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Studio Art

Studies in studio arts provide students with a wide gamut of professional fields. We currently live in an increasingly visual world; our department prepares students for the diverse opportunities of today's market. In a rapidly changing world, many former students find that the creative arts remain relevant and can lead to a dynamic and rewarding life. Digital publishing and content is in high demand, public art and installations are making vibrant impacts and improving quality of life in many communities. Our digital media courses and our materials fabrication courses prepare students for such work. 

Students pursuing the studio art track hone various studio skills:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Printmaking
• Photography
• Sculpture
• Ceramics
• Graphic design
• Installation art 

These skills help students explore various mediums while also offering the opportunity to enagage with challenging ideas and critical thinking that will nourish learning even beyond life at the College. 

Art History

Our art history majors are extremely well placed and sought after in the museum studies field. The strength of our liberal arts education coupled with exceptional writing skills and abilities have placed our students in Museums and Art Centers, Publishing, Non-Profit Sector work, and many multidisciplinary job opportunities.  

Art and Art History provide essential skills in critical writing, seeing, and communication that are more important in today's world of virulent imagery than ever before. We train students with a critical eye, equipping them with the ability to read and visually analyze the world around them and make consequential inferences and conclusions. These skills are increasingly sought after in many industries and professions, giving Art and Art History students an edge in increasingly competitive job markets beyond the fine and performing arts.

Our proximity to Chicago grants our students access to world-class museums and art institutions, providing ample opportunity for the in-person research and study of global histories of art and visual culture. Students come into close contact with an expansive array of art and material culture to learn about art and visual culture in the broadest sense, drawing on diverse collections from the Art Institute of Chicago to the Field Museum to the latest trends and exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. At the same time, drawing on the college's own collections, faculty, and visiting artists and scholars, students learn directly from artworks and leading experts in small, intimate class settings, allowing for hands-on learning within the focused collegial setting of the historic Durand Art Institute.

Our students have interned at the following organizations:

• Art Institute of Chicago 
• Chicago Children’s Museum
• Chicago History Museum
• Field Museum of Chicago
• CDW Merchants
• Evanston Arts Center
• Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation
• Illinois Arts Council
• Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
• Mongerson Gallery
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
• Mana Contemporary

Internships open doors to tangible careers. 

We provide access to studio spaces, labs, and other art-centric settings that allow students to put their interests and creativity at the center of their studies. 

• Light-filled studios in historic Durand Art Institute
• State-of-the-art computer lab
• Large format digital printers
• Sonnenschein Gallery professional exhibitions
• Deerpath student art gallery
• Newly renovated curation facilities provide a special study space that allows students a place to view the College’s extensive 1,200-piece art collection

Our studio art faculty are not only passionate teachers, but also successful working artists. Art history professors are experts in their fields, published by the top academic and commercial presses.  We are a department committed to critical thinking and creative problem solving at all levels.

Our faculty's commitment to their art enables them to provide the best education to students. Professors not only teach art, but share their passions for the discipline with students. Faculty expertise in arts writing and criticism ensures currency. Professors in the art department regularly publish in leading venues of contemporary art criticism. 

Students foster close relationships with faculty who are committed to art and education, laying the foundation for networking connections and exciting careers.