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 dedicated to supporting our students to flourish as skilled artists, designers, filmmakers, scholars, educators, entrepreneurs, and dynamic creatives across diverse fields. Our students use their technical and conceptual foundation, interdisciplinary methods, and engagement with emerging technologies to innovate in their disciplines and become civic-minded citizens, leaders, and difference-makers in their communities, the region, and beyond.
In the pursuit of our mission, we are committed to the following goals:
- Cultivating an environment that is diverse, inclusive, and student-centered; that inspires artistic achievement, academic excellence, and personal growth.
- Educating students to think critically, work creatively, communicate effectively, and demonstrate technological and visual literacy.
- Supporting a faculty of distinguished artists, scholars, and educators who inspire students to achieve their full potential.
- Enriching the cultural life of the University by providing exhibitions, lectures, and other arts events.
- Engaging Marshall University faculty, staff, and students through campus and community outreach.
- Collaborating with arts organizations and agencies to support the arts and cultural life of the community and region.
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.
