Department of Art - University of Missouri

Welcome to the Department of Art at the University of Missouri!

Considered to be a leading research institutions, the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) has cultivated a reputation of excellence in teaching and research since 1839. As one of only 34 public universities holding membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities, MU boasts many top-ranking programs and an enrollment of over 30,000 students (including over 7,000 masters, doctoral, and professional students) from every state in the United States and more than 100 countries around the world.

Housed within this large research university is the Department of Art. Founded in 1877, the Art Department faculty consists of nineteen full-time faculty, nine adjunct instructors, and approximately 20 graduate teaching assistants. Our faculty members, many of whom are nationally and internationally renowned, are well-established professional artists and designers with numerous exhibitions, commissions, and awards to their credit. The Department currently has 240 undergraduate majors within our BA and BFA programs spanning a number of media areas, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, ceramics, fibers, sculpture, and digital/video media, and we offer approximately 90 courses each semester to art majors and non-art majors alike. In addition, art education students enroll in a significant number of art courses for their Bachelor of Science in Art Education degree offered cooparatively through the Department of Learning, Teaching and Curriculum, the Art Department also has a vibrant graduate program. With approximately 30 students, we are the only public university in the State of Missouri that offers the terminal MFA degree.

Our studio, or laboratory, space for each medium is impressive. Some of the studio resources available here include a fully-equipped printmaking studio, photography labs for digital and traditional processes, a papermaking/fiber facility, an anagama kiln, a bronze casting facility, and three state-of-the-art digital labs housing over 80 Macintosh computers with large cinema monitors, three 44” large-format Epson printers, and a variety of video equipment. The Department of Art also operates the George Caleb Bingham Gallery in the Fine Arts Building, which showcases art exhibitions from students, faculty, and visiting artists year-round. A popular Visiting Artists Lecture Series is presented on Wednesday evenings during the Fall and Spring semesters and is open to the public. All faculty and students have access to many other resources on the MU campus, including the Museum of Art and Archaeology, the State Historical Society of Missouri, the Craft Studio Gallery, the extensive collections of Ellis Library, and the image database on ArtStor.

Another popular course coordinated by the Department is the Florence Summer Study Abroad Program. In Italy, students have the opportunity to study firsthand many of the most important masterpieces in Western art history. Presently, the Department of Art is also establishing an international exchange program with Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in Guangzhou, China. This opportunity will enable faculty and students from both universities to study art from the perspective of their international neighbor, and to experience the culture that has helped shape the artistic traditions of each country.

You should not be surprised when you find the works of MU art faculty and alumni in major museums, galleries, exhibitions, and collections around the world, from New York to Barcelona, and from Africa to China. The work of our faculty and alumni exemplifies the caliber of teaching and creativity that students experience in the MU Art Department. we are dedicated to providing our students with the best quality education possible and helping them to develop and nurture their artistic pursuits.

We hope that you enjoy your visit to our website. For specific information about our undergraduate and graduate programs, please follow the links within. Should you have a specific inquiry, or simply desire more information on any of the exciting opportunities that await you here, please feel free to contact any of our faculty members directly. We look forward to meeting you.