Art is a significant avenue through which human beings experience the world. Art is a measure of its times, a mirror, providing reflections of civilization that can be enlightening and insightful; disturbing and ironic; provocative and critical. Art of the past embodies a vital, visual connection with social, political, and cultural history, while contemporary art is a visceral testament to our moment in time. As aesthetic and intellectual disciplines, the studies of art history and studio art have the power to change our perception of the world.

The study of art history, by its nature, is an interdisciplinary endeavor, encompassing diverse areas of the humanities. It draws upon political, economic, social, religious, and intellectual history as well as aspects of the natural sciences. Through emphasis on analysis and scholarly criticism, the art history curriculum provides an excellent foundation in the visual arts of both western and non-western cultures. Critical thinking and writing is a cornerstone of the art history program, with the aim that students acquire a sense of the various methodologies and theoretical issues that characterize the discipline itself.

Studies in art and art history require a high level of critical thinking and intellectual inquiry, as well as social, cultural, aesthetic and ideological exploration. Our goal as a department is to produce articulate, knowledgeable graduates in studio art and art history, whose highly developed communication skills and creative problem solving abilities give them confidence, insight and skills to further their careers. Our majors go on in the field both through further study in graduate school, and in such careers as artists, arts administration in museums and the public sector, art conservation, and in the wide range of careers which value the creative problem solving abilities gained in the study and practice of art.