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Art is where history, psychology, religion, politics and culture converge.

A major in visual art prepares you for a career in the contemporary art field through an interdisciplinary approach to learning. Building on the benefits of a diverse liberal arts education, you will gain an in-depth study of aesthetic principles, art history and theory, and hands-on studio experiences in drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, design, digital practices and printmaking.

Over the course of your undergraduate education, you will achieve artistic goals through four main approaches to visual problem solving: observation, experimentation, evaluation and innovation.

As such, you spend your freshman and sophomore years gaining basic skills and techniques in a variety of mediums through direct observation and experimentation while studying art history, art theory and philosophy in order to gain a better contextual and conceptual understanding of their practice.

As a junior and senior, you focus on refining experiments through a process of evaluation and innovation in order to create a cohesive visual art portfolio which reflects on a contemporary issue based on your individualized interests using the medium or media of your choice. 

The program offers one-on-one instruction with excellent faculty who are professionals in their field. Our instructors exhibit their works regionally, nationally and internationally. With your student peers, you will practice the art of critique and in art history classes, you will learn from great masters.

This extensive and rigorous program helps you to define and refine your skills as an innovative professional artist as you begin to realize your artistic vision and are prepared to share and further that vision throughout your career.

What you learn will go beyond the classroom with internships through local and regional businesses and non-profit organizations, plus opportunities to study abroad.

Learning Outside the Classroom

Learning in the visual art program spills over beyond the classroom. By its very nature as a discipline, the study of art requires continual integration of and exchange between the traditional classroom and the community. 

You will have the opportunity to explore galleries and museums in North Carolina to gain a better understanding of contemporary art and art history. 

In addition, you will regularly participate in community based service learning opportunities both on- and off-campus. As a visual art major, you;; also have the opportunity to showcase your work in a variety of different venues during their time at Â鶹¹ÙÍø.  All Visual Art majors exhibit their portfolio in a senior exhibition and are required to complete an internship in order to gain practical experience in the field.

Internships & Careers

The visual arts program prepares graduates both for professional careers in the arts and graduate programs in fine arts.

Many careers benefit from the close observational and critical skills essential to the art discipline. Equally valuable is the creativity that the art graduate brings to their professional circumstances, in whatever career path is chosen. More specifically, a visual art major prepares you for professions such as art education, museum and gallery field positions, historical conservation, design careers, studio assistantships and as an exhibiting artist.