Foundations

Art and Culture, 2D, 3D, Color, Color Theory, Digital Media, Conceptual, Play

The Foundations program is where creative exploration begins. As the entry point into the Visual Arts Department at the University of Wyoming, Foundations coursework introduces students to essential skills in 2D, 3D, Color Theory, Digital Media, and Drawing. These courses emphasize process, play, and iteration as vital methods for creative inquiry.

More than just technical training, Foundations students develop visual literacy, material fluency, and conceptual curiosity. Students work across analog and digital platforms while learning to think critically about form, content, and context. Assignments challenge students to take creative risks, work through challenges, and reflect on their own making.

Through peer critique and dialogue, students build community and practice articulating ideas visually and verbally. Course content highlights a range of artists, movements, and global perspectives to situate students within a broad cultural and historical framework. In doing so, Foundations lays the groundwork for more advanced study, equipping students with the skills, confidence, and flexibility to pursue individualized paths within the Visual Arts.

Photo credit: I don't Have Secrets but She Does, Foundations Professor Samara Johnson, no date.

Tours of the UW Visual Arts facilities are available to prospective or current UW students who are interested in art and curious about how to become involved in the department.

book tour

3-D textured piece of art mounted on a white wall

the foundation experience

Foundation courses at UW are designed to spark curiosity and ignite creative habits that will carry students through their degrees. Courses stress the importance of experimentation, research, and iteration, encouraging students to become flexible thinkers and engaged makers.

What does it mean to be an artist today? How can formal decisions reflect larger conceptual concerns? How do materials carry meaning? Students engage these questions while developing a strong studio practice grounded in both skill and inquiry.

Foundations faculty are practicing artists and dedicated teachers who support students as they explore their creative identities. The program emphasizes dialogue, visual and verbal communication, and the development of a sustainable art practice.

faq

Check out the FAQ for more information about Art Foundations

Photo credit: Art Student,  Field work at Laramie Greenbelt, ART 1110 Foundations 2D, Fall 2024

Student sketching along gravel bank of river using colored pencils

Foundations courses include Drawing I, 2D, 3D, Color Theory and Digital Media, and students are not required to take courses in any specific order.

Foundations lays the groundwork for all future study in studio art and art history by introducing essential skills, vocabulary, and critical thinking practices that students continue to develop throughout their degree.

No, since these are introductory courses, they are designed to support students with a wide range of experience levels. Our emphasis on process and experimentation allows all students to grow from where they are.

Yes! Foundations students regularly participate in exhibitions and critiques, learning to speak about their work and engage with audiences.

Full-time faculty in the Visual Arts Department teach all Foundations courses.

Feedback is central to the learning process and involves classroom critiques. These take different forms in different courses but are always designed to provide constructive criticism.

Yes, Studio Core courses at the 2000 level can be taken concurrently with Foundations courses as long as the prerequisites for the courses have been met.

Foundations faq 2: Materials

Learn more about materials and tools used in Foundations courses.

Photo Credit: Student Work, Maquette for Public Art created in ART 1120 3D Foundations, Spring 2025.

Green and Orange textured 3-D art mounted on a grassy appearing base

Most Foundations courses require students to acquire very basic tools and materials, such as pencils, X-acto knives, scissors, and paper.

Students work with a broad range of materials, which can include charcoal, paint, ink, digital tools, wood, clay, fibers, cyanotypes, glass-tile mosaics, and found objects. Foundations encourages material exploration across media.

Digital Media covers Microsoft Word and PowerPoint as well as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro.