Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern merges intensive studio experimentation with scholarly inquiry into the cultural, political, and technological forces shaping contemporary art. Students rotate through media—painting, sculpture, video, new media, performance—developing a cross-disciplinary vocabulary. Critiques led by practicing artists, theorists, and visiting curators sharpen conceptual rigor, while partnerships with Chicago’s maker spaces and incubators spark entrepreneurial approaches to creative production. A junior-year study-abroad option in Berlin or Accra encourages global perspective, culminating in a professionally mounted senior exhibition reviewed by external jurors.
Create an interactive installation translating climate-data sets into generative soundscapes
Design a public art piece using biodegradable materials that decompose over exhibition
Develop a performance art work exploring algorithmic bias in facial recognition
Produce a series of AR murals overlaying Indigenous histories onto urban landscapes
Construct kinetic sculptures powered by reclaimed e-waste electronics
Curate a pop-up gallery showcasing NFTs tied to real-world social-impact pledges
Explore pigment fabrication from invasive plant species and document the process
Launch a community mural project co-created with local high-school students
Compose a video essay interrogating surveillance aesthetics in smart cities
Prototype a wearable artwork responding to biometric signals in real time
Stage a participatory zine workshop on labor conditions in the art industry
Use drone photogrammetry to map disappearing coastlines for an immersive projection
Create a mixed-reality game highlighting histories of red-lined neighborhoods
Host a critique series pairing artists with philosophers debating art’s social role
Produce an artist book utilizing conductive ink to trigger audio commentary
Fuse studio experimentation with critical theory in Northwestern’s Art Theory and Practice BA.
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