The Art Program at Barton Community College offers a remarkable creative community that builds on individual classes and extraordinary teachers. The learning environment blends the expected into a whirl of perceptions that lead to new ways of thinking, doing, seeing and making.
The goal of the Fine Arts program is to educate students in the skills, knowledge, and the understanding necessary for professional practice in art- and design-related fields. Our curriculum educates students in specific fine arts disciplines but also in the complex vernacular of all visual vocabularies. The program invites students to expand their studio education through hands-on practice and elevate their knowledge through courses in art appreciation, and the history and theory of art.
The foundational program in the Fine Arts is designed to prepare students to continue their education and to transfer to a four-year degree program. Through exposure to a variety of two-, three-, and four-dimensional projects, students are given a general introduction to the specifics of visual and spatial phenomena, and to concepts, principles, techniques of the visual arts, and to introduce critical thinking as a necessary part of artistic practice.
Art students may choose courses in the disciplines of drawing, audiovisual, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. Elective studio and techniques classes are also offered on a rotating basis. Since the prerequisite studio courses students take in sophomore year will in large part determine their options for advanced study, students are encouraged to choose a variety of areas in consultation with their instructors and advisors. A continuing involvement in general academic studies serves as a tool to broaden each student’s developing studio experience across histories of ethics, social agency, and human expression.
Students with more experience can select a higher degree of autonomy and one on one instruction, to expand technical aptitude and critical dexterity, while developing a continuous studio practice. The Shafer Gallery also offers students the opportunity for a public showing of their work, and provides a context through which students prepare for work and life in the Fine Arts after Barton.
A joy comes from being a creative worker it is a part of why the art faculty at Barton Community College creates and teaches. They find satisfaction in the art they create and the students they influence in the classrooms and studios. The instructors are dedicated professional artists with the ability to create in a variety of media. They truly believe art nurtures and fosters creative minds, experimental problem solvers, and active learners, and fosters a deep connection to what makes us all human. Art has endless value for all types of students, and our instructors truly love seeing them find wonder, excitement, exploration, and joy in the studio.
The Art Program provides studios and classrooms dedicated to Painting, Art History, Art Appreciation, Drawing, Ceramics, and Digital Graphics. Be immersed in creating and learning about art.
The language of art, critical thinking skills, and a broader understanding of materials and techniques awaits you. The Capstone course in your graduating semester will enable you to launch your career as an artist or pursue higher education. The Art Program will prepare you to graduate with an Associate's Degree in Art. You will be ready to apply to an institution of higher learning to pursue your advanced degree.
So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call. Let us help you to be a maker, a creator and do what you love to do!
Why Barton?
- Learn from internationally known painter Philip Jacobson
- Well-equipped painting, drawing, and ceramic facilities
- New Digital Graphics emphasis with new Digital Graphics studio.
- Guest artists present lectures and in class demonstrations.
- Access to monthly exhibits by national and regional artists.
- Access to nationally renowned Shafer Art Gallery
Options
Barton has a program for you. You can choose to specialize in digital graphic design, education, photography, ceramics, painting and drawing. These Art Program Emphasis areas are designed to prepare you to transfer to a four-year college or art institute.
Regardless of which way you go, Barton offers you an affordable, quality jump-start on your educational or professional goals. Scholarships and departmental awards are also available.
Career Directions
Studio artist, digital graphic designer, computer artist, museum curator, comic book artist, portrait artist, art critic, cinematographer, photojournalist, web page designer, freelance artist, art dealer, educator.
Degree Maps
Degree Maps
The Art curriculum offers you the opportunity to develop your skills in personal expression and creative sensitivity through studies in various fine and applied artistic disciplines. The art department curriculum is constructed around the philosophy that awareness in the visual arts is developed by experiencing a solid foundation based on courses in areas of two and three-dimensional art, a variety of different media and techniques, and various digital imaging and computer applications. Interwoven into this course of study is the fostering of critical thinking abilities.
The Art curriculum is open to students interested in art and culture and provides a course of study leading to an Associate in Arts Degree. This curriculum is a general guide if plan to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree of Art or Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree at a college or university. Your advisor will help you plan courses that will meet the specific requirements of your transfer school.
Associate in Arts Degree
Art
Art Education
Digital Graphics
Digital Photography
View the full list of Curriculum Guides (applicable for students admitted prior to Fall 2024) and Degree Maps (applicable for students admitted Fall 2024 and after).
Scholarship Opportunities
Scholarship Opportunities
Apply today for an Art Program Scholarship awarded by the department!
- To qualify for an Art Program Scholarship, applicants must first complete the Admissions application. Once your application is processed, you will be assigned a Barton ID.
- The Financial Aid department will then guide you through the Scholarship Manager to complete the Art Department Scholarship, as well as other scholarship options. Check out the Financial Aid webpage to learn more about other opportunities to fund your education.
- Barton's Admissions team will arrange for a campus visit which includes an interview with Phillip Jacobson and a review of your current portfolio. You can bring artwork with you or provide a digital portfolio.
- $2,000, $1000 and $670 scholarships are available to be awarded, as well as work study opportunities in the Shafer Art Gallery or Art Department.
Art Department Facilities
Art Department Facilities
The ceramic studio is located on campus in the Technical Building, room number T-151. The main work room provides students with 1750 square feet of space to create ceramics. A separate kiln room is attached to this main studio. In addition to this area an outdoor patio has an additional 480 square feet for firing and clay reclamation. The indoor studio area is complemented by an additional 300 square feet dedicated to the ceramic lab. This separate room provides space for students to formulate glazes for their clay creations. The ceramic studio provides professional equipment for students to use as they learn about the materials and techniques associated with ceramics.
Studio Equipment
- 12 Brent Pottery Wheels
- 1 adjustable pottery wheel, adjustable height for wheelchair access
- Wedging table
- 5 hand-building tables
- 1 canvas covered wedging table
- Bailey Extruder with extruding dies
- 3’ x 6’ Slab Roller
- Deep double sink
- Individual student storage lockers
- Shelving for projects
- 40” wide screen TV and computer station
Kiln Room
- 2, 12 cubic foot Skutt Production Kilns with Digital Controls
- 1, 24 cubic foot Alpine, forced air, Gas fired updraft Kiln
- 1, 6 cubic foot Olympic Raku kiln with digital controls
- Automated, thermostat-controlled air exchange for the room
Outdoor Firing
- 1, 7.4 Cubic foot Laguna gas fired Raku kiln
- Reduction cans
- Refractory Brick firing pads for flash firing with propane burners
Laboratory
- Ventilated lab
- Alpine Stainless steel storage bins for bulk chemicals
- Complete inventory of oxides and carbonates
- Spray booth with air guns
- Soldner mixer
- Reclaim area
- Peter Pugger VPM-20SS Vacuum Power Wedger and Clay Mixer
Painting, Drawing and Photography Studios
- Computers: 5 with current software
- Printers: 5
- Opaque projectors
- Drawing tables: 1
- Easels: 14
- Projector: 1
- Scanners:2
The painting and drawing studio is located on campus in the Technical Building, room number T-171. The main work room provides students with a space to draw, paint and make prints. A separate room is attached to the main studio and is dedicated to photography and digital work. In addition to this area a second floor houses a wonderful collection of art books. The painting studio provides professional equipment for students to use as they learn about the materials and techniques associated with drawing and painting.
Meet the Art Faculty - Mark Freeman
Meet the Art Faculty - Mark Freeman
Mark Freeman
[email protected]
MFA Ceramics
BFA Ceramics
BS Education
Classes: Ceramics, Design, Art Appreciation, Art History
Mark is a lifelong Kansas resident with deep ties to the local art community. He graduated from Barton Community College in 2006. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Fort Hays State University in 2011.
From there, he and his wife Bambi took on an artist apprenticeship with Carol Long Pottery in St. John Kansas. While working with Carol Long, they built their own studio and business, Freeman Pottery. They continued to make their living as artists attending national-level art festivals and shows until their son Henley started preschool. Mark has always been passionate about teaching and sharing knowledge with others. While working as a professional artist, he and his wife Bambi would often teach workshops at high schools, community colleges, and art centers.
In 2019, Mark went on to accept the art instructor position at Pratt Community College in Pratt, Kansas. Following the completion of a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics at Fort Hays State University, Mark has now joined the faculty of the Fine Arts Program at Barton Community College teaching ceramics, design, and art history.
“I am very passionate about ceramics and its historical role in human civilization,” says Mark. “I started out making strictly functional pottery and have since transcended to ceramic sculpture. Understanding the materials and processes is the key to spreading the knowledge for creating well-made art. Nothing is more satisfying than the AH HA! moment of creative inspiration.”
Meet the Art Faculty - Philip Jacobson
Meet the Art Faculty - Philip Jacobson
Philip Jacobson
[email protected]
Fine Arts Instructor
MFA Painting & Printmaking
MA Painting & Sculpture
BS Studio Arts, Culture Anthropology, & Comparative Religion
Apprentice to Ernst Fuchs
Classes: Drawing I & II, Painting I & II, Historical Painting Techniques for Contemporary Practice and Independent Studies
Professor Phil is an Artist, Author and Teacher and hails from upstate New York. He holds an MA in Painting and Sculpture from Northern Arizona University and an MFA in Painting & Printmaking from the University of Denver, and a BS in Studio Art and Cultural Anthropology from Empire State University. A high point on his journey in Education and the Arts came when he was 19 and turned down ivy-league scholarships to study painting and printmaking in Vienna, Austria under the renowned artist, Ernst Fuchs. After this, Jacobson traveled extensively, and visiting other cultures and places has become a deep passion for him. The professor founded and directed the School of Extended Studies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where he served as the Dean for seven years. In 1997 Ernst Fuchs requested that Prof. Phil formally carry on his teachings, and he has been holding his international painting seminars ever since. In 2012, his partner, Mantra Cora (Magdalene Jacobson), joined him in organizing and teaching in the seminars. Ms. Jacobson also offers several courses at Barton, including Portrait Drawing, Watercolor and Independent Studies. Phillip has participated in more than 100 exhibitions and his writings have been read worldwide. Considered a central figure in the genre of Fantastic Realism and Visionary Art, he is the author of the now classic; DRINKING LIGHTNING - Art, Creativity, and Transformation from Shambhala Publications and PROMETHEAN FLAMES- Rekindling and Re-visioning the Creative Fire, both of which include Introductions and Forewords by Ken Wilber, Ernst Fuchs and, Prof. Michael Schwartz.. The professor joined the faculty at Barton in 2019 teaching Drawing. Painting and Historical Techniques for contemporary expression. He will soon be adding Printmaking to that list.
Meet the Adjunct Art Faculty
Meet the Adjunct Art Faculty
Aimee Hanson
Adjunct Faculty: Art History I and II
Magdelene Jacobson (Mantra Cora)
Adjunct Faculty: Portrait Drawing, Watercolor I & II and Independent Studies
Magdalene was born in Gdansk, Poland, relocated to England in 2006, and then to the USA in 2016 with her husband, Prof Phil, and their daughter, Liya. In 2013 Mantra completed her B.A. in Visual Arts at The University of Salford in England. She has closely studied techniques of painting with Prof. Phil, Ernst Fuchs, and De Es Schwertberger and drawing and painting as an Erasmus Exchange Student at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Macerata in Italy. A 4-month long internship at the Phantasten Museum in Vienna, Austria, followed her Erasmus Exchange program. It was there that she assisted the internationally renowned artist, Ernst Fuchs, daily.
Mantra has been co-teaching with Prof Phil every summer since 2012 in their international Old Masters-New Visions painting seminars. In 2023 the seminar took place in Kerala, India and in summer 2024 it will be in Delphi, Greece. In 2016 she organized some 100 artists from around the world for the now-historical exhibition: "A Legacy of Light" and also co-created and edited the catalog for the show. This exhibition took place at Castle Gloggnitz in Austria. Her art has been exhibited internationally, including the UK, Italy, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA. In 2019 Mantra and her family relocated to the Midwest and she joined Barton Community College as an adjunct faculty member where she teaches Portrait Drawing, Watercolor, and Independent Studies (drawing and painting). Mantra has completed her first year of studies in the MFA Program at Fort Hays University where she is majoring in Painting and Photography.
Christina Lamoureaux
Adjunct Faculty: Digital Design, Watercolor
Todd Mobray
Adjunct Faculty: Digital Photography, Digital Image and Video Editing, Multimedia Presentations
Teralyn Morriss
Adjunct Faculty: Art Appreciation