Why Study Art at GCC This Summer?

April 11, 2014

Curious about game design? Eager to get a jumpstart on a GCC art degree? Want to learn more about color? Planning to transfer from GCC to a BFA art program? GCC is the place to be this summer. The GCC Art Department will offer courses that provide five distinct experiences in art: Game Development, Color, Drawing Foundation, Visual Concepts I, and History of Modern Art. Four of the summer courses are 3-credit courses that can be used towards the completion of an AA or AS degree in Visual Arts at GCC.

Game Development, a new non-credit offering for GCC, is an intensive, competitively-priced introduction to 2D game design. Instructor Jennifer Gutterman works as a game designer, teaches 3D graphics and 3D animation at GCC, and really knows the game industry. GCC Dean of Humanities Leo Hwang, noting the importance of this new course, said, "Massachusetts is a game design industry hub where we have the technology infrastructure, skilled people, and creative capital to produce innovative and imaginative games that are distributed worldwide."

Drawing Foundation and Visual Concepts I are an opportunity to try out a class or two, get to know GCC art faculty, and get a head start on working toward a degree. The scheduling of these courses is designed to accommodate early entrant and high school students finishing up their school year. The Color course is geared toward people interested in painting. Students in this course have space in GCC's painting studio for the whole summer, learn color theory and mixing, and utilize that knowledge in painting. History of Modern Art is required for those studying toward a BFA art degree at UMASS. It is only offered at GCC in the summer and is useful for current GCC students who are considering transferring to UMASS or another art school.

Why study art at GCC this summer? Art Department Chair Paul Lindale said, "All of GCC's art faculty are instructors and practicing/exhibiting artists. This is the first time we will have three full-time art faculty teaching over the summer. These courses serve a wide range of community needs and provide opportunities to experience art-making in diverse ways."

Agreeing, Hwang said, "GCC's art classes are nationally recognized as preparing some of the finest students for bachelor's degree granting institutions. Summer classes at GCC have a teacher-to-student ratio that allows for lots of individual attention and compress a semester's worth of work into a concentrated period of time."

For information on these courses, contact Paul Lindale at or 413-775-1241 or visit https://art.gcc.mass.edu/gcc_courses.html. These courses will fill quickly – register now!

by Mary McClintock '82

# # #