The Visual Arts department educates students in the history of art and the practice of art, teaching these as separate but interrelated disciplines. You gain an appreciation of continuity and change in art by exploring the historical and cultural significance and the aesthetic structure of works of art. Courses, studio work, and other projects develop your aesthetic sensibilities and your understanding of the visual environment in ways that go beyond the routine.
Courses in the history and theory of art investigate our understanding of what constitutes art and examine art in various historical and cultural contexts throughout the world, spanning everything from Neolithic art to modern, postmodern, and avant-garde traditions.
Studio courses in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, photography, and sculpture sharpen your sense of sight, enhance your skills of visual expression, and broaden your creative abilities. Trips to renowned museums in nearby Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., enrich your learning. And the 1,660 square-foot Schmucker Hall Art Gallery provides an ideal exhibition venue for student and professional work.
An art major prepares you for graduate or professional study and for a range of careers in art and related fields. Visual arts graduates have distinguished themselves as professional painters, printmakers, sculptors, and photographers; as graphic designers; as industrial designers; and in a range of other careers.
Department Majors and Minors
Major in Art History
Major in Studio Art
Minor in Art History
Minor in Studio Art
300 North Washington Street · Gettysburg, PA 17325