At present the central focus of the department and chief interests of the faculty are teaching and research in the areas of Studio Art and Art History.

The Department offers a BA degree in both Studio Art and Art History, as well as an MFA in Studio Art. The MFA is intended to be a terminal degree in the areas of Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Print-making, and Digital/New Media. Undergraduates in Studio Art may concentrate in any of the above areas.

The Department of Fine Arts also participates in the Arts Administration program, an interdisciplinary program that includes the Departments of Drama and Communication, Music and the College of Business Administration.

In addition to the support of the specific degree programs of the Fine Arts Department, the collection also serves as a resource for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in other areas and disciplines. Closely related are the Departments of Anthropology, Arts Administration, Computer Science, Drama and Communications, English, Foreign languages, History, Music, Philosophy and Sociology.

Language
The primary language of acquisition is English. materials in French, German and Italian are acquired on a selective basis, and usually only if no translation is available. materials in other languages are not acquired.

Chronological Guidelines
Primary emphasis has been on Gothic to Modern time periods. The survey materials collected encompass all time periods.

Geographical Guidelines
Primary emphasis is on Western Europe and North America. Some emphasis has been given to Eastern European, Asian and Latin American art. Special geographic emphasis has been placed on primitive African art and on Oceanic art.

Treatment of Subject
Materials collected in Fine Arts are divided into two major subject areas - Art History and Studio Art. Materials collected in Art History include historical, iconographic, political, religious, biographical, economic and social aspects of geographical and time periods outlined. Juvenile and popular materials are not collected. Textbooks at advanced levels are acquired on a very selective basis. Textbooks at other levels are not collected. Purely pictorial works will be collected on a very selective basis.

Studio material collected include practice and methods of production of art in various media taught. Works of this type that are textbooks or are popular in nature are collected on a selective basis.

Materials collected for Arts Administration courses taught in the Fine Arts Department include the economic, business, legal and governmental aspects of the broad area of Fine Arts professions.

Types of Materials
Monographs and Serial publications form the basis of the collection. Exhibition catalogs and comprehensive thematic studies (by period, geographical area, or other specific subject) are also acquired. Reference materials usually acquired include bibliographies, dictionaries, handbooks and encyclopedias.

Date of Publication
Current materials are collected to support Studio Art programs. Current and retrospective materials are collected to support programs in Art History. When major journals in Art History are added they are held from the earliest volumes available.

Other Resources
An extensive slide library is managed and housed in the Fine Arts Department. The New Orleans Museum of Art Library is made available to UNO students and faculty by appointment. Also, the New Orleans Public Library is a Foundation Center depository, and a valuable resource for Arts Administration classes taught in the Department.

Related Policy Statements
Other information related to Fine Arts will be found in the following policy statements.