The Department of Art, Art History, and Design is dedicated to the creation and historical study of the visual arts through its undergraduate and graduate degree programs in studio art, art education, art history, and apparel and textile design.

Students are encouraged to develop aesthetic and conceptual awareness, perceptual and creative problem–solving skills, and informed judgment in a learning environment that values the development of personal vision, critical inquiry, and philosophical reflection.

In studio art students explore and create using the language of two– and three–dimensional form, space, and time in various media and technologies including ceramics, drawing, electronic art and intermedia, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. In art history and visual culture, students study the history of contemporary and traditional art forms across a range of cultures. In art education, students prepare to become visual–arts teachers by engaging in studio production and studying aesthetics, theory, and art history. The apparel and textile design program focuses creative design that reflects an innovative and holistic approach to analysis and integration of knowledge.

The Department of Art, Art History, and Design sponsors rotating student exhibitions in Gallery 101 and Gallery 114, a diverse group of visiting artist and scholar lectures, and art events during the fall and spring semesters. Annually, the department features student research in undergraduate art exhibitions, an Art History Symposium, and a fashion show highlighting the designs of Apparel and Textile Design students. The Master of Fine Arts Exhibition is also held annually in the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. All students are welcome to view exhibitions, attend lecture series, participate in numerous student clubs, and join in art activities offered by the department.