Department of Fine and Performing Arts
Mr. William Sutton, Professor, Co-chairperson, Art
Dr. Trudi Wright, Associate Professor, Co-chairperson, Music
Dr. Mark Davenport, Professor
Dr. Loretta K. Notareschi, Professor
Mr. Anthony Ortega, Professor
Ms. Robin Hextrum, Associate Professor
Dr. Raul Dominguez, Assistant Professor
Dr. Khristin Montes, Assistant Professor
Dr. Barbara Coleman, Professor Emerita
Mr. Eugene Stewart, Professor Emeritus
Departmental Information
The Department of Fine and Performing Arts offers courses in visual arts, art history, music, music history, music theory, recording artsmusic technology, applied music, and music ensembles. The Bachelor of Arts degree is available with a major in Visual Arts, Art History, Music, Music Performance, and Music History and Literature. K-12 educational licensure is also available along with the Visual Art and Music majors. K-12 educational licensure is also available along with the Visual Art and Music degrees. Minors are available in Visual Art, Art History, and Music.
Fine Arts: Visual Arts
The Visual Arts Program at Regis University offers a supportive and engaging learning environment where students can explore a diverse range of artistic practices. All Regis University students can take classes in Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Printmaking, Digital Art, and Graphic Design. Visual Art Majors will take art classes in the areas of their choosing, along with coursework in Art History and Professional development. Our Art History courses emphasize diverse traditions of art making practices. Visual Art Majors learn how to think and write critically about art and how to contextualize their art making within a global visual tradition. We are also committed to supporting diverse voices, traditions, and approaches to art making. The Visual Arts major is designed to give students a broad and flexible foundation in the visual arts while also giving them an opportunity to develop an emphasis in a particular medium. Students establish a firm basis in design, art history, and criticism while pursuing technical proficiency. This prepares students for the practice of art and grounds their knowledge in experience and first-hand problem solving. The Visual Arts major prepares students for jobs in a wide field of options.
Our program aims to provide students with valuable skill sets and perspectives that they can apply to personal growth and to professional career paths. The Visual Art Major prepares students to work as including publications art educators, curators, professional fine artists, gallery owners, museum administrators, commercial artists, public relations, graphic designers and others. And, The the Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts is also excellent preparation for MFA programs (graduate programs in Fine Arts).
All visual art majors gain practical experience working with archives, developing digital skills, installing artworks, and curating their own exhibitions. While studying at Regis, students are also eligible to work in the O’Sullivan Art Gallery where they can gain tangible experience learning administrative tasks that support a gallery, installing artwork, curating exhibitions, and lighting shows. This work has helped our alumni land key positions in the art world. A Visual Art Major at Regis University sets students up to have a variety of valuable marketable skill sets they can apply to their unique career path.
Each student works with an advisor from the department who will guide her or him through completion of the requirements for the major and assure that the student’s future plans are optimized by the art curriculum.
A Junior Portfolio Review of each fine arts major will be conducted in the second semester of the student’s junior year. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine how the student has progressed in his/her chosen medium or media and discuss goals and objectives for the senior thesis show.
Transfer students who wish to major in Fine Arts must present a portfolio for review by the Department. Besides the requirement that at least half of the upper division courses must be taken at Regis, graduating Visual Arts students must complete FAA 497 Senior art Studio and FAA 499 Senior Thesis, which culminates with a student exhibition in the O'Sullivan Arts Gallery Center.
Fine Arts: Core
All Regis College students are required to complete a Fine Arts Core course. The Core Studies requirement emphasizes that the basic human impulse to create is common across all of the arts. The requirement may be fulfilled by taking any courses with the FAC prefix. These courses introduce students to aesthetic vocabularies through a survey of specific art disciplines (Visual Arts, or Music, or Theatre). Core Studies students are also exposed to the fine and performing arts through attendance at exhibitions, performances, poetry readings, and lectures in the O’Sullivan Arts Gallery, a widely recognized cultural center, and Peter Claver Recital Hall.
These events serve students in the Fine and Performing Arts Department as well as the entire Regis University and Denver area community.
Fine Arts: Music
The Music Program includes a wide variety of courses and is intended for students of all levels of experience, offering participation in beginning to advanced music lessons and classes, performing ensembles, and courses in music history, music theory, and recording arts. Students who want to concentrate in more advanced studies in music may pursue a Bachelor of Arts or a music minor.
Students wishing to pursue the music major or minor should contact the music department co-chair/music program director. Currently, the Department of Fine and Performing Arts offers three music major degrees: the Bachelor of Arts in Music; the Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance; and the Bachelor of Arts in Music History and Literature. Music education is also available via the K-12 Education Licensure program with the Department of Education. The music major curriculum offers a comprehensive course of study in historical, cultural, theoretical, and performance perspectives. With a grounding in the traditional music styles of Western art music, music majors will also acquire an essential awareness and knowledge of contemporary musical directions, American music, interdisciplinary studies between music and art, and the musical traditions of other cultures. The Bachelor of Arts in Music prepares students to go onto graduate studies, education, performance, or a career that combines music with other disciplines such as music and liturgy, arts management and administration, communication, business or community-based professions.
Music majors with an emphasis in performance are expected to participate in applied lessons and ensembles every semester, once they have declared the major. Performance majors have added studies in Techniques and Performance and advanced ensembles. Performance majors prepare and present public recitals in both their junior and senior years. The Department currently offers the Performance Emphasis in the applied areas of voice, piano, guitar, and instruments of the orchestral woodwind, brass, percussion, and string families. Auditions are required.
The Music minor is offered to any Regis College student who demonstrates substantial skill and technique on an instrument or voice (audition required). The music minor at Regis College is designed to give students an excellent general foundation in music, music history, and the technical language of music. Music minors develop a serious mastery of an instrument or voice and gain experience working in advanced ensemble groups. For those interested in music recording, a minor is also available in Music Recording Arts.
Note: All music majors must pass a keyboard proficiency exam.