Chair, the Kevin W. Kennedy Professor of Art
William Salzillo
Painter William Salzillo began teaching at Kirkland College in 1973 and joined the Hamilton faculty in 1978 when the schools merged.
Art
As an art student you will create and learn in the new Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts. Across the street at the Wellin Museum of Art, an acclaimed facility, you will experience professional exhibits and perhaps show your own work. Art faculty members help students become independent, critical thinkers who continue to create and discuss art after college.
About the Major
Art majors explore the significance and meaning art holds in their own lives and examine the ways in which works of art express and communicate ideas to others. Students are part of an environment that offers a world of ideas to challenge them intellectually and inform their work.
I think some people don’t value it enough, but having an open curriculum is amazing. I have a lot of interests and the space to explore some of them. I took Cultural Anthropology, a class about natural disasters, and I’m taking Classical Mythology next semester. The fact that I can do that and still graduate with two majors is incredible.
Marisabel Rey — art and literature major
Hamilton's art program is concerned with the creation of visual incidents and with the dialogue surrounding the communication and placement of a visual object or experience in a contemporary and historical context. It’s an exciting, rigorous, interdisciplinary art-making department that includes a visiting-artist series, multiple full-faculty critiques and a multidisciplinary studio environment.
Careers After Hamilton
- Editorial Assistant, Random House
- Director, High Museum of Art
- Visual Designer, Fidelity Investment
- Director, Credit Suisse
- Landscape Design, Living Green
- Technical Director, Pixar Animation Studios
- Photographer, United Nations
- Major Gifts Officer, Grand Teton National Park Foundation
- Owner/Founder, Vermont Glass Workshop
Meet Our Faculty
Assistant Professor of Art
Amy Brener
Using inventive mold-making and casting techniques, Brener fuses everyday objects and personal imagery into her sculptures.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Art
Santiago Forero
Santiago Forero’s work in photography and video explores ideas about the body, identity, and scale in relation to familiar media images.
Professor of Art
Laurie (Ella) Gant
Ella Gant explores intersections among established traditions and contemporary practices in the arts and education.
Associate Professor of Art
Robert Knight
Robert Knight uses photography, audio, video and installation to explore his research on the relationship of contemporary culture to the domestic.
Professor of Art
Katharine Kuharic
Katharine Kuharic's work has been exhibited in group and solo shows in the U.S. and abroad.
the John and Anne Fischer Professor of the Fine Arts
Rebecca Murtaugh
Rebecca Murtaugh has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions across the U.S.
Professor of Art Emeritus (retired)
Bruce Muirhead
Bruce Muirhead's work has been exhibited at The New York Society of Etchers and the National Academy of Design, among other venues.
A Sampling of Courses
Introduction to Ceramics 106FS
Handbuilding techniques will be employed to explore the sculptural possibilities of clay. A developed visual and conceptual vocabulary will accompany the technical aspects of ceramics through studio practice and class critique.
View All CoursesIntroduction to Animation 221FS
An introduction to the history, tools and language of basic animation styles. This course will trace the history of experiments in animated imagery from 19th Century photography through 20th Century film into 21st Century digital works. The class will cover basic techniques in Photoshop, Adobe Premier, and illustration and animation software interfaces.
View All CoursesIntaglio Printmaking 235FS
Study in the process of intaglio printmaking, including etching, engraving, dry point, and hard and soft ground techniques. Students expected to participate in group criticism. May repeat for credit at increasingly advanced levels.
View All CoursesAdvanced Painting 304F
Further exploration of concepts and techniques presented in Introduction to Painting with emphasis on landscape and interiors as subject matter. Reinforcement of oil painting skills and introduction to egg tempera and acrylic.May repeat for credit at increasingly advanced levels with permission of the professor.
View All CoursesAdvanced Three Dimensional and Material Studies 307S
Advanced study of materials such as clay, wood, plaster, steel, and plastic utilizing processes such as moulding, casting, fabrication, carving and construction. May repeat for credit at increasingly advanced levels with permission of the professor.
View All CoursesSpecial Topics in Photography: Curating the Archive 370F
Exploration of the process and theory of museum exhibition curating, taught in conjunction with the preparation of an exhibition in the Wellin Museum. Emphasis on the history of photography and the role of western art institutions in the appropriation and repurposing of archival imagery. Studio-based artistic response required based on materials presented. Students will work collaboratively on exhibition materials, including image selection and layout, catalog and wall text production, and multimedia materials such as podcasts.
View All CoursesToday and Tomorrow
Research and Discovery
Finding New Languages for Creative Expression
Read The Story
