About Biomedical Art
A biomedical artist is a professional artist trained in science who creates visual materials to help record and disseminate medical and biological knowledge. CIA’s biomedical art program incorporates innovative concepts, media and techniques through the intersection of art, science and medicine. The foundation of the program is built on the traditional field of scientific and medical illustration with the integration of new digital media techniques and animation. CIA’s program is one of only a few undergraduate programs in the country that offers this unique major of study.
Biomedical art majors combine artistic talent, natural science and biomedical intellect with strong visual communication skills to foster creative efforts in a broad range of new media. Students learn a versatile set of illustration, modeling and animation techniques through both traditional and digital methods.
Learn more about Biomedical Art Courses.
This program is centrally located in the heart of Cleveland’s leading medical, scientific and cultural communities. CIA is linked closely to University Circle through collaborations with The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the medical and educational resources and departments of Case Western Reserve University and The Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
Graduates in biomedical art work within many broad areas of natural science and medical publications, 2-D and 3-D instructional animations, medical textbooks, medical advertisements, professional journals, educational CD-ROMs, DVDs, web media and films. Biomedical artists also work within the following career areas: pharmaceutical, medical device, veterinary markets, hospitals, universities, government agencies, medical legal and forensics, to name but a few. CIA’s biomedical art program offers a strong and realistic foundation of innovative technology applications as applied to science and art.
Students have flexibility throughout the curriculum to take courses in computer imaging and animation, instructional design and multimedia, medical sculpture, surgical, natural science, and editorial illustration. In addition, students gain applied skills in business and professional practices.
Students take classes like Art and Theory, Natural Science and Biomedical Subjects, Illustration, 2D/3D Modeling and Animation, Virtual Reality Simulation and Interactive Media, Design and Color Theory, Web and Instructional Media, Photography, Exhibit Design, Business Practices and Media Management, Professional Ethics. Student Science Electives are: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Principles of Biology, Embryology, or Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, and Histology. In addition, they learn applied skill sets in business and professional practice.
Biomedical Art Program of Study
Note: The Cleveland Institute of Art is in the process of re-assessing its graduate programs in medical illustration and digital arts. We are currently not accepting applications.
Courses Offered During Fall Semester
Biomed Methods I (BMA 253)
This course is designed to develop strong observational skills and integrate traditional and digital media within the scope of monochromatic production. The goal will be to convey an aesthetically powerful illustration, which effectively provides a solution for a specific visual communication problem. The student will learn a vocabulary for expressing pertinent natural science and medical art concepts in relation to technique, design, composition, object accuracy/integrity and context. Students outside the major of Biomedical Art, will be required to apply the concepts and techniques taught in class to observational subjects pertinent to their major of study. The emphasis will be tonal and line base methods in various media, including graphite, ink, black/white color pencil, carbon dust, and introductory digital illustration techniques in Adobe Photoshop. The rendering concepts learned will provide a solid foundation for subsequent semesters and be integrated further into the broader scope and applications in Biomedical Art.
Biomedical Art -- Head, Hands, Feet (BMA255)
This course is open to all majors who are interested in learning how to visually describe the (1) Head: facial proportion/anatomy, form, construction and expression (significance of meaning and context); (2) Hands: proportion/anatomy, gestural qualities & significance of meaning and context, biomechanics of motion; (3) Feet: proportion/anatomy, biomechanics of motion, the relationship to ground and weight emphasis. This course provides observational drawing skills in portraiture, hands and feet in a variety of different mediums, perspectives (from orthogonal interpretation to dramatic vantage points and foreshortening.) This course is designed to benefit majors in Drawing, Painting, Illustration, Biomedical Art, and T.I.M.E. and is open as an elective to all majors. Projects include assignments and exercises which incorporate the specific subjects of Heads, Hands, and Feet. The projects involve principles of realism, observational accuracy, proportion/anatomy, composition, creative context of meaning and emotion.
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Biomedical Art -- Traditional/Digital Color (BMA264)
Creative, observational and conceptual possibilities of color are explored as a means to resolve biomedical and natural science visual communications problems. An emphasis towards traditional & digital color practices and mediums are a goal of the course. Principles of color theory, light on form, line, texture, aesthetic impact, and accuracy of content are integrated into course assignments. Through research, planning, and the application of biomedical and natural science knowledge, the students use color to effectively communicate conceptual and observational problems. Assignments focus on the creative use of color to express specific communication objectives to a range of audiences. Students outside the Biomedical Art major are required to work with subjects appropriate to their major field of study (i.e., illustration, narrative, etc.) for concept development and for long-term portfolio objectives.
Biomedical Art -- Education Media Installation (BMA306B)
This Educational Media Installation class serves as an introduction to and the exploration of media installation and exhibition design techniques; including how physical media, and virtual interactive and linear media can be applied to educational and informational settings including museums, cultural institutions and public education access points. Lectures will cover concepts and presentations of the history of educational display, museum arts, and how traditional media intersects with contemporary digital media, to inform and educate specific audiences at public institutions of culture/knowledge. Coursework will be hands-on practice of techniques and concepts presented in lecture, discussion of readings, and critique of student projects. This class will involve ideation and proposal development, as well as producing one to two educational media installations in collaboration with the curators and staff at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, The Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The course will also incorporate field trips and guest lecturers to supplement the knowledge gained from studio practice. Projects will involve working with diverse materials, media, and electronic media. Digital programs used in this course could include (but are not limited to) the following: Adobe Photoshop, Premiere, Flash, Autodesk Maya and 3D Studio Max, Abelton Live, and other peripheral software packages to create comprehensive installations that utilize images, text, and sound design.
Biomedical Art -- 3D Modeling (BMA345)
This course is designed to cover concepts as an introductory course to digital 3D organic and inorganic model construction, whereby the virtual models designed are rendered and composited for 2D illustration purposes to solve specific conceptual problems. This course explores introductory modeling of forms, which provides visual support for Biomedical Art major content and broader topics related to narrative and concept design within the Integrated Media Environment. Assignments focus on concepts and methods for modeling organic/inorganic forms and support the exploration of concepts of virtual modeling as a tool for fine art and applied illustration. The subject matter within the Biomedical Art's curriculum reflects the subject matter of natural science, medicine, and biotechnology/device modeling and illustration. Students outside the Biomedical Art major will be required to work with subjects appropriate to their major field of study as applied to the concepts and techniques presented in the course (i.e., editorial illustration, narrative, etc.). This course is available to third and fourth year students outside the major and fourth year students within the Biomedical Art major of study.
Courses Offered During Spring Semester
Anatomy for the Artist (MED253.00)
Required for second year transition students and third year Biomedical Art majors who have not yet completed the course. This course reflects a multi-disciplinary approach to human anatomy and figure drawing. Study in this area is designed to provide the student with a good grasp of human anatomy, its functional components and biomechanical structure. This course will provide the student the opportunity to interpret that knowledge working directly from the model and human cadaver from CWRU Anatomy Department. This course will jointly be conducted at CIA and at the dissection labs at CWRU; we will draw and observe the cadavers being dissected by the Case Medical students. The Anatomy for the Artist course will follow the schedule of the dissection process and the assignments will allow the student to observe the anatomy layers as the medical students move forward. This rare opportunity will provide students an exploration of muscular-skeletal anatomy in its direct application within the creative environment. Presentation of important anatomical landmarks will strengthen the student’s drawing skills of the figure and provide a greater foundation in observational drawing and accuracy. Various media will be used throughout the duration of the course in order to investigate and explore the body’s extrinsic and intrinsic structural components. Limit: 15.
Biomedical Art Methods II (MED354.00)
Required for third year Biomedical Art majors. This course is open to all majors and non-majors. This course is available for Sophomore, Junior and/or Senior level elective credit, and a required course for third year Biomedical Art Majors. This course serves as a continuation of the first iteration of Biomedical Art Methods I (353). In this section, the student will focus on more human & anatomical based concepts and subject matter, dealing specifically with body systems investigation, and simple narrative concepts associated with body processes. Utilizing anatomical dissections at CWRU, the student will continue to develop keen observational skills which will allow for an effective translation and interpretation of those skills into visual images. The work produced in the course will convey structural integrity informed by anatomical accuracy. Continued work in monochromatic media: graphite, digital ink and Adobe Photoshop / Adobe Illustrator. The integration of traditional and digital media will be used in unique ways to explore the boundaries of medium and convention in modern production. When applicable, project-based learning and client partnerships will continue to be incorporated for specific assignments and exercises. The overall course will be focused on developing renderings that express accurate anatomical structure with a successful integration of line, value, and texture to describe form and process.
Biomedical Art Graphics (MED303.00)
Required for 3rd Year Biomed Majors. This course serves as an introduction to biomedical graphic instructional design and production. The course will utilize Adobe Illustrator to create vector based instructional illustrations and design elements (text and image) within a context for specific audiences. Emphasis will be on illustration combined with design principles, typography, and composition resulting in pre-press and print ready media. The use of Adobe In-Design to create layout for instructional and sequential page graphics will be utilized in the process of production.
Medical Sculpture (MED356.00)
Required for second year transition students and third year Biomedical Art majors. This course is an introduction to Medical Sculpture which brings materials developed in dentistry and medicine to the sculpture lab. Materials such as alginate used in body casting, silicone molding materials, polyurethanes, and clear casting materials will be demonstrated and used in projects completed in this course. The course will utilize the Cleveland Museum of Natural History specimens and visits to inform the subjects of the sculpture process. Experimentation and integration of sculpture methods to produce natural science and medical models will be explored. The course is open to all majors and non-majors as an elective; No previous experience necessary.
Instructional Media & Motion (MED403.00)
This course is open to all majors and Non-majors. This course is available for Sophomore, Junior and/or Senior level elective credit, and a required course for third year Biomedical Art majors. This course serves as a platform to investigate and discover human and natural science 3D animation to educate and instruct the viewer. The student will use concepts in the body, medicine and/or natural science through the medium of 3D Studio Max and After Effects. Within the course, strong conceptual skills are emphasized and developed through professional production techniques and time-based media. The foundation of the narrative process and storytelling within the scope of the body and the natural environment will be explored and critiqued. The principles of 3D space and motion will be used as a tool for understanding accurate human and object based animation. The idea of body mechanics and object property accuracy/integrity will be taught in 3D to communicate visual stories of human, animal, and natural science education. This course is designed to benefit all majors who have had a prior course in 3D modeling.
Surgical Illustration & Media (MED452.00)
Required for fourth year Biomedical Art
majors. Surgical Illustration and Media is a fourth year course focused on the processes and conventions utilized in human and veterinary surgery; and the application of these conventions to communicate effectively to specific audiences. The student is given the opportunity and encouraged to view procedures from a wide variety of surgical specialties. This rare opportunity to have access to procedures will allow the student to continue to develop their observational drawing skills, their ideation and quick sketch methods, and foster translation into integrated media and technologies. This course is designed to produce clear and effective visual communications of the chosen surgical concept or narrative. All surgical procedures viewed are documented in a sketchbook, and concepts will be integrated in different media formats (including traditional, digital and animation.) This course will concentrate on developing a level of appreciation and comfort while witnessing the OR environment and procedures. It will focus on the standards of the practice and processes utilized in surgical educational media. Working with these conventions the student will learn to communicate effectively to specific audiences. The emphasis will be on exploring concepts related to instructional and educational media through the framework of the hospital and health education platforms. Pre-requisites of Biology and Anatomy and Physiology or with permission from the instructor.
Advanced Problems in Biomedical Art II (MED454.00)
Required for fourth year Biomedical Art majors. This course serves as the second iteration of Advanced Problems in Biomedical Art. The focus will be on advanced concepts and subject matter dealing specifically with medical, natural science subjects. The goal will be to use research, observation and visualization skills through diverse digital media in 2D & 3D. Utilizing resources at CWRU, University Circle and The Cleveland Clinic, the student will further develop keen observational skills, balanced with stylization which will allow for an effective translation and interpretation of those skills into visual images which communicate a specific story. The rendering concepts learned will provide a solid foundation for subsequent semesters and be integrated further into the broader scope of Biomedical Art. Students will be exposed to industry specific areas within Biomedical Art, including Medical/Legal Art, Editorial, Print Publications, Journals, Patient Education, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology areas etc., when appropriate, project-based learning and client relationships will be incorporated for specific assignments and exercises. Business and professional practices, presentation and communication will be further incorporated into project production. Research and study will be strongly integrated into the course throughout the duration. The rendering concepts learned will provide a solid foundation for subsequent semesters and be integrated further into the broader scope of biomedical art.
Almon, Amanda - Department Head
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Halasz, Elizabeth - Adjunct Faculty
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Nowacki, Thomas - Assistant Professor
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Papalardo, Ross - Adjunct Faculty
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Schumick, David - Lecturer
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Gertrude Hornung Award for Excellence in Medical Illustration
Awarded for excellence to current 2nd or 3rd year students majoring in Biomedical Art.
Total Amount of Award in 2009: $180, shared by 1 or 2 winner(s) Award is based on Merit. Merit is criteria in all awards. Need-based awards are based on FAFSA form and the federal methodology.
Download Institute Wide (Open) Awards
Download Award Recipient Information Sheet