Program Degrees

Overview

The Department of Visual Arts supports the creative, aesthetic and cultural development of students within the university community, and serves the cultural and educational needs of the state. The department is dedicated to preparing its graduates to assume leadership positions in their professional lives while maintaining an inner commitment to the aesthetic standards of their chosen discipline. 

The Visual Arts facility provides 79,000 square feet of space for visual studio art and scholarship. The state of the art building features a visual arts gallery, a large capacity lecture hall, two student galleries and space to accommodate a growing undergraduate program. The facility provides students and  faculty with a safe and environmentally responsible working space featuring the natural light and views of the Snowy and Laramie Range Mountains.  

Visual Arts fosters a unique combination of innovation, tradition, aestheticism and practicality, by providing a professional visual arts education built on a strong University Studies Program (USP) foundation.

 

Mission Statement

The Department of Visual Arts fosters excellence in the visual arts by training undergraduate students to be capable of developing successful careers and intellectual lives. We strive to achieve this broad mission through attention to critical communication in written, oral and visual forms, and by developing the skills of analysis, craft and concept; training the eye, hand, and mind in traditional forms and new media; nurturing creative expression and instilling an appreciation of the role of the arts in dynamic and innovative lives. We work to engage the professional world of visual arts production both locally and globally by providing undergraduate research opportunities through a low student-teacher ratio and one-on-one interaction and collaboration with our research faculty. In all of these endeavors, we practice the ethics of inclusivity in our classrooms and our extra-curricular activities. Through these values, we promote active citizenry and deliberative approaches to the challenges we face as human beings – while affirming the power of art to transform individuals and society. Our primary goal is to help students understand the creative process, to think of themselves as creative artists, scholars and educators and to reinforce the relevancy of the creative arts as a foundational part of a liberal arts degree.

 

Learning Outcomes

The Department of Visual Arts Faculty has identified the following objectives of its undergraduate curriculum. We are actively assessing our students' progress through Department of Visual Arts programs. The following are the learning outcomes we expect to see each student with either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree have proficiency in upon graduation:


  • Students will have demonstrable skills in their area of emphasis. These skills include formal and conceptual applications of foundation principles within their primary media.

  • Students will be well versed in critical theory and able to apply knowledge of current trends in context with their own work.

  • Students will be able to express their ideas both verbally and in writing.

 


  • Students will have a broad understanding of Art History and an ability to apply Art Historical context to their own work.

  • Students will have evidence of their proficiency in visual art by graduation. This will be through final critiques in advanced art studio classes or, in the case of students tracking the BFA, an exhibition of their thesis work, demonstrating thematic consistency and technical skill and an artist statement that addresses the work for review.

 

Majors Link
Minors Link
 
Contact Us

Department of Visual Arts
Visual Arts Building, Room 110

Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Academic Year)

7:30 am - 4:30 pm (Summer)

1000 E. University Ave.

Dept. 3138

Laramie, WY 82070

Phone: (307) 766-3269

Email: faoffice@uwyo.edu

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