Art fundamentals

The wide range of basic courses offered by the faculty of Art gives students on all degree programmes the opportunity to choose from and try out a variety of media and techniques. In the numerous artistic workshops, students can acquire sound knowledge in dealing with the respective materials and technical possibilities. The basic studies programme supports students in consistently pursuing their own questions and at the same time opens up a range of artistic approaches and techniques for finding solutions thanks to the fundamentally interdisciplinary structure of the courses.

Artistic practice

Artistic work takes place in the studios of the two classes at Hermes. The focus here is on exploring a variety of media such as drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpture, art in public space, installation, performance and bodywork. These are applied in a work-related manner and examined in conjunction with each other as unbounded and cross-media forms in exhibition contexts.
The work in the classes consists of free work in the studio, supplemented by plenary sessions, workshops, excursions and other formats. Students are free to attend courses in the other class or to change classes.
Guest semesters in the specialised classes of the faculty of Art and/or the Department of Design are possible by arrangement.
After completing the Artistic Practice modules, it is possible to apply for a 'Meisterschüler*innen' master student programme.

Art education and art didactics

Teacher training students take specialised didactics parallel to their artistic practice at the BURG. In the courses, art education texts are received and discussed, teaching situations are developed and tested and connections are made to current art, art history, the students' own artistic practice, everyday and media culture, developmental phases of children and young people as well as social issues. The aim is to develop a well-founded understanding of art education. In the seminars, links are made to other areas of the university (e.g. collection of materials), to art education research and to school practice - they are transdisciplinary in nature. Practical school exercises serve to link university teaching and school practice, while the accompanying seminars focus on the conception and organisation of art teaching within the school system. The school internships in art are organised by MLU and supervised by teachers of art didactics. The 1st state examination also qualifies students for a doctorate in art education (Dr phil.) at the BURG.

Art education

The courses offered in Art Education focus primarily on familiarising art and design students with methods of reflection. The lectures and seminars focus on analysing the knowledge and ideas associated with the use of techniques, tools and materials of the various genres and media. Artistic working methods and historical constellations are used to show how artists actively relate to the knowledge and social codes that underlie their means of production. In addition, Art Education introduces students to the various historical concepts of seeing and perceiving; it deals with the most important concepts of the image; addresses historical questions about the concept of the work and the professional image of artists and, overall, aims to contribute to students having a basic knowledge of the mechanisms of distribution and reception of art in addition to the implications associated with the production of art.

Printmaking

What printmaking techniques are there? How can these be used for your own artistic work? What technical requirements, tools and materials are needed? Which modified forms and processes of printing can be developed and taught?

In the workshop, students on teacher training programmes learn the basics of various printmaking processes through introductory courses:
Lithography/flat printing, linocut/highlight printing, etching/gravure printing, risography/through printing.

They are trained in the use of the workshop, the handling of equipment and the correct choice between different materials. Through guided and free/experimental work, they explore the wide-ranging possibilities of printmaking. They can integrate these processes into their work through further independent or project-based work and make them artistically fruitful.

SCULPTURE

The sculpture workshop is open to students on the teacher training programmes for independent work after a safety briefing. Here they can realise sculptural-spatial works and work with various materials such as wood, plaster, clay and, to a limited extent, metal and plastics. Table machines such as cross-cut saws, floor drills, circular saws and band saws are available for this purpose. The workshop also offers a wide range of manual machines: Hand-held circular saw, jigsaw, cordless screwdriver, eccentric sander and much more. Hand machines and hand tools such as hammers, pliers and saws can be borrowed here for a short time.

The workshop is supervised two days a week by workshop supervisor Rita Hausmann. She supports the students in the realisation of their work and runs
She supports the students in realising their work and runs courses on the basics of working with wood, plaster, clay and silicone rubber.
The current programme includes the following courses and can be expanded as required.

Introductory courses on working independently in the workshop:

• Moulding with silicone
• Moulding with lost and multi-part moulds
• Moulding with Kaschur
• Woodworking - stool making with Japanese hand tools

Entrance examination

The first part of the entrance examination involves submitting a self-designed digital portfolio with your own artistic works (drawings, objects, paintings, sketches, collages, photographs, etc.). The composition of the submitted works is entirely up to you - there are no thematic guidelines. The portfolio is to be understood as a tool and means of recognising your individual approach and way of looking at things.  The portfolio should not exceed 20 work samples. Excerpts from sketchbooks can be submitted digitally and count as one work.
Please note that a maximum of 200 MB of storage space is available per applicant. Please do not submit any audiovisual works (video, animation, sound pieces)!
After reviewing the digital portfolios, a committee of professors, staff and students will decide on admission to the entrance examinations and the admission interview in presence.

The artistic entrance examinations and the admission interview take place on two consecutive days on site at the BURG.

In contrast to the portfolio, the practical examinations focus on the direct completion of set tasks in various media (drawing, photography, collage, sculpture) and their fulfilment within a set time frame.
In both art degree programmes (teacher training), the focus is not only on artistic but also on pedagogical motivation. This should play a role in the letter of motivation. It will be explored in an additional task during the examination period and discussed with the applicants in the subsequent interview.
Please note the current application deadlines and the dates of the on-site entrance examination.
Attention! Applicants changing degree programmes can apply to have parts of the entrance examination waived if they can provide evidence of equivalent performance.

Prerequisites

• 1. the general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) or another qualification required for admission to the university.
• 2. the determination of special artistic and creative aptitude. (portfolio)
• 3. proof of artistic and creative skills and abilities. (examinations)
• 4. proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language in the case of foreign applicants.

The entrance examination is divided into a pre-selection (portfolio), the practical examinations and a programme-related interview. After the pre-selection, applicants whose submitted work does not meet a minimum quality standard are eliminated. The examinations and interviews take place on site over a period of 3 days in March.

Applicants will receive detailed information and documents for the entrance examination here.

Portfolio - what you should consider

The portfolio should contain at least 20 work samples, not older than two years.

There are no specifications regarding the format, content or technique of the work samples. We recommend nature studies, spatial studies, but also free, imaginative and unconventional works. Sketchbooks can also be interesting. Overall, it is not so much the perfection of the execution that is important, but rather a light-hearted, lively style of presentation. It should also be recognisable that you already have a certain variety of different techniques and means of expression.

You can take photos of your sculptural work and attach them to the portfolio. Please enclose digitally created work samples as printouts. For animations or videos, selected sequences as a small image sequence. CDs, DVDs etc. cannot be viewed during the portfolio assessment. You can bring these to the interview.

Change of university
 

The application for a change of university must be submitted to the Office for students and academic affairs. You can also seek advice there.

The recognition of examinations and study achievements already completed as well as completed periods of study is based on the study and examination regulations or the module catalogue of the teaching degree programmes. Recognition is carried out by the professors of the Art Education degree programme after enrolment.

Matriculation

Once you have passed the entrance examination, you will receive the application documents for enrolment. This can take place once all admission requirements have been demonstrably fulfilled and the fees for the Studentenwerk and the student body have been paid. For students with statutory health insurance, a certificate of insurance is also required.

Once the student ID card has been issued, enrolment is complete and takes effect at the start of the respective semester.