Experience Art and Art History

Creativity, a passion for hands-on work and a drive to cross boundaries and explore cultures— an Art and Art History major or minor will give you the skills to take these interests to new levels, whether as a form of personal expression or to enrich other fields of study. In an ever-increasing visual world, our Studio and Art History programs provide crucial tools for understanding the power of images, exploring why works of art are made and why art has played such a significant role in cultures and societies throughout history. Our students love their work here and have gone on to prosper in various jobs and graduate programs, whether it be in Art Therapy, museum work or street art.

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Featured course

Jump to level: All Art & Art History courses

by level: 100 • 200 • 300 • 400

ARTH 245 Art of the Global Renaissance
This course presents a dynamic overview of art and architecture produced across cultures from the 14th-17th centuries. By looking at the vibrant, varied and rich array of visual works from different areas of the world, we seek to de-center the traditional Euro-centered definitions of “Renaissance” and incorporate diverse perspectives, techniques, materials, iconographies, social expectations and cultural contexts. We will investigate some of most famous artworks across the globe, from the Sistine Chapel to the Taj Mahal to Machu Picchu.
ARTH 214 Methods in Art History
Students become curators in Art History Methods. Every year, students enrolled in Art History Methods curate an exhibition in Schmucker Art Gallery. They select objects from Gettysburg College’s fine arts collection, write catalogue essays, design, and install the exhibition. Students apply their newly-developed expertise in art-historical methodologies and theories to this engaged hands-on experience in the Gallery. See images from the “Methods of Nature.”
Student publication: Flora and Fauna in East Asian Art
ARTS 267 Special Topics: Intermediate Ceramics on the Wheel
Form innovation using the potter’s wheel is explored in depth. Visual design, aesthetic concept, and refining technique are emphasized within the functional and expressively non-functional form of pots.

Meaningful Pre-professional Student Roles


Art Education

Work as a Gallery Attendant

Student Gallery Attendants have the opportunity to assist with community outreach and programming, including giving tours and facilitating workshops for local school groups and after school programs. They also assist in the installation and de-installation of exhibitions, publicity and social media announcements, and serve as docents. Contact gallery@gettysburg.edu for more information on applying for this position.
Event Coordination

Become a Student Curator

Students enrolled in select art history courses, including “Methods of Art History,” “Art and Public Policy,” and “Wonders of Nature and Artifice: The Renaissance Quest for Knowledge,” have the opportunity to curate exhibitions in Schmucker Art Gallery. Recent exhibitions include The City: Art and the Urban Environment, Wonders of Nature and Artifice, and Flora and Fauna in East Asian Art. Students may also propose individual curatorial projects related to their research interests.
Curatorial Work

Exhibit Your Artwork

Students enrolled in Studio Art courses at Gettysburg College are invited to submit artwork to the annual Juried Student Exhibition. Email gallery@gettysburg.edu for Juried Student Exhibition entry forms or stop by Schmucker Art Gallery. Senior Studio Art Majors present their advanced capstone work in Schmucker Art Gallery each spring under the direction of Gettysburg College studio art faculty. All artists are also welcome to submit work to the Adams County Arts Council Juried Art Exhibition held in partnership with Schmucker Art Gallery each summer.

Art and Art History Department Spotlight


Plains of War
Videos: Art History majors Melissa Casale ’19 and Bailey Harper ’19 curate exhibition
Wonder Cabinet exhibition
Wonders of Nature and Artifice at Schmucker Art Gallery
Noa Leibson
Noa Leibson ’20 on making majors work for your outside-of-school life
David Rampersad '17
VIDEO: Every painting is a conversation, says David Rampersad ’17

Student Opportunities: Be a Part of the Scene


New York Trip - Students in Chelsea GalleryFrom curating shows to exhibiting your own work, we promote dynamic student research and creative activity by engaging the diverse and rich world of artistic expression. Working with objects first-hand is key, with numerous field trips to major museums in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. as well as an extended visit to New York City.


Gallery

Four women stand in front of a museum exhibition titled The Plains of Mars.
Visitor viewing a tall Cycladic-style marble figure in a museum gallery.
Students discuss paintings during a museum tour.
Professor leads a seminar with a portrait of Martin Luther projected behind.
Group standing in a gallery with botanical prints on green walls.
Student presents to an audience with portraits displayed on a screen.
Speaker presents at the Maria Sibylla Merian exhibition.
Visitors photograph carved stone pillars in a museum.
Students review paperwork on an art shipping crate.
Gallery visitors examine framed prints as a guide points out details.

Art & Art History Department Newsletters

Newsletters are in PDF format.

Plains of Mars Schmucker Art Gallery

Schmucker Art Gallery provides students the chance to learn the ropes behind Gallery and Museum work, whether as student workers, part of a class or as curators themselves.

West Gallery Student Show Install West Gallery

West Gallery provides a convenient and flexible exhibition space near the Painting and Drawing Studios, used for works that range from introductory classes to professional artists and where students can also serve as curators.

Art House Art House

Art House is a College House centered around celebrating the arts on campus. Its mission is to promote art programs and establish a stronger artistic community on the Gettysburg College campus as well as local Gettysburg.

Juried Student Exhibition ARTEM

Artem is an art and art history club focused on community interaction with the arts. Artem seeks to connect students to art opportunities on campus and offers a creative space for students to meet.

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