About Us!
The Department of Fine Arts welcomes students to experience art through scholarship and as a process of creation. By uniting intellectual inquiry with artist excellence, we affirm the importance of a broad education and prepare our students for creative participation in a changing society. Founded in 1951 by social realist painter, Mitchell Siporin, the Department of Fine Arts features a distinguished faculty of acclaimed artists and accomplished art historians. Though the department consists of two separate majors and three minors, the curriculum overlaps as we aim to imbue studio artists and architects with a rich historical context and grant art historians hands-on exposure to the practice. There are also many opportunities for learning experiences outside of the classroom in the form of visiting artist talks and museum trips.
Learn about our majors and minors
Interested in taking a Fine Arts course?
All studio art courses are either straight to waitlist or by permission only. This allows us to prioritize our majors and minors. We recommend declaring a Fine Arts major or minor as soon as possible to help with registration. If you'd like to take a studio art course, we recommend registering for the waitlist as early as possible. Do not wait till second semester senior year to take a studio course as you might not get in! Note that FA3a Introduction to Drawing I, FA4a Sculpture Foundation: 3-D Design I, and FA16a Sculpture: Object in Clay typically have the longest waitlists. We recommend registering for the waitlist of at least two studio courses if you're interested in one of these three courses. This way, even if you do not get into your first choice, you will still have an opportunity to take a studio art course!
For art history courses, some courses do not have a cap while others do. For those that do have a cap, we recommend registering as soon as you can so you can get a spot! Survey courses are a great place to start if you're looking for an introduction into the subject of art history.
Meet our Undergraduate Advising Heads
Expertise: Digital media
Expertise: 20th-century and contemporary art
Expertise: Modern and contemporary architecture, critical urbanism, urban movements
Meet our Undergraduate Department Representatives
Hi! My name is Ella, and I am so excited to be a Fine Arts UDR. I am majoring in art history and minoring in English. I am passionate about museums, curatorial work, and art of all kinds, especially painting, poetry, and film. I have a particular passion for 20th-century art, and some of my favorite artists include Hilma af Klint, Robert Rauschenberg, Eva Hesse, Lenore Tawney, and Édouard Manet. Beyond being a UDR, I am a curatorial intern at the Rose Art Museum and a member of WBRS, the student radio station. Please feel free to reach out with any questions!