About the School
The School of Art at Illinois State University provides a professional and academic education for students desiring careers in the visual arts. Our students benefit from our highly accomplished and diverse faculty who teach a broad range of courses that represent a broad array of media and disciplines.
- Majors
- Minors
- Graduate
- Studios
- Visiting Artists
Art - Bachelor of Fine Arts
The bachelor of fine arts program is a highly selective program oriented toward advanced professional study in the studio arts.
Art - Graphic Design
Study in the graphic design program develops an understanding of perceptual theory, typography, layout, and illustration.
Art History
The study of art history examines specific works of sculpture, painting, architecture, and other art forms, both as expressions of human creativity and as uniquely informative historical documents.
Art - Studio Arts
Our studio arts faculty teach a broad range of courses in well-equipped studios which provide students with the facilities and materials they need to best discover one's own personal vision and expressive potential.
Art Teacher Education
Art education majors experience a breadth and depth of theory and practice. They acquire a sound knowledge and idea base while developing skills for teaching.
Art History
The art history sequence provides students a solid grounding in the history of art on both introductory and advanced levels.
Art - Master of Fine Arts
The school offers full tuition waivers and graduate assistantships for candidates in the MFA program and has approximately twenty-five students working in the multi-disciplinary program.
Art Teacher Education
The art education program emphasizes both theory and practice. Degree candidates will be expected to demonstrate knowledge in curriculum and current practices in the field.
Art - Visual Culture
The M.A. in Visual Culture offers graduate students the opportunity for critical study and analysis of artistic and cultural production throughout history.
Ceramics
The ceramics program offers a diverse approach to the materials and processes involved in the production of ceramic art.
Drawing
The drawing program promotes students' aesthetic and personal development as well as critical and historical understanding of drawing within the visual arts and our culture.
Expanded Media
Expanded Media courses focus on the creation, installation, and critique of studio artworks using a range of computer technologies and digital fabrication tools.
Glass
Glass coursework involves committing to the development of a clear personal vision in a wide range of material manipulation techniques including glassblowing, flame working, and more.
Painting
The painting program fosters a broad range of approaches to media and ideas. Students learn the principles and practices of painting as a discipline of visual inquiry.
Photography
The photography program emphasizes the development of technical and conceptual skills, the shaping of a personal esthetic and a solid grounding in contemporary critical theory.
Printmaking
The printmaking program is made up of three parts: intaglio, lithography, and Normal Editions Workshop, each with its own faculty/staff and space.
Sculpture
The sculpture program fosters a spirit of experimentation and encourages both strong technical skills and critical thinking.
Video
Classes in video emphasize creative thinking in a time-based medium. We place primary importance on aesthetic and emphasize a historical understanding of the medium's place within our culture.
Wood & Metals
Wood-Metal Design is primarily concerned with the hand-built piece that maintains the relationship to materials and techniques that are essential to human expression in this discipline.
Visiting Artist Program
Illinois State University’s Visiting Artist program was founded in 1996 to bring diverse artistic practices and fresh voices to the School of Art. Visiting Artists contribute to the dialogue of our students and faculty, and present lectures that are free and open to the public.
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Art News
Redbird alumna crowned Miss Illinois
Illinois State alumna Ariel Beverly ’17 feels like she is living a real-life Cinderella story of sorts now that she has been crowned Miss Illinois and has qualified for the 2020 Miss America pageant.