The Art Department

New: ART DEPARTMENT CLASS WAITLIST FORM


Departmental Mission

The Art Department’s programs are designed to develop a broad intellectual grounding in the traditions of the visual arts through an understanding of Studio Art practice and Art History, coupled with knowledge from other disciplines. Students learn to discriminate between the processes of production, interpretation, and evaluation, and to think creatively about all aspects of artistic problem solving. Through the examination and creation of original works of Art, students learn to contextualize artworks, and understand the relationships between praxis, theory, and history.

Prune After Bloom exhibition, Fall 2021


Studio Art (major and minor)

The Studio Art program prepares students to become practicing artists with a particular emphasis on critically engaging with their medium, while addressing urgent cultural issues through their making. The Studio Art major is a BA program that allows students to fully immerse themselves in Allegheny’s liberal arts tradition toward bringing the knowledge gained across disciplines into their creative practice. The Studio Art program offers concentrations in ceramics, painting, photography, painting, and sculpture.

Art, Science, & Innovation (major and minor)

Art, Science, and Innovation is an interdisciplinary major that prepares students to become cultural innovators and critical makers prepared to produce works of visual art that can transcend disciplinary boundaries and promote greater cultural and technological awareness, while creatively contributing to STEM fields. Students work at the intersections of art, science, culture, and technology to develop the technical skills and critical capacities required to lead, create and innovate in their artistic practice and in any number of commercial applications.

Industrial Design (major)

Industrial Design refers to a process whereby objects are designed and fabricated through a liberal arts lens that integrates an understanding of design and history, sustainable fabrication, and cultural context. Industrial Design emphasizes the need for well-considered objects that represent the current and near-future cultural moment. The Industrial Design program prepares students to design objects that reflect the conditions of contemporary cultural life, while critically exploring speculative design futures in response to emerging cultural conditions. ID cannot be combined with majors or minors in Studio Art or Art, Science & Innovation.

Double and self-designed majors encouraged.

Installation by Keith Allyn Spencer from Challenging Borders exhibition, 2019