Visual literacy is essential for informed participation and innovation within local and global cultures.
Oxy’s Art & Art History department combines two disciplines, with majors choosing an emphasis in either Studio Art or Art History. Taking full advantage of Oxy’s Los Angeles location, the program draws on the diversity and richness of the city’s world-class art museums, galleries and research archives. The curriculum integrates field trips, community-based learning, site-specific projects and collaboration with artists and local arts organizations.
You’ll have opportunities for close interaction with department faculty, all actively exhibiting, publishing and/or curating professionals. Faculty can help you pursue grants for ambitious projects, international research and internships with dynamic arts institutions. Through Wanlass Artist in Residence, a semester-long residency program, you can collaborate with a professional artist on campus. Through a special partnership, you can take courses at Pasadena’s nationally-ranked Art Center College of Design. You can further enrich your academic experience by studying abroad in cities like Paris, Rome, and Athens or countries like New Zealand and Indonesia.
The department’s curriculum prepares you to for careers in art and art history as well as other professional work in a broad range of visually and culturally oriented fields. Majors regularly attend graduate programs in fine arts, film and media studies, and art history. You might pursue curatorial work or jobs in museums, libraries, archives and other non-profit institutions. Other careers include architecture, design, the tech industry, or work at the intersections of art, medicine and law.
