and collaboratively, and connect their artistic practice to the world around them.

Architecture

Drawing

Interdisciplinary

New Genres

Painting

Performance

Photography

Printmaking

Sculpture