Studio Art
Spring 2024 Semester Aix-en-Provence

About the Program

IAU’s Marchutz School of Art offers a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to studio art for students from a range of art backgrounds and experiences. This program is designed for students at all ability levels; faculty at Marchutz consider each student a working artist, regardless of level of experience, and provide opportunities for studio practice, museum/site study, and critical dialogue. Off-site visits enhance the studio art curriculum and enhance immersion into local culture. Semester students also take a French language course at their ability level; summer students may choose to take a language course.

Program Structure

You'll enroll in 1 art criticism/aesthetics course, 1 drawing course, 1 painting course, 1 art history elective course, and 1 French language course appropriate to your language level. Courses meet for 45-90 contact hours/3-6 credits. You may earn up to 15 credits (up to 225 contact hours).

Classes meet Monday-Friday. Active learning components required by your courses may be scheduled for Fridays.

Before you leave for Aix, you'll submit an IAU course selection form and an IAU language questionnaire that estimates your language knowledge. An IAU advisor will evaluate your language questionnaire and transcript and either enroll you in courses or schedule a language placement exam that you'll take before your program starts. After you arrive on-site, French faculty will determine if you're the in correct language level; you'll have two weeks to add/drop if necessary.

It is in your best interest to have multiple alternative courses approved by your home university prior to your departure due to course availabilities. To ensure that you receive credit for the language level you place into, have your home university pre-approve courses at several levels before you leave for France. Please consult with your academic advisor at your home university on credit pre-approval guidelines.

Excursions

Get out and explore! Excursions are offered for most semester, year, and summer programs*. Semester students are typically offered between two to three excursions and summer study students are typically offered between one to two excursions. You'll receive a calendar of excursions during orientation; here are a few day and overnight excursions we've offered in the past.

Avignon and the Pont du Gard

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Visit the Papal Palace in Avignon, one of Europe's largest, most important medieval Gothic buildings. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. Next, explore the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the 1st century. The Pont du Gard is the highest of all Roman aqueduct bridges and among the best-preserved.

Les Baux de Provence

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First stop: Baux de Provence, a medieval fortified town with breath-taking views, to tour a hilltop chateau and learn about medieval Provence. Next, experience a mind-blowing audiovisual art show projected on limestone quarry walls at Les Carriéres. Enjoy a group lunch at Mas de la Pyramide, a quarry dating from Roman times that's now an agricultural museum featuring three centuries of farm life and trades.

Arles

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A key headquarters for Roman military campaigns and center of the Christianization of Gaul, Arles offers windows to a colorful past. The Roman Empire's influence can still be seen in Arles; architecture, baths, aqueduct, mills, amphitheater, and more. Walking between the remnants of pillars and arches, it's easy to forget you're visiting an ancient part of Provence, especially when the ferias and other bull festivals charge the air with excitement.

The Luberon

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The Luberon is a lush, green national park where mountain ranges surround a sweeping valley dotted with castles and unbelievable fairy-tale villages thought to be among the most beautiful in France. Stroll along the Sorgue River, which flows from an unknown source deep under Fountaine-de-Vaucluse; hike the red/orange/yellow ochre hills of Roussillon; and explore Gordes, a local commune. Can you discover the café where Russell Crowe filmed his scenes with Marion Cotillard for the movie A Good Year?