ÌÀ²»ÈÈÊÓƵ

Skip to main content
 

School of Visual Arts

Get ready to shape your future at the School of Visual Arts at ÌÀ²»ÈÈÊÓƵ, where we embrace both innovation and artistic tradition. Our programs empower artists, illustrators, and photographers to develop their unique visions while collaborating closely with art historians exploring modern and contemporary art. From mastering traditional techniques to integrating AI in art creation, our curriculum encourages exploration and growth. You'll have access to a diverse range of curated spaces and galleries, fostering opportunities to showcase your work and engage with a vibrant creative community.

Undergraduate Programs

Minors

  • Art History
    In the Art History minor, you'll cover the core art history surveys and take courses on modern and contemporary art, non-Western art, and art theory and criticism. Through research and presentations, you'll gain preparation for graduate study or a career in museums, galleries, art criticism, or cultural agencies. Learn More...
  • Craft
    The Craft Minor is intended to support a variety of students who seek to develop technical skill proficiency and material knowledge that will creatively inform or strategically complement their personal educational journeys and career aspirations. Students complete a 6-credit common experience of a Craft Culture and History course and three foundational classes introducing ideation sketching, and traditional and contemporary crafts of making. Students also complete 12 credits of electives from lower-and mid-division courses. Structured with inclusivity, accessibility, and flexibility in mind, this minor accommodates both those who wish to explore Craft more generally (by taking courses in a variety of media) and those who desire a more focused course of study of a particular tradition. Further, it supports those invested in advanced, project-based explorations of contemporary Craft practice. Learn More...
  • Fine Arts
    The Fine Arts minor is designed for students from any major who want a studio art experience. You'll learn how to conceptualize and execute fine arts projects using different materials and a variety of skills. This flexible minor allows you to explore a number of different methods and topics. Or, you can focus on a particular medium if you want to develop advanced art practice. Learn More...
  • Illustration
    The Illustration minor offers students an opportunity to develop drawing and visual storytelling skills using materials and techniques in both traditional and digital media (as well as a hybrid of the two). These illustration skills will expand students' communication abilities and professional possibilities. In required core courses, students will study the basics of drawing, as well as figure drawing, concept art, and the history and studio practice of illustration. Students also choose two electives, allowing them to explore and support their individual career interests. Learn More...
  • Photography
    A minor in Photography will boost your skills in visual communication and give you the tools and language you’ll need to collaborate across mediums as a designer, artist, filmmaker, journalist, performer, or entrepreneur. Focus your minor studies on a few key foundations courses, and add electives that will help you gain the specific skills you’ll need to feel comfortable behind a camera, in production, and as an editor. Learn More...
VIEW ALL MINORS
faculty member and student reviewing photos on digital camera
Faculty

Visual Arts faculty are accomplished professionals, including Pulitzer Prize and Guggenheim Fellowship winners, who bridge the gap between classroom and career.

students working in visual arts lab space
Facilities

The School of Visual Arts offers top-notch facilities designed to help students explore their ideas, work on projects and collaborate with each other.

artwork on wall in gallery
Galleries & Museums

Our galleries and museums provide diverse perspectives on art, design, media and culture, serving local, national and international audiences.

students working in office of columbia chronicle newspaper
Publications

Visual Arts students contribute to professional-quality publications of all kinds, gaining invaluable, real-world media experience.

students celebrating at commencement
Alumni

Visual Arts alumni are artists, illustrators, and photographers featured at venues like the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Whitney Museum.

bright yellow art exhibit with many long strips of hanging paper
Student Work

At Columbia’s School of Visual Arts, our students grow as artists as they develop their skills in illustration, painting, digital art, photography, and more.

News

Upcoming Events

  • Join acclaimed scholar, curator, and writer Leigh Raiford for an Art Now! Lecture presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Photography. Raiford, Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, researches and writes about Black visual culture, photography, and world-making. Author of Imprisoned in a Luminous Glare: Photography......
  • Columbia is hosting a party after the citywide Arts in the Dark parade! This free event is open to all ages and people from both inside and outside the college. Come see experimental video games, a haunted house, a speed painting battle, and more!...
  • Join award-winning illustrator, graphic novelist, and educator Nathan Fox for an Art Now! Lecture at ÌÀ²»ÈÈÊÓƵ. Founder and Chair of the MFA Visual Narrative program and RisoLAB at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Fox is known for his dynamic illustration, character design, and sequential storytelling. His work has been...
×
×
×