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Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration Studio Arts (BFA)
Fully Accredited
Marywood University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSHE).
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Illustration Visual Arts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Draw Your Creativity into a Career with a BFA in Illustration
A BFA in Illustration from Marywood University prepares you for the demanding and competitive field of illustration. Courses center on concept, image creation, and an understanding of a variety of techniques, while stressing the social, political, and ethical responsibilities of the artist and the impact illustration has had, and continues to have, on society.
The BFA Studio Arts 2D degree track at Marywood University offers a comprehensive and up-to-date curriculum in the study one of the most fascinating and rewarding of creative fields. This rigorous course of study trains students to create highly personal, narrative pictures ready for commercial use and publication.
Contemporary illustration encompasses work for advertising, animation, books, children’s books, comics, gaming, graphic novels, magazines, marketing, movies, music, packaging, posters, web, and many other areas. All these will be explored, so that your senior portfolio will reflect your personal interests.
Illustrators create memorable images and tell narrative and visual stories in a personal and unique way. They are among the hardest working artists in the market today. They solve two clear problems: listening to and completing specific client's parameters; and fulfilling the challenge of having their own personal method of working and creative ideas, to be realized in today’s print and digital media. All on deadline.
Illustration Program Highlights:
- #4 Illustration program in Pennsylvania
- Professors who are working professionals with first-hand industry knowledge
- Courses tailored to your interests and strengths, to foster a broad understanding of this exciting field
- Students are encouraged to find their individual voice
I was specifically looking for colleges with art majors, and Marywood happened to be visiting my high school on a day that I was choosing which colleges to explore. I quickly realized that Marywood not only had the major that I was interested in, but it had a nature vibe, as well as the classes that I wanted to have and the things that I wanted to be surrounded by.
Leagen Wallace '24 Read All Testimonials
Art Portfolio Submissions
Undergraduate Portfolio Guidelines »
Illustration Studio Arts applicants are required to submit a portfolio to the Art Department. Your submission should include:
- Your Portfolio
- Submission Checklist
- Short Art Essay
Outcomes & Opportunities
Top Employers
- Art Licensing Companies
- Publishers
- Motion Picture/Video Industries
- Advertising Agency
Top Career Paths
- Illustrator
- Animator
- Storyboard Artist
- Children's Books
Dig Deeper Into the Program Details
If you have any questions about this program, we're here to help.
Portfolio Submission Guidelines for Art Undergraduates
Applying and getting accepted into the Marywood University Art Department is a two-step process. Both steps must occur prior to enrollment in your first semester courses.
- APPLY Apply to the University using the Marywood application or the Common application. Incoming first time freshmen interested in priority consideration for the Art Department's Art Talent Award should concurrently submit their portfolio materials directly to the Art Department prior to the November 15 deadline. Portfolios received after November 15 and before the cut off date of March 1 are still eligible for consideration depending on remaining awards.
- PORTFOLIO Submit your portfolio to the Art Department.Your submission should include 1) your portfolio, 2) submission checklist, and 3) short art essay (see below).
Every art student at Marywood has access to superb facilities in our two art buildings, from computer labs and darkrooms to drawing, painting, printmaking, metal, wood, and sculpture studios and weaving looms. Facilities are available to art students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Marywood is also home to four galleries on campus featuring regional and national artists, faculty, and students.
The Insalaco Center for Studio Art features drawing and painting studios showcasing naturally-lit rooms with beautiful views of the campus. There are studios and equipment for woodworking, fiber arts, jewelry-making, ceramics, sculpture, photography, printmaking, a Mac lab, and private and semi-private studios for upper level BFA, MA and MFA students.
The Shields Center for Visual Arts building contains The Maslow Collection, Mahady Gallery, Suraci Gallery, classrooms for art history and art administration, studios for art therapy, two graphic design Mac labs, and a 24-hour drop-in Mac lab. The Maslow Collection and Study Gallery for Contemporary Art housed in the Shields Center features more than 500 works by artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and Chuck Close.
The Mahady Gallery is a spacious and dramatic setting for the display of contemporary artwork. Throughout the year, the gallery offers a variety of group and solo shows by visiting artists, juried regional competitions, faculty exhibits, student shows, and curated national exhibitions. The gallery hosts the annual Scholastic Art Awards and the popular Art Faculty Biennial. Featured exhibitions are accompanied by artists’ slide presentations, gallery talks, studio visits, and demonstrations. The Mahady Gallery is located on the first floor of the Shields Center for Visual Arts.
The Maslow Study Gallery is a learning laboratory, providing fieldwork experiences, internships, and opportunities in curatorial and exhibition studies to Marywood students. Works in The Maslow Collection are available for professional research and study, and many are loaned to regional and national exhibitions. The Maslow Study Gallery for Contemporary Art is located on the first floor of the Shields Center for Visual Arts. For more information visit maslow.marywood.edu
Exhibitions in the Suraci Gallery showcase regional and national artists; support art faculty work and scholarship; provide degree research and documentation opportunities for current and alumni art students; and foster community outreach projects and interests. The Suraci Gallery also houses Marywood’s permanent collection of fine and decorative art. The Asian Collection consists of ceramics, furniture, netsukes, inro, ivories, and prints. Bronze and marble sculpture, paintings, ceramics, glass, and French ivories comprise the 19th Century Collection. Religious icons, furniture, and 20th century works round out the Suraci Collection. The Suraci Gallery is located on the second floor of the Shields Center for Visual Arts.
Located in the lobby of the Insalaco Center for Studio Arts, the Kresge Gallery is a versatile exhibition, critique, and lecture space. An alternative venue to the formal art galleries, the Kresge Gallery provides a working and experimental exhibition site for art students and faculty to showcase a variety of work throughout each semester. Recent exhibitions include the Foundation Year student show, Senior Exhibition, Advanced Painting & Sculpture shows, MA shows, the Marywood Print Guild show, Design & Letterpress shows, art auctions, and Art Club shows.
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Insalaco Center for Studio Arts
2300 Adams AvenueMap & Directions
The Insalaco Center for Studio Arts contains 80,000 square feet of gallery space, naturally-lit drawing and painting studios, dark rooms, printmaking, woodworking, jewelery-making and ceramics studios, computer labs, and classrooms.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Studio Arts Classrooms
Map & Directions
Art education, ceramics, drawings/foundations, photography, painting, printmaking, and sculpture classes and facilities are located in the Insalaco Center for Studio Arts.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Shields Center for Visual Arts
201 Jackson CourtMap & Directions
The Shields Center for Visual Arts provides classrooms and labs for the Graphic Design, Art Education, and Art Therapy programs. It also houses the Mahady, Suraci, and Maslow Art Galleries.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Visual Arts Classrooms
Map & Directions
The Shields Center for Visual Arts contains studios, classrooms, and labs for Art Therapy and Graphic Design majors.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
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Kresge Gallery
Map & Directions
Located in the lobby of the Insalaco Center for Studio Arts, the Kresge Gallery is a versatile exhibition, critique, and lecture space.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Mahady Art Gallery
Map & Directions
The Robert J. and Elizabeth FitzMartin Mahady Gallery, known more frequently as the Mahady Gallery, is located on the first floor of the Shields Center for Visual Arts, providing a spacious and dramatic setting for the display of contemporary artwork. Throughout the year, the gallery offers a variety of group and solo shows by visiting artists, juried regional competitions, faculty exhibits, student shows, and curated national exhibitions.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Maslow Study Gallery
Map & Directions
The Maslow Study Gallery, located on the first floor of the Shields Center for Visual Arts, is a learning laboratory, providing fieldwork experiences, internships, and opportunities in curatorial and exhibition studies to Marywood students. The Maslow Collection is one of the most significant and extensive collections of contemporary art in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Suraci Art Gallery
Map & Directions
The Suraci Gallery, located on the second floor of the Shields Center for Visual Arts, houses Marywood's permanent collection of fine and decorative art. Exhibitions in the Suraci Gallery showcase regional and national artists; support art faculty work and scholarship; provide degree research and documentation opportunities for current and alumni art students; and foster community outreach projects and interests.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Scholarships
Art Talent Award
Art Talent Awards are only available to incoming freshman students. Students who have already registered for classes are no longer eligible to apply for the award.
ELIGIBILITY: If you are an incoming Freshman student and you would like primary consideration for an Art Talent Award, your portfolio AND art essay must be submitted together to the Art Department by November 15. Portfolios received after November 15 and before the cut off date of March 1 are still eligible for consideration depending on remaining awards. Awards are granted a rolling basis each spring beginning March 1 and portfolios meeting the November 15th deadline will get first consideration for available awards. The Art Talent Award is based on artistic merits. As such, Arts Administration students are ineligible for this award. Recipients of an Art Talent Award must plan to major in art at Marywood. Once awarded, they are renewable for up to eight semesters of full-time undergraduate study. If a Talent Award recipient changes his/her major to that of one outside of art, the Art Talent Award will be rescinded.
Note: Any physical or flash-drive digital portfolios must be left with the Art Department 7-14 days for evaluation. Award recipients will be notified by mail sometime after March 1.
Tuition
View Tuition RatesMarywood University faculty are prepared to provide students with the best learning experience possible.
- Art Therapy Practicum/Internship Coordinator
- argrunderlaughlin@marywood.edu
- Coordinator, Art Program
- Associate Professor
- sgarrison@marywood.edu
- 570-348-6211 x2656
80+ opportunities for you to find the right fit with 50+ undergraduate degrees and 30+ graduate and certificate courses.
Foundations Year
Your first year as an art student at Marywood University is an important step in your development as an artist. To help make your foundation year a success, we offer a number of resources to guide you.
Online Art Supplies
Art Minors at Marywood
- Art History Minor
- Animation Minor
- Studio Art Minor
- Graphic Design Minor
- Illustration Minor
- Painting Minor
- Photography Minor
- Printmaking Minor
- 3D/Ceramics Minor
- Sustainable Design Minor
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Fully Accredited
Marywood University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSHE).
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Illustration Visual Arts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).