Art and Design
Are you bursting with creative energy? If you are talented, passionate, and hard-working, you might like to study art, art history, or design. Artists and designers play a pivotal role in shaping the world around us. They create thought-provoking sculptures, enchanting movie sets, and beautiful apparel. Their work appears on CD jackets, in advertisements, and in galleries. Their impact on our environment is immeasurable.
You can prepare for this engaging line of work at one of the nation's top public universities! The University of Minnesota's world-renowned programs in art and design offer you great academics, great opportunities, and a great location.
GREAT ACADEMICS
As a freshman, you'll join our thriving academic community through one of seven freshman-admitting colleges. Each University of Minnesota college contains a wide range of majors. Students interested in art or art history enter the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). Students interested in clothing, graphic, or interior design enter the College of Design (CDes).
Choose from the following undergraduate degree programs:
- Art (CLA)
- Art History (CLA)
- Clothing Design (CDes)
- Graphic Design (CDes)
- Interior Design (CDes)
Combining technical training with a liberal arts education, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Department of Art offers an incredible program. Student artists can focus on painting, ceramics- and glass-work, photography, sculpture, printmaking, electronic arts, and time and interactivity. All courses (averaging 20 students each) are taught by practicing artists.
Art history students gain awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the visual environment from all periods of history. The CLA Department of Art History prepares students for exciting careers at museums, galleries, and more.
The College of Design offers state-of-the art programs and facilities. "[This] is a unique environment. From the administration to the students, everyone places a high priority on individual connections and it makes a difference in everyday life," says Jacque Dvorak, a graphic design student at the University. CDes offers the only four-year accredited interior design program in Minnesota.
Featured Classes
Wondering what college classes are really like? Featured Class gives you the scoop on what's happening in the classrooms and the laboratories of the University of Minnesota. From freshman seminars to honors colloquia, we'll give you an inside look at real college classes being offered at the U of M:
Career and Internship Opportunities
The U of M offers many resources to help art and design students prepare for successful careers. The Career and Community Learning Center and St. Paul Career Center offer job fairs, listings, advising, and workshops for art and design students.
The Designers of Tomorrow
Since 2002, over 500 teens from Minnesota and around the nation have attended the Design Institute's Design Camp at Ralph Rapson Hall. Held in late summer and now in its sixth year, Design Camp gives young students hands-on experience and introduces them to the wide variety of career options available in design fields. Each camper spends the week at one of six different workshops; all the workshops for summer 2007 focus on the theme of "School Design." Options for students include "Extreme School Supplies," "Uniform Variations," and "Rethinking Your Learning Environment." Guest instructors, including some of the world's leading designers, are paired with U of M faculty to teach each workshop. At the end of the week, participants get the chance to present and showcase their designs to fellow campers and faculty at Rapson Hall.
GREAT LOCATION
The Twin Cities metro is home to more than 70 art galleries and museums, including the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which holds more than 100,000 works of art; the internationally known Walker Art Center; the Sculpture Garden, one of the nation's largest urban sculpture parks; and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.
- The West Bank Arts Quarter makes the U of M the nation's only university with all art disciplines in the same district. More than just a geographic location, the West Bank Arts Quarter brings artists from the art, theatre, music, and dance departments together to share knowledge and ideas, talent and inspiration. The result? Synergy. Creativity. Innovation. And more than 250 art events each year.
- Home to the art department, the Regis Center is a new, state-of-the-art facility that contains art studios, a foundry, 23 kilns, a digital lab, a wood and metal shop, exhibition areas for students, and the Katherine E. Nash Gallery.
- The Visual Resources Center in the art history department boasts more than 250,000 slides, ranging from pre-historic to contemporary; 100,000 photo archive plates; and 200 films.
- Right on campus, the Frank Gehry-designed Weisman Art Museum features important pieces by Marsden Hartley, Alfred Maurer, Milton Avery, and U of M alumna Georgia O'Keeffe. The New York Times says the Weisman has "five of the most gorgeous galleries on earth."
- Located on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus is the Goldstein Museum of Design, the only design museum in the Upper Midwest. With four permanent collections: the Costume Collection, the Decorative Arts Collection, the Graphic Design Collection, and the Textile Collection, admission to the Goldstein Museum is always free!
GREAT OPPORTUNITIES
Study Abroad
Dreaming about exploring art and design around the world? To prepare you for life in a global society, the U of M actively encourages studying abroad. Learning or working in a foreign country will build your skills, confidence, and cultural awareness as you enter the working world. Contact the Learning Abroad Center, which offers almost 300 programs in over 60 countries.
- Study printmaking and drawing in Venice; art, archaeology, history and mythology in Greece; or Renaissance architecture, painting and sculpture in Italy.
- Expand your knowledge in clothing design, graphic design, and interior design by taking advantage of great opportunities to study in Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, or Venezuela.
Freshman Seminars
Designed to enhance your first-year experience, Freshman Seminars are an incredible way to begin your academic career. You'll learn about art and design with some of the most distinguished faculty at the University of Minnesota, while getting to know other first-year students who share your interests. During a recent freshman seminar, The Arts in the Twin Cities, students ventured to museums, galleries, and non-profit venues in the Twin Cities to examine the role of artists in society and learn about visual language.
Mentor Program
The mentor-student partnership brings a "real-world" perspective to your academic program. You'll learn from seasoned professionals and experience behind-the-scenes realities of careers in art and design.
Careers art and design students pursue include:
- Archivist
- Art Director
- Art Manager
- Artist
- Cartoonist/Animator
- Creative Director
- Exhibit Designer
- Apparel Designer
- Floral Designer
- Graphic Design Specialist
- Interior Designer
- Museum Curator
- Painter/Illustrator
- Photographer
- Print Production Coordinator
- Videographer
Research Opportunities
Imagine participating in a research program with world-class experts, and getting paid to do it! As a student in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) you'll conduct paid research or pursue special projects beyond your regular courses. For example, you can conduct research on color for an exhibit at the Goldstein Museum of Design. Or you might work with a professor to design and sew specialty clothing. The possibilities are endless!
Campus Involvement
The student community at the U of M thrives on diversity and creativity. Get connected with your classmates when you participate in one of more than 600 registered student organizations.
- Help promote the work of artists on campus through the Arts Quarter Collective. The group sponsors at least one major event each year, and is constantly identifying new places for students to display their work around the Twin Cities.
- Explore graphic design in the Twin Cities through the Graphic Design Association. Attend graphic design career fairs, studio tours and social events to learn about the industry, while making friends and connections in the graphic design community.
Other organizations related to art and design include:
- American Society of Interior Designers, University of Minnesota Chapter
- Stonecutters
- Student Public Art Community Exhibitions (S.P.A.C.E.)
- West Bank Arts Bonanza
Meet us in person!
Like what you see so far? Come meet us in person! There's no better way to learn about the University of Minnesota. As you tour our breathtaking Twin Cities campus and meet our friendly staff and students, you'll see for yourself why the U of M is the perfect place to launch your career in architecture or environmental design. We'd be happy to customize your visit to your interests. Contact us to schedule your visit today!
