General Catalog - John F. Kennedy University

School of Holistic StudiesSchool ofHolistic Studiesstudents to deepen self-awareness while simultaneously learningto serve others. Transformative Art refers to art that helps theindividual or community achieve improved states of wellness andself-integration through art. Technical and formal issues relatedto art-making are an important part of the MA in TransformativeArts. The greatest emphasis, however, is placed on the spiritualand psychosocial dimensions of art.FacilitiesThe JFK University arts annex allows A&C students to workand exhibit together in a multidisciplinary arts community. This15,000 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. Thedepartment of Museum Studies, in the School of Education andLiberal Arts, is also located at the arts annex. There is a largegeneral-purpose studio and a separate critique and movementstudio. A professional-quality gallery space is available for theexhibition of student work as well as the work of distinguishedartists from the community. The arts annex houses a smallcomputer graphics facility for student use as well as digital videoequipment. The arts annex library extension includes a collectionof books and periodicals pertaining to the arts and museumstudies. The arts and healing network slide archives includesslides, written materials, and a computer database documentingthe work of approximately 400 contemporary artists from theUnited States whose artwork deals with some aspect of healing.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, andoffer 24-hour access to work spaces. The studios often function asthe center for informal creative dialogues and exchanges. Generalaccess to other studio spaces is available to all students providingthat use of these common studios does not interfere with regularlyscheduled classes. Arts organizations located within a fewminutes’ walk of the arts annex offer access to excellent facilitiesfor printmaking, ceramics, photographic processing, andsculpture. Students often use these excellent facilities on apay-as-you-go basis. Live/work studio space is also availablein many nearby neighborhoods.MentorshipsA&C students often choose to work with specially selectedartists and organizations in the Bay Area. These mentorships arean integral part of the A&C curriculum and allow students toexplore a broader range of technical and professional perspectivesthan would be possible in a more traditional academicenvironment. Students select artists or community organizationswhose work is related to their own interests and they workindividually with the mentor for a specified period, with clearlystated goals and objectives. Individual mentorships often formthe basis for long-term professional relationships with otherartists and they introduce A&C students to the Bay Area artscommunity. Community mentorships give A&C students anopportunity to use their training to serve the community ashealers and teachers. Group mentorships allow students to workin small groups with a single mentor in order to facilitatecollaborative works or to explore areas of special interest.ExhibitionsThe Arts & Consciousness gallery, located in the arts annex,offers a significant exhibition and performance space for Bay Areaartists—particularly those working with some aspect of artand spirituality. Exhibitions and gallery lectures by invited artistsgive students direct contact with the art and artists who aretransforming the world. These exhibitions also allow the largercommunity to participate in the exciting new developments inarts and consciousness. Approximately 3,500 people each yearvisit the Arts & Consciousness gallery.Student exhibitions are also held throughout the year. MFAstudents generally finish the program with a solo exhibition inthe A&C gallery. Other student exhibitions are held for groupsof MA or MFA students whose work explores common areasrelated to their studies in studio or transformative arts. An annualexhibition of transformative arts students’ work shows originalartwork as well as documentation of community projects andpublic artworks.Visiting ArtistsAn important aspect of the Arts & Consciousness program is thefrequent presence of prominent visiting artists, whose work givesstudents a sense of their own connection to the outside art world.Gallery lectures are generally offered by artists whose work isexhibited in the A&C gallery. Artists are frequently invited tooffer non-credit lectures and workshops through the JFKUniversity continuing education program. In addition, eachquarter, visiting artists are invited to offer special classes toA&C students as part of the regular A&C curriculum (as a wayof facilitating dialogue with artists whose work connects to themission of A&C). Many classes taught throughout the year featureinvited guests whose lectures are open to all A&C students.98 School of Holistic Studies John F. Kennedy University