Business Administration - John F. Kennedy University

Arts & Consciousness
Arts & Consciousness (A&C) offers pro grams for artists who are
interested in exploring the deepest personal, social, and spiritual
dimensions of art. The curriculum encompasses studio art,
academic investigation, personal growth, arts and healing, and the
creation of a new multicultural context for art. new methods of
artistic expression and community interaction are made possible.
The spiritual aspect of art is emphasized as it relates to the
individual, the environment, and the role of the artist in
contemporary society.
Students bring a diversity of experiences, techniques, and inter ests
to the classroom and studio. Program alumni are artists, teachers,
creative facilitators, and cultural activists with a spiritual
base—people who are creating new ways for art to serve society
and affect human growth and consciousness.
All courses are designed to encourage the integration of body,
mind, and spirit through the exploration of individual creative
sources and the cultural and philosophical contexts which give art
meaning. The program stresses the student’s use of direct
experience as an artist for the creation of objects, events, and
activities which facilitate growth and wellness in others. Some times
this takes the form of professional performances and exhibitions,
sometimes it manifests as teaching, healing, or ritual. Students are
encouraged to explore a variety of media as part of their creative
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 degree pro gram. Students also work
independently in such diverse media as sculpture, ceramics, film,
music, and photography.
Arts & Consciousness offers two graduate degree programs. The
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) expands the connections among art,
culture, and spirituality into a highly intensive use of critique and
advanced philosophical inquiry. In the MFA pro gram, students
learn to contextualize their spiritual and artistic search within the
framework of contemporary social-cultural dialectic. Emphasis is
placed on technical and conceptual achievement as well as the
development of critical skills based on academic study and
intensive studio critique.
The Master of Arts in Transformative Arts (MA) supports students
in their development of links between personal creative expression
and social and cultural change. Strong emphasis is placed on
self-inquiry and development of skills which will enable students
to deepen self-awareness while simultaneously learning to serve
others. Transformative Art refers to art that helps the individual or
community achieve improved states of wellness and self-integration
through art. Technical and formal issues related to art-making are
an important part of the MA in Trans formative Arts. The greatest
emphasis, however, is placed on the spiritual and psychosocial
dimensions of art.
Performance Studies Specialization
Beginning in Fall 2009, a specialization in Performance Studies is
available to students in the MA in Transformative Arts or MFA in
Studio Arts programs. This specialization requires specific courses
and the development of a time-based portfolio exploring creative
genres such as performance, movement, improvisation and spoken
word. no additional units are required to complete the degree but
specific courses are required that differ from courses required of
non-specialization A&C students. A curriculum completion form
and details regarding the Performance Studies Specialization are
available through Arts & Consciousness.
facilities
The JFK University Berkeley Campus allows A&C students to work
and exhibit together in a multidisciplinary arts community. This
15,000 square-foot facility is located in Berkeley, California,
approximately 20 miles from the main Pleasant Hill Campus. It is
here that Arts & Consciousness courses are offered. There is a large
general-purpose studio and a separate critique and movement
studio. A professional-quality gallery space is available for the
exhibition of student work as well as the work of distinguished
artists from the community. The campus offers a digital media
facility for student use as well as digital video equipment. The
building’s library extension includes a collection of books and
periodicals pertaining to the arts and museum studies. The Arts
and Healing network Slide archives includes slides, written
materials, and a computer database documenting the work of
approximately 400 contemporary artists from the United States
whose artwork deals with some aspect of healing.
Arts & Consciousness offers a limited number of private studios to
students on a space-available basis. These spaces are approximately
200 square feet, available at extra cost, and offer 24-hour access to
student work spaces. The studios often function as the center for
informal creative dialogues and exchanges. General access to other
studio spaces is available to all students providing that use of these
common studios does not interfere with regularly scheduled classes.
Arts organizations located within a few minutes’ walk of the arts
annex offer access to excellent facilities for printmaking, ceramics,
photographic processing, and sculpture. Students often use these
excellent facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis. Live/work studio space
is also available in many nearby neighborhoods.
Mentorships
A&C students often choose to work with specially selected artists
and organizations in the Bay Area. These mentorships are an
integral part of the A&C curriculum and allow students to explore
a broader range of technical and professional perspec tives than
would be possible in a more traditional academic environment.
Students select artists or community organizations whose work is
related to their own interests and they work individually with the
mentor for a specified period, with clearly stated goals and
objectives. Individual mentorships often form the basis for
long-term professional relationships with other artists and they
introduce A&C students to the Bay Area arts community.
Community mentorships give A&C students an opportunity to use
their training to serve the community as healers and teachers.
Group mentorships allow students to work in small groups with a
single mentor in order to facilitate collabo rative works or to explore
areas of special interest.
exhibitions
College of Professional Studies
The Arts & Consciousness gallery, located in the arts annex, offers
a significant exhibition and performance space for Bay-area
JOHn F. KEnnEdy UnIvErSITy College of Professional Studies 73
College of
Professional Studies