Art and Craft
Bachelor of Arts Major and Minor
Do you want to pursue a career as an artist, artisan or creative professional? Or further hone your skills and talents in a graduate program? Built for both the student interested in creating within a variety of mediums as well as the student who wants to focus on one—our program is perfect for you.
Study art by experiencing and doing. Develop a foundation in making art, discover your creative potential, and explore the impact of art and craft on human life and culture. Hone your problem-solving skills, and learn about making as a practice of building community. Learn not just to create, but to make a living doing it.
Why study Art and Craft at Warren Wilson?
- Spaces to Create: Our large arts complex features a variety of spaces and tools to create your next masterpiece including a printmaking studio, a media arts studio, darkrooms, kilns, and a foundry.
- A Key Location: From the downtown art galleries to the River Arts District to the legal graffiti walls, you will find space to thrive in Asheville.
- Sustainable Focus: As you develop your skills, you’ll learn new sustainable practices.
- Hone your Entrepreneurship: You’ll develop your sense of entrepreneurship by selling your work on campus and in Asheville.
Why Choose One?
Explore visual art-making in all forms, and have the choice to dedicate your studio courses to improving skills and creativity in:
- Ceramics
- Sculpture
- Painting and Drawing
- Printmaking and Book Arts
- Material Studies: Woodworking, Fiber Arts, Blacksmithing
- Media Arts: Photography, Animation, Film
Every student will complete community-engaged coursework, an internship, and original research as part of their major
A Sample of Our Partnerships
- Asheville Darkroom
- Fierce Flix
- Handmade Film Institute
- Local Cloth
See how Art and Craft students put our education into action
Internship
Stevii Randall worked with local weaver Deanna Lynch at the Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum documenting and archiving old fabric swatches and information about the cloths.
Community Engaged Course
In our Take Back the Screen course, you’ll work with the local nonprofit organization, Fierce Flix, that uses filmmaking as a space for trans, nonbinary, queer, and femme youth visions to take back the screen. You’ll research trends in youth-led and queer centered creative media, film, and music projects to then collaboratively make a film and work with the nonprofit organization to develop and implement an event during the semester.
Work
You can work on any crew as a student but many Art and Craft students choose to be on crews such as:
- Holden Visual Arts Center Crew
- Fiber Arts Crew
- Ceramics Crew
- 3D Crew
- Blacksmithing Crew
- Fine Woodworking
Senior Capstone
Art students have the option to work with a faculty mentor to develop their skills as a researcher and creator on a year-long research project. Propose a topic, develop a thesis, apply a research method, and present your results at the end of the year. Previous student topics were:
Popular Courses
Introduction to Handbuilding
Learn hand-building, focusing on the development of construction skills as well as sculpture and vessel techniques.
Introduction to Fibers
Discover the methods of making with fiber arts such as weaving, dyeing, felting, and sewing. With a focus on material study, use a variety of construction methods and develop an understanding of fiber qualities.
Furniture Design
Create functional furniture pieces using traditional materials such as steel and wood and have the opportunity to explore building furniture with alternative materials that promote sustainable practices.
James Darr, MFA
Research Interests
- Communication and Electrical Towers
- Infrastructure
- Monotony
“Teaching at Warren Wilson College has given me the opportunity to see first hand what a unique educational atmosphere the campus, people and students involved have to offer. This community has an abundance of cross-disciplinary resources that support and enhance the educational experience.”
Charlotte Taylor, MFA
Research Interests
- Experimental Animation & Documentary
- Darkroom Processes & 16mm Film
- Expanded Cinema & Pre-Cinematic Optical Toys
“Our department is a community where, through art, we create moments of deep connection and genuine learning, and where, together, we are building a future we all want to be part of.”
“Work crews as a whole helped in all my jobs postgrad. Being able to work and bond with people throughout college was really important for me to be able to find where and what I wanted to spend my time doing, as well as how to work within groups (big or small). Wilson also centered so much around community that it gave me a sense of confidence to go out and achieve what I wanted to in my career which led me to getting my current job. I don’t think I could’ve done it without my experience at WWC.”
Yaki Hale
(they/them)
Art Coordinator for Superior Image Embroidery
Major, Minor, Concentration, Crews
- Art and Craft Major with a Concentration in Drawing and Painting
- Crews: Recycling, Verner, Holden
“I attended 4 other colleges and tried out a handful of other majors before finding Warren Wilson. I am not sure I would have graduated college if I didn’t find that magical place. The campus and students motivated me to actually go to my classes and the professors made it, and continue to make it, home for me. I am still in contact with the majority of them; it feels like family. “
Jess Self
(she/her)
Lecturer of Textiles for The University of North Georgia
Major, Minor, Concentration, Crews
- Art and Craft Major
- Concentration in Sculpture
- Crews: Art and Recycling
“I absolutely cherished my time in the visual art studios and fiber arts cabin. Being immersed in the craft program and surrounded by a community passionate about hands-on, practical trade skills, particularly in the context of the region’s rich craft history, was unbelievably rewarding and formative.“
Hannah Berman
(she/her)
Art Director & Stylist at Rejuvenation
Major, Minor, Concentration, Crews
- Art and Craft Major
- Concentration in Printmaking
- Crew: Fiber Arts
Where Our Art and Craft Graduates Go
- Cloverdale Forge
- Smithsonian Institution Exhibits
- Dartmouth
- Rejuvenation Portland
- Superior Image Embroidery
