Overview
At the University of Rochester, the Department of Art and Art History (AAH) sees art as a generative agent and an active presence within global society. Students with interests in architecture, museum studies, art administration, emergent visual technologies, social justice and activism and histories, theories and applications of material processes will find a home here.
AAH offers undergraduate majors, minors, and clusters in art history, visual studies, and studio art production. We provide students the opportunity to participate in the Art New York internship program in New York City every spring semester as just one way among many to promote leadership in critical practices and cultural production.
The University and the wider community avail themselves of AAH sponsored lectures, conferences, seminars, and exhibitions. Hartnett Gallery in Wilson Commons as well as Frontispace Gallery in the Rush Rhees Library and AsIs Gallery feature engaging exhibitions that range from student work to that of globally recognized artists. Sage Art Center is the studio art facility.
AAH administratively houses the internationally recognized Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies, offering an interdisciplinary PhD degree. These graduate students take seminars, participate in conferences and colloquia, and serve as teaching assistants in many undergraduate courses.
Life After Rochester
Many of our undergraduate alumni go on to graduate school or directly into relevant professions. Recent grads have found lives in arts administration, conservation, commercial art and production, media and graphic design, and education.
Experience Art in New York and Abroad
We offer the Art New York program, where students participate in an internship and take coursework in New York City. This program allows students to get intensive exposure to art history/visual culture and contemporary art-making in New York City's museums, galleries, studios, and cultural institutions.
You can also study abroad during a fall or spring semester in the University's European Arts Internship program, which is open to all majors. In Europe, there are opportunities to work in institutions, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of London, and internships can be arranged in Paris, Brussels, Bonn, and Madrid.
Studio Arts
The studio arts program focuses on the production aspects of visual studies. Our program explores contemporary approaches to art production; it strives to produce technically adept students with an understanding of art's place in culture.
The program is housed in the Sage Art Center, a place where art is produced, analyzed, and exhibited. The center provides access to all the materials, supportive resources, and faculty and staff necessary for a rich studio experience.
Any material or approach is possible. While our introductory-level courses provide a foundation built on more prevalent art media—such as photography, painting, sculpture, video, collage, and drawing—the advanced-level courses make available the experimental and interdisciplinary approaches often used in contemporary art production.
Questions? Check out our studio arts major, minor and FAQ pages or contact one of the studio arts advisors.
Art History
In art history, students study the history of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other art forms from antiquity to the present covering a wide range of traditions and geographical regions across the world.
Our students analyze the work of art itself—understanding its form, why and how we make use of it, its historical context, and mode of production. These analyses can focus on different topics including economic, social, and gender issues; problems of patronage and taste; and questions of exchange, reception, conservation, and restoration.
Art history is an ideal field if you want to acquire a general cultural background, develop analytical and writing skills, and sharpen your critical sensibilities.
Questions? Check out our art history major, minor and FAQ pages or contact the art history advisor.
Undergraduate Advising
Art history: Tingting Xu
Studio arts: Heather Layton