Art, art education, art history and architecture
At Calvin College, we explore things—all things, in fact. We don't mind getting our hands dirty either, as we explore every nook and cranny of the world God has given us.
In the art and art history department at Calvin, we respond to God's call to investigate how the visual arts best serve society, how we address contemporary cultural concerns and where does responsibility to God and to one another come into play? Answering these challenging questions is crucial for anyone who takes Christianity and visual culture seriously. Today, more than ever, our information and knowledge are communicated visually. Opening our eyes to the power of visual images can help us discover new and insightful ways to share our thoughts and beliefs with others.
Our programs
The department of art and art history at Calvin offers majors in studio art (general and BFA), art education, art history and a minor in architecture. Opportunities to study art and art history outside of the classroom are many, and include working in the department and Center Art Gallery, doing internships with local companies and organizations, and traveling off-campus to study art in a different context.
More about our academic programs.
Our students
Students who take part in the art and art history department's programs have countless opportunities to develop important skills in the classroom, in the studio and beyond.
Our faculty
The ten full-time members in our department make teaching their top priority. They maintain leadership roles in professional organizations and are quite active in their respective fields of study. Our faculty members regularly publish scholarly books and essays, curate exhibitions and exhibit their art at local, national and international venues.
Facilities
The department of art and art history occupies the entire lower level of the Spoelhof College Center and includes studios for painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, architectural design and drawing, photograph labs and a woodworking shop. Graphic design/visual communications students enjoy other state-of-the-art facilities including two Mac classrooms and Calvin's fully-staffed Teaching and Learning Digital Studio located in the Hekman Library.
