Our interdisciplinary curriculum includes traditional and online courses that are rigorous and relevant, with small class sizes to support the development of each student’s creative voice. Art & Design faculty, celebrated for their individual accomplishments, are committed to teaching excellence and maintaining high standards in an engaging, supportive environment.
Together, the School of Art & Design with the School of Music, School of Theatre, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and the College of Arts and Media, play an integral role on campus and in the community.
“The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of mind–computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch numbers. But the keys to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind—creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people—artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers–will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”
— Daniel H. Pink
A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
School of Art & Design Mission Statement
The School of Art & Design is committed to cultivating a welcoming community for students, staff, and faculty from all backgrounds. We draw on the particular histories of the tri-state region in our creative, scholarly, and pedagogical work. The land of the Ohio River Valley has belonged to numerous Indigenous groups, including the Fort Ancient culture, whose earthwork mounds are found at Green Bottom and other regional sites, and later the Shawnee, Mingo, and Osage peoples.
In the School of Art 
& Design, we are inspired by our region’s history of diverse workers migrating for the railroad, mining, and manufacturing industries, and by the rich heritage of labor struggle. We simultaneously recognize Appalachia’s strong traditions of place-making, especially via the folk craft traditions of the region. We seek to be a part of the increasing awareness of the presence and contributions of all peoples in Appalachia.
Art is a crucial site of interrogation, reflection, and experimentation, and we embrace scholarship that sheds light on and counters how visual art has sometimes reinforced inequality. We recognize that art history and art institutions have historically overlooked the contributions of artists from underrepresented groups and minorities; we teach the creative work of these artists while drawing on a diverse set of contemporary art frameworks. We want all of our students to see themselves represented in artwork and also be exposed to art and ideas from a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints.
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