Vision

The School of Art is founded on the premise that art both reflects and inspires a creative society, improving the human condition while describing the world, both as it is and could be.  We focus on the role of artists in that conversation.  We encourage students to see art both as individual expression and public interaction.  We celebrate historical reference, current relevance, experimentation –emphasizing innovative ways of thinking that enhance the impact of art on the future of society.

Embedded in a major Research I university rich in learning resources, the School of Art plays a vital role in the creative climate of the institution and the region through the cross-disciplinary research it facilitates and the artwork it produces and exhibits. The School’s state-of-the-art facilities engage an exceptional faculty of practicing artists, an active visiting artist program, and a diverse and intellectually curious graduate and undergraduate student body. Artistic skills and principles of creative practice in all visual media are grounded in a forward-thinking, adaptive curriculum. Faculty and students forge cross-disciplinary experimentation, challenging conventional thinking and blurring lines between traditional artistic disciplines, indeed, between the arts and the other humanities and sciences.

The School of Art educates artists and creative professionals to be responsible contributors to society, preparing them to be agents of change in an increasingly connected, complex, inclusive world.  We highly value rigor in conceptual approach, skill in art production, and imaginative methods for implementing projects and engaging audiences.  Each student is given a background in aesthetic and analytical judgment, the ethical framework for professional practice, the confidence to be both self-reliant and collaborative, and the mastery of design and production necessary to thrive as a professional artist in a competitive global environment.