Art
37 courses · Golden West College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
ARTH C1100 Survey of Art from Prehistory to the Medieval Era
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 110
Formerly: ART G105, Survey of Art from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. This course introduces students to visual art and architecture from prehistory to the medieval era with a focus on art from Europe, North Africa, and the near East. The course will further consider global interactions involving these regions. The influence of social, cultural, political, religious, and historical contexts on art and architecture will also be discussed. Common Course Number: ARTH C1100.
ARTH C1200 Survey of Art from the Renaissance to Contemporary
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 120
Formerly: ART G106. This course provides an overview of art and architecture from the Renaissance to the contemporary period with a focus on art from Europe. The course will further consider global interactions involving this region. Students will examine the influence of social, cultural, political, religious, philosophical, and historical contexts on the art and architecture of this time. Key artists, art movements, artworks, and architectural sites will be studied. Traditional forms of art such as painting, sculpture, and photography will be discussed as well as newer examples from the 20th and 21st centuries. Common Course Number: ARTH C1200.
ART G100 Introduction to Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 100
This is an introductory art appreciation course for students who are not majoring in Studio Art or Art History. It will provide a general introduction to art that offers a look at works of art through the study of theory, terminology, themes, design principles, media, and techniques, with an introduction to the visual arts across time and diverse cultures. It emphasizes both Western and global art in historical and cultural contexts and explores drawing, painting, sculpture, film/video, printmaking, photography, ceramics, and architecture. Students are required to visit a local art museum.
ART G103 Survey of Asian Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 130
Formerly History of Asian Art. This course is an introduction to the artistic and architectural traditions of India, Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan from prehistory to the present. The historical development of art and architecture will be examined within its broader cultural and political contexts. The influence of religions and philosophies such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, Islam, and Shinto on art and architecture will also be discussed. Students will study key examples of painting, sculpture, printmaking, architecture, and other art forms such as scrolls, calligraphy, textiles, ceramics, garden design, and decorative art.
ART G104 Survey of Modern and Contemporary Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 150
Formerly: Modern and Contemporary Art History. This course is a survey of global modern and contemporary art and architecture from the 19th century to the present day. Key avant-garde artworks, artists, art movements, and architectural styles will be examined from historical perspectives as well as within their social, political, and cultural contexts. Art forms such as painting, sculpture, photography, performance, printmaking, and video will be studied. A range of themes will also be explored including gender and sexuality, spirituality, the environment, political dissent, memory, and the body.
ART G107 Color and Design: 2D
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 100
This course is an introduction to the concepts, applications, and historical references related to two-dimensional art and design. Topics covered include the study of the basic elements and principles of line, shapes, texture, value, color, and spatial illusion. Students will cultivate their composition skills using the principles of harmony, repetition, proportion, rhythm and movement, emphasis, and focal point. Students will also develop a visual vocabulary for creative expression through lecture presentations, studio projects, problem solving, and written assignments.
ART G108 Color Theory
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 270
This course studies principles, theories, and applications of additive and subtractive color in two dimensions. Topics will include major historical and contemporary color systems, production of projects in applied color, 12-part color wheel, and the elements of design as they apply to color. The major theorists introduced include Goethe, Itten, and Albers.
ART G109 Color and Design: 3D
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 101
This course is an introduction to three-dimensional design and spatial composition. Students will study the concepts, applications, and historical references related to three-dimensional space and form. The elements and organizing principles of design will also be explored. Students will develop a visual vocabulary for creative expression and aesthetic judgment through non-representational three-dimensional studio projects.
ART G115 Typography
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introduction to typography, the art and technique of arranging type to make language visible. Students will learn about the history, evolution, and application of typography. The role of typography in the perception of meaning and the intention and personality of the written word will also be covered.
ART G116 Drawing 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 110
This course offers an introductory study in the fundamentals, elements, and practices of drawing, employing a wide range of subject matter and drawing media. Focus is on perceptually based drawing, observational skills, technical abilities, and creative responses to materials and subject matter.
ART G117 Drawing 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G116.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 205
This course is an exploration of artistic concepts, styles, and creative expression related to intermediate-level drawing, focusing on complex subject matter and concepts using a variety of drawing mediums, techniques, and methodologies. Students will build their observational drawing skills and develop personalized approaches to content and materials in exercises covering multiple historical and contemporary approaches to drawing.
ART G118 Life Drawing 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Advisory
- ART G116.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 200
This course offers an introduction to drawing the nude human figure from observation using a wide variety of drawing media and techniques. Students will learn both descriptive and interpretive approaches to drawing the figure from live models. Topics studied include an introduction to human anatomy and the historical and contemporary roles of figure drawing in the visual arts with a focus on perceptually based drawing, observational skills, technical abilities, and creative responses to materials and the human figure as subject.
ART G119 Life Drawing 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G118.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course offers a continuation of drawing the nude human figure from observation using a wide variety of drawing media and techniques. It is an exploration of artistic concepts, styles, and creative expression related to intermediate-level life drawing, centering on complex subject matter and concepts using a variety of drawing mediums, techniques, and methodologies. Students in this course will build on fundamental observational life drawing skills to develop personalized approaches to content and materials in exercises covering multiple historical and contemporary approaches to life drawing. Focus is on intermediate musculoskeletal anatomy, perceptually based drawing, observational skills, technical abilities, and creative responses to materials and the human figure as subject.
ART G121 Ceramics 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course introduces ceramics in which students learn basic design, creative development, hand-building, throwing, glaze techniques, firing and ceramic terminology. The course covers aesthetics and creative development of clay objects examining historical and personal modes of expression.
ART G122 Ceramics 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G121.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an intermediate level ceramics class following Art G121. The principles of ceramic materials, techniques, and design of hand built and thrown work will be emphasized along with the introduction of mold making, glaze making and kiln loading. Specific aesthetic and technical criteria of ceramic design including historical applications will be emphasized.
ART G123 Race and Ethnicity in American Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is a survey of the history of race and ethnicity in American art. It focuses on the experiences of African American, Asian American, Latina and Latino American, and Native American artists and the artwork they have produced from the colonial era to the present day. Depictions of these racial and ethnic groups in American art will also be explored. Students will examine artists' anti-racist and anti-colonial strategies to assert agency and effect change through the creation and display of their art, in both historical and contemporary contexts. Students will also learn about the complexities of intersectional identity, as well as the racism of art organizations and American society. Enrollment Limitation: ETHS G123; students who complete ART G123 may not enroll in or receive credit for ETHS G123.
ART G127 Art of the Ancient Americas
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 145
This course will explore the art, architecture, and historical context of ancient civilizations in Mexico, Central America, and South America up to European contact.
ART G128 Arts of Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous North America
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTH 140
This course is a survey of art and architecture within selected regions in Africa, Oceania, and indigenous North America. The course addresses prehistoric to contemporary forms of artistic expression in these regions emphasizing historical, religious, political, and socio-cultural contexts.
ART G129 History of Photography
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an overview of the history of photography from its invention to the present. Students will examine photography's social, historical, and political impact and look at how images were produced, circulated, and consumed in mass media as well as in public and private settings. Photography’s multiple roles in society as an artistic, scientific, commercial, and journalistic medium will also be explored. The work of key photographers, artistic styles, and technical innovations that have shaped both darkroom and digital photography will also be covered.
ART G130 Painting 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 210
This course offers an introductory study in the fundamentals of painting and composition through learning about the materials, tools, and various approaches to painting in oil and/or acrylics. Focus is on exploration of painting materials, perceptual skills, color theory, paint mixing and technique. Emphasis is on creative responses to materials and subject matter, technical mastery and direct observation from life.
ART G131 Painting 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G130.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is structured as an intermediate progression from Painting 1. Students continue practicing the techniques of painting, focusing on the development of intermediate technical skills relating to traditional and experimental approaches. Students will explore contemporary painting and personal expression through naturalistic representation, abstraction, non-representation, and mixed media.
ART G138 Women in Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introduction to the achievements and contributions of women and those who identify as women in the visual arts from the prehistoric period to today. Students will also explore the depiction of women in art. Topics covered include patronage, gender, sexuality, identity, feminism, and the status of women artists.
ART G139 History of Graphic Design
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 54 lecture hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an overview of the history of graphic design focusing on key moments in its global history. Students will examine graphic design from various perspectives including cultural, aesthetic, religious, social, political, and economic contexts. The impact of technology will be discussed as well as the influence of individual artists and designers.
ART G142 Sculpture 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introduction to sculpture using beginning-level materials, construction techniques, aesthetic concepts, and elements and principles of design to create three-dimensional works of art. Students will utilize a wide range of sculptural media such as clay, cardboard, found objects, paper mache, wire or other materials to develop their technical skills, personal artistic vision, and aesthetic expression. Student will also learn about historical concepts related to sculpture.
ART G143 Sculpture 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G142.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is a continuation of the concepts introduced in Sculpture 1. Students will learn about the sculptural techniques of carving, modeling, and constructing at an intermediate level. Students will explore a variety of sculptural materials such as wood, wire, cardboard, found objects, and other materials to develop their technical skills, personal artistic vision, and aesthetic expression at an intermediate level. An in-depth global history of sculpture will be covered with an emphasis on the modern and contemporary periods.
ART G145 Exhibition Design
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU
Formerly: Art Gallery Exhibition and Portfolio Design. This course introduces students to the practical elements of designing, installing, and managing exhibitions in a museum or gallery. Students will solve design-related problems through hands-on practice planning, producing, installing, and publicizing exhibitions. During the course, students will work directly on an exhibition to be held in the GWC Art Gallery on campus. In addition, students will develop skills and knowledge related to designing and presenting their personal art portfolios.
ART G150 Printmaking 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- ARTS 220
This course introduces the concepts and techniques of various printmaking processes. Students will be exposed to an overview of the tools, methods, and materials for creating printed artworks in a studio environment. This course will cover the basic materials, equipment, and processes of printmaking, including relief, intaglio, planography, and stencil.
ART G151 Printmaking 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G150.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is designed to provide students with an intermediate studio experience in the relief, intaglio, planography, and stenciling areas of printmaking, with special emphasis on the history of printmaking. This course will include multilayer color relief printmaking, collagraph, screen printing, aquatint, and monoprints. Edition printing, intermediate technical skills, and the continued development of personal imagery and unique style will be prioritized.
ART G159 Introduction to Crafts
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course is an introduction to traditional and contemporary craft techniques, concepts, and processes. Students will work with a variety of craft media such as wood, textiles, fiber, clay, papermaking, glass, found objects, leather, and/or metal while exploring design principles, expressive qualities, and individual ideas in the development of aesthetic forms.
ART G160 Jewelry and Metalsmithing 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU
Formerly: Jewelry 1. This course is an introduction to jewelry-making and metalworking. Students will work with a wide range of methods, techniques, and materials to create jewelry and small-scale metal artworks and objects. Students will also learn about historical and contemporary practices of jewelry-making and metal casting and fabrication with a diverse range of examples from around the world.
ART G161 Jewelry and Metalsmithing 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G160.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course is an exploration of design, materials, and processes that apply to jewelry and metal at an intermediate level. Students will learn about intermediate level techniques and methods used in the fabrication of complex jewelry and larger metal objects. Specific aesthetic and technical criteria of jewelry design and metalsmithing including historical applications will be emphasized.
ART G167 Fiber Arts 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course is an introduction to the materials, techniques, and vocabulary used to create artwork made from fibers and textiles. Students will also develop their artistic ideas and express them visually. Contemporary and historical approaches to fiber and textile art as well as its cultural relevance will also be explored.
ART G221 Ceramics 3
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G122.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an intermediate-advanced level course involving further development of ceramic building techniques. Historical and contemporary works will be emphasized. The student will also learn to safely and efficiently calculate a glaze. The safe preparation and use of electric and gas kilns will be covered.
ART G223 Ceramics 4
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G221.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course develops advanced ceramic skills with an emphasis on the aesthetic development of personal style in addition to portfolio development.
ART G250 Printmaking 3
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G151.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is designed for students to investigate and develop personal imagery through the medium of printmaking at an intermediate to advanced level. This studio course will include deeper exploration with intaglio, relief, multicolor printing, mono-serigraph, woodcuts, and plate lithography. Students will construct a personal portfolio of multiple prints using various techniques and approaches.
ART G251 Printmaking 4
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
- Prerequisite
- ART G250.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an advanced study in a variety of printmaking methods that help students explore conceptual and personal content. This studio class is designed as a seminar with a strong emphasis placed on combining techniques, expanding material and vocabulary, and experimenting with new processes. Lectures covering both historical and contemporary issues of printmaking will be presented to broaden the student’s critical dialogue. Deeper exploration with intaglio, screen printing with photo emulsion, mono-serigraph, large-scale woodcuts, and stone lithography will be covered.
ART G021N Ceramics for Lifelong Learners
- Hours
- 27 lecture hours; 81 lab hours
This noncredit course is designed for older adults who will continue to build on the themes learned in previous ceramics classes. This includes wheel work and hand building work in both contemporary and historical contexts. Students will gain further knowledge in the refinement of ceramic work and make a body of work needed to create a cohesive portfolio. Noncredit. NOT DEGREE APPLICABLE.