J o h n F K e n n e d y U n i v e r s i t y

DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CONSCIOUSNESSThe Department of Arts and Consciousness (A&C) offersprograms for artists who are interested in exploring thedeepest personal, social, and spiritual dimensions of art. Thecurriculum encompasses studio art, academic investigation,personal growth, arts and healing, and the creation of anew multicultural context for art. New methods of artisticexpression and community interaction are made possible.The spiritual aspect of art is emphasized as it relates to theindividual, the environment, and the role of the artist incontemporary society.Students bring a diversity of experiences, techniques, andinterests to the classroom and studio. Program alumni areartists, teachers, creative facilitators, and cultural activists witha spiritual base—people who are creating new ways for art toserve society and affect human growth and consciousness.All courses are designed to encourage the integration ofbody, mind, and spirit through the exploration of individualcreative sources and the cultural and philosophical contextswhich give art meaning. The program stresses the student’suse of direct experience as an artist for the creation ofobjects, events, and activities which facilitate growthand wellness in others. Sometimes this takes the form ofprofessional performances and exhibitions, sometimesit manifests as teaching, healing, or ritual. Students areencouraged to explore a variety of media as part of theircreative investigation. Media such as painting, drawing,printmaking, digital media, video art, poetry, and “book arts”may be explored in courses offered as part of the degreeprogram. Students also work independently in such diversemedia as sculpture, ceramics, film, music, and photography.The Department of Arts and Consciousness offers threedegree programs. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in StudioArts (BFA) offers students a strong technical, formal, andphilosophical foundation in studio art. Emphasis is placedon the development of art as a spiritual practice. Selfinquiry,skill, social, and cultural relevancy and transcendentconnection to greater consciousness are core features ofthe degree. The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) expands theconnections between art, culture, and spirituality into ahighly intensive use of critique and advanced philosophicalinquiry. In the MFA program, students learn to contextualizetheir spiritual and artistic search within the framework ofcontemporary social-cultural dialectic. Emphasis is placedon technical and conceptual achievement as well as thedevelopment of critical skills based on academic study andintensive studio critique. The Master of Arts in TransformativeArts (MA) supports students in their development of linksbetween personal creative expression and social and culturalchange. Strong emphasis is placed on self-inquiry anddevelopment of skills which will enable students to deepenself-awareness while simultaneously learning to serve others.Transformative Art refers to art that helps the individual orcommunity achieve improved states of wellness and selfintegrationthrough art. Technical and formal issues related toart-making are an important part of the MA in TransformativeArts. The greatest emphasis, however, is placed on thespiritual and psychosocial dimensions of art.FACILITIESThe JFK University Arts Annex allows A&C students to workand exhibit together in a multidisciplinary arts community.This 15,000 square-foot facility is located in Berkeley,California, approximately 20 miles from the main PleasantHill Campus. It is here that Arts and Consciousness coursesare offered. The Department of Museum Studies, in theSchool of Education and Liberal Arts, is also located at theArts Annex. There is a large general-purpose studio and aseparate critique and movement studio. A professional-qualitygallery space is available for the exhibition of student work aswell as the work of distinguished artists from the community.The Arts Annex houses a small computer graphics facilityfor student use as well as digital video equipment. The ArtsAnnex Library Extension includes a collection of books andperiodicals pertaining to the arts and museum studies. TheArts and Healing Network Slide Archives includes slides,written materials, and a computer database documentingthe work of approximately 400 contemporary artists fromthe United States whose artwork deals with some aspect ofhealing.The Arts Annex offers a limited number of private studios tostudents in the MA and MFA programs. These spaces averageapproximately 200 square feet, are available at extra cost,and offer 24-hour access to work spaces. The studios oftenfunction as the center for informal creative dialogues andexchanges. General access to other studio spaces is availableto all students providing that use of these common studiosdoes not interfere with regularly scheduled classes. Artsorganizations located within a few minutes’ walk of the ArtsAnnex offer access to excellent facilities for printmaking,ceramics, photographic processing, and sculpture. Studentsoften use these excellent facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis.Live/work studio space is also available in many nearbyneighborhoods.MENTORSHIPSA&C students often choose to work with specially selectedartists and organizations in the Bay Area. These mentorshipsare an integral part of the A&C curriculum and allow studentsto explore a broader range of technical and professionalperspectives than would be possible in a more traditionalacademic environment. Students select artists or communityorganizations whose work is related to their own interestsand they work individually with the mentor for a specifiedperiod, with clearly stated goals and objectives. Individualmentorships often form the basis for long-term professionalrelationships with other artists and they introduce A&Cstudents to the Bay Area arts community. Communitymentorships give A&C students an opportunity to use theirtraining to serve the community as healers and teachers.Group mentorships allow students to work in small groupswith a single mentor in order to facilitate collaborative worksor to explore areas of special interest.110 SCHOOL OF HOLISTIC STUDIESJOHN F. KENNEDY UNIVERSITY