Art historians are passionate about art. Our art history program allows you to delve into the study of a wide variety of art forms across the ages and around the world. You’ll find yourself diving into art from an array of periods (such as German Expressionism and Russian Avant Garde) and styles (such as transgressive art and comics/graphic novels). You’ll be exposed to the creation of art through a studio class, you’ll have the chance to learn about the legal issues surrounding art, and you’ll learn about museums and how they operate and their collections management practices.
One of the gems of Stetson University, especially for art historians, is the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center, home to Stetson’s significant collection of works by post-modernist Oscar Bluemner. In addition to two significant Bluemner shows every academic year, the Hand Art Center presents exhibits ranging from installation work to folk art to contemporary art, as well as exhibits by our faculty and students. As an art history student you will have access to the behind-the-scenes operation of the Hand Art Center including the care and curation of works in the University’s permanent art collection and Bluemner collection.
The art history major is one path through the Art Program, which is housed in the Creative Arts Department. Creative Arts brings together creatively-minded students and faculty from across Stetson’s array of disciplines to enrich the artistic community on campus. Stetson offers a rich and varied program of visiting artists, lectures, and exhibitions that will broaden our student’s exposure to contemporary art and artists. The Hand Art Center houses Stetson’s renowned Oscar Bluemner Collection of over 1,000 drawings and paintings from this early American modernist. Hand Art Center also provides first-hand access to work by contemporary artists and features student work during the annual juried art competition and senior thesis exhibitions.
The Art Program and Creative Arts Department are housed in the College of Arts and Sciences. This means our art students have the benefit of liberal learning. Art majors gain the strengths of critical thinking, effective communication skills, and learning how to learn (the hallmarks of a liberal arts education). Exposure to the curricular offerings across the College helps art students explore the world around them, providing inspiration and context in which to frame their artistic expression. In addition to building the skills and portfolio necessary to purse graduate study should they wish, the liberal arts curriculum at Stetson and the ability to tap into courses through Stetson’s School of Business Administration set our students up for success after graduation with skills highly valued by employers and invaluable to self-employed artists.
Read more about requirements for the Art major, Studio Art minor, Art History minor, and available courses in the University Catalog.
