Art and Art History Department

Program Image

Department Mission:

Dedicated to a liberal arts education, the Department of Art and Art History strives to acquaint students with the integrated presence of the visual in all cultures, past and present. Through a curriculum designed to establish a foundation for the creation, analysis, and critical evaluation of art, students discover that visual form represents an effective avenue for expression and interpretation. A combination of methodological approaches to the production and/or the historical study of artistic work promotes visual literacy by emphasizing the ability to illuminate the process of art-making through practice and written or oral discourse. Students who recognize how art can shape, enhance, and explain their worlds will be meaningful contributors to the increasingly visual culture of the human community.

The Art and Art History Department offers a bachelor of arts degree with concentrations in studio art , art history and new media design. Studio art majors can specialize in Ceramics, Fiber Arts, Painting, Print Media and Sculpture.

Art and art history courses at SUNY Cortland encourage students to see the relationship of the visual arts to contemporary society through the discovery of art as an avenue of communication and expression. This relationship is also studied historically through the critical study of art as a significant medium for the production and dissemination of cultural values.

The department's facilities and resources are exceptional. Renovated sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, and two dimensional design studios in Old Main complement the excellent printmaking, weaving, and fabric design studios with computer labs in the Dowd Fine Arts Center. The Slide Library, with more than 125,000 slides, a reference library, and a periodical section, and the Dowd Fine Arts Gallery, with its exhibitions, lectures, and visiting artists programs, provide extensive support for the art and art history curriculum.

The Art and Art History Department has been named a New Media Center. Institutions who have received the designation of New Media Center are outstanding innovators, committed to pushing the boundaries of teaching, learning and creative expression, and adept in the application of technology. Since its founding in 1993, only the most worthy institutions have been granted this designation, which denotes an organization deeply committed to quality, excellence in teaching and/or research, and innovation. Members include colleges, museums, universities, and not-for-profit organizations. www.nmc.org

Internships for students are arranged to provide students with out-of-classroom learning experiences and opportunities. The Semester in New York Apprenticeship Program is another off-campus experience that allows juniors and seniors to work with established New York City artists and to become acquainted with the New York art world.

Moreover, the department encourages students to study abroad for a semester or year. Besides the department's arrangements with St. Martin¹s in England, numerous other study abroad programs may be selected.

Excursions to art centers are ongoing. In the past, these have included a five-day trip to New York City, and a long weekend in Ottawa, plus visits to outstanding, closer resources such as the Albright Knox Museum in Buffalo and the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute in Utica.