Edmonds Community College will be offering four new Associate of Arts degrees in visual srts this fall — graphic design, studio art, photography and architecture.

“As opposed to a general Associate of Arts degree, these specialized planning sheets will make it easier for visual arts students to select classes to best prepare portfolios and applications to four-year art schools and programs across the country,” said Visual Arts Co-Chair Sarah Maki. “And they are recognized by financial aid, so students may still receive funding for taking the additional art courses listed within each degree.”

Visual arts classes are held in recently renovated Meadowdale Hall, the college’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building. The building has a large lecture hall for art appreciation and art history courses; studios for painting, design, sculpture, pottery, drawing and jewelry classes; both a wet lab and digital imaging lab for photography; and a new computer lab for visual communications classes.

“Meadowdale Hall is place for everyone to explore their talents, develop techniques, and collaborate to do their best work,” Maki said. “Students are encouraged to take advantage of numerous opportunities to gain knowledge and information concerning art outside the classroom through field trips, visiting artists, open labs, and art clubs. Professional training is also provided through an annual student art show; Between the Lines, our award-winning art and literary publication; and portfolio development,” Maki said.

Graduates of the college who have focused on art have gone on to schools including the University of Washington, Western Washington University, Cornish College of the Arts, Evergreen State College, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Savannah College of Art and Design, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and the Rhode Island School of Design, the college said.

This fall, the college art gallery will feature the work of alumna Audineh Asaf. Her exhibit, “Embodied Motifs,” features black and white photography exploring the artist’s identity as an Iranian American and the representation of the female body in both cultures. It shows Sept. 24-Dec. 14 in the gallery.

Asaf is an interdisciplinary artist whose work includes printmaking, collage, and photography. She earned her Associate of Arts at Edmonds Community College in 2006 and bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington in 2007. “Embodied Motifs” is her Master of Fine Arts culminating project for Goddard College. She teaches part-time for the college’s Visual Arts department.

An art reception for the exhibit will be 4:30-6:30 p.m., Fri, Oct. 19, in the Art Gallery, in Lynnwood Hall.

Fall quarter registration is now open at Edmonds Community College. Classes start Sept. 24 and the quarter ends Dec. 13. To learn more, call 425-640-1459, email info@edcc.edu, or go to www.edcc.edu/getstarted.