Department of Fine and Performing Arts Weissman School of Arts and Sciences

Welcome
Philip Lambert, Chair

In his great poem “Home at Grasmere,” William Wordsworth reflects upon a long-awaited return to his peaceful home among the mountains and lakes at Grasmere. In the “vast compass of this theatre” he sees “birch-tree woods hung with thousand thousand diamond drops of melted hoar-frost,” listens as “the raven croaks and fills the upper air with a strange sound of genial harmony,” and looks skyward to behold a swarm of birds “whose way is a perpetual harmony and dance magnificent.”

I won’t presume to suggest that the we in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Baruch College are able to witness a comparable beauty as we gaze out our windows upon the roof of the Madison Square Post Office, but we have our own ways of sharing Wordsworth’s vision. Our dedication to the visual, musical, and dramatic arts manifests itself frequently and variously, in the histories we are writing, the critical theories we are developing, and in the methods for artistic expression we are practicing and exploring. We find in the poet’s “acknowledged voice of life” a richness of perspective and a type of personal fulfillment that cannot be achieved any other way. To imagine and examine such things is to reach deep into the essence of humanity and what it means to belong to the community of earth.

Our students at Baruch also learn to share this vision, whether they are here to study the arts primarily or to pursue degrees in other areas of the humanities or sciences, or in business. Through a rich variety of couse offerings, including special programs and affiliations involving visits to some of the world’s great museums, concert halls, and theatres, plus a full, diverse calendar of campus arts events each semester, Baruch students receive an essential foundation of artistic appreciation and understanding that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

On behalf of the faculties in Art, Music, and Theatre, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the web site of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Baruch College. Here you will find full descriptions of our course offerings and curricula, faculty biographies, and information and links pertaining to special arts events at the College. As you will see, we are blessed with a world-renowned faculty, and we feature courses of study designed to take full advantage of their talents, along with popular programs that combine coursework from throughout the liberal arts and sciences with studies in Baruch’s first-rate Zicklin School of Business.

The Department offers major courses of study in Art History, Graphic Communications, Music, and Theatre. Students pursuing careers in arts adminstration may follow the curriculum for Visual Arts Administration, Management of Musical Enterprises, or Theatre Arts Adminstration. Students in Graphic Communications follow a track within the Business Communication major. These programs feature highly valued internships in major arts organizations or industries, in which students are able to explore career options in real vocational environments and make important personal contacts within their chosen fields. Venues for internships typically include art museums and galleries, leading media outlets, performing groups, record companies, and theatre companies.

While at Baruch, students have a multitude of opportunities for making the arts a part of their lives. Those who seek the limelight can get involved with the production of Dollars and Sense, which is the Baruch College Business Review, sing in the Baruch College Chorus, or participate in theatrical productions sponsored by the College and directed by a member of the faculty each semester. Those who wish to exercise their critical skills can visit the College’s Sidney Mishkin Art Gallery, attend concerts in the Aaron Silberman Concert Series, or participate in residencies by major theatrical companies. Each year is filled with new, invaluable opportunities for cultural participation and enrichment.

The Department of Fine and Performing Arts also encourages its students to take advantage of the many affiliations it enjoys with other educational and cultural institutions throughout New York City. We maintain important ties with arts programs in the city’s secondary schools and community colleges. We also facilitate and encourage moving on from Baruch to advanced study in the arts in a Masters program at another CUNY campus, potentially culminating in doctoral studies at the CUNY Graduate Center, with which we share many faculty.

By the time of graduation, artistic expression and appreciation are only a part of Baruch students’ vastly broadened perspective and experience. Whether they move on to advanced degrees or to a first step up the corporate ladder, they carry with them a solid foundation in the knowledge and abilities that will be central to their success. They benefit in whatever they do, from envisioning the growth potential and priorities of the corporations they lead, to planning and organizing their contributions to the culture of their communities, to contemplating the view out their own office windows.

Please contact us with your questions, at (646) 312-4052 or fpa@baruch.cuny.edu.