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Department of Art
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ART AT MSU DENVER
"The goal of my work is knowledge. I do not see life and art as separate.”
Howardena Pindell
The Department of Art at Metropolitan State University of Denver is a vibrant, diverse environment full of options for students interested in pursuing a degree in a creative field. Whether you are interested in being a professional artist, designer, educator or researcher, you will learn traditional methods of art production and research as well as innovative approaches to art and design.
Art students are analytical, critical thinkers who use their creativity daily. They work independently and collaboratively to develop thoughtful responses to the world around them, and emerge as artists, designers, educators and scholars.
The Auraria Campus is a stone’s throw from the heart of downtown Denver’s art museums and Performing Arts Center, the Santa Fe Art District and MSU Denver’s Center for Visual Art, so students are tapped into Denver’s creative economy. Our graduates have become curators, archivists, art installers and entrepreneurs, and have gone on to graduate schools at Virginia Commonwealth University, Columbia University, Goldsmith’s University, London and more.
No matter what your ultimate career goals are, the degrees in the Department of Art at MSU Denver offer you the flexibility of diverse options so you train to become an innovative creative professional. And MSU Denver is the most affordable four-year university in Colorado, so you won’t be burdened under a mound of debt.
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS THESIS EXHIBITION ONLINE
MAY 1 - OCTOBER 31, 2020
Students preparing to graduate from Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Art program are adapting their Spring 2020 Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition for online delivery. The events are typically hosted by the Center for Visual Art but will now be displayed virtually due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.
The 35 artists graduating from the Studio Art and Communication Design programs will present their work in a shared online exhibition running May 1-Oct. 31. While social distancing and safety measures have forced the closure of the CVA and other art venues, graduates are staying positive and excited to share their work with the community. This dynamic shared exhibition of eclectic artworks offers a chance to see some of MSU Denver’s brightest emerging artists and designers.
Their work focuses on topics such as identity, cultural conflicts, the intangibility of trauma, recovery and the immersion of the sublime. Works include ceramics, communication design, digital media, painting, photography and sculpture. Go to Early Bird article...
SPRING 2020 BA SYMPOSIUM
ART AND RESEARCH FROM GRADUATING BA STUDENTS
The BA in Art and the BA in Art History, Theory, and Criticism are degrees that teach us to solve problems through creativity and discovery, and we love to share our results in public with our communities. This is why we have research symposia.
Beginning the semester with a goal of the research symposium in mind, our Spring 2020 BA students were well on their way toward shaping their projects for that public format. But midway through the semester, our world was immobilized by a pandemic.
Our Spring 2020 BA Symposium has moved online, and MSU Denver Department of Art is thrilled to hear each of these individuals’ voices present the fruits of their labor in these presentations...
STUDENT FOCUS
BFA THESIS STUDENT FEATURED IN WESTWORD
The Department of Art celebrates the recent article from Westword about our graduating student, Adrian Raya, and the BFA Thesis exhibition.
Raya's plan was to have three bodies of work at three locations across the city. He would have an installation exploring emojis and ethnic identities in a public area in an MSU building, another in a campus gallery, and two paintings on display at the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council.
Then came the COVID-19 shutdowns. Schools buildings went dark, classes migrated online. And the senior thesis shows were shut down.
MSU Denver Art students quickly pivoted, transforming the Spring 2020 BFA Thesis Exhibition, which includes the work of Raya and 34 other MSU students, to an online version.
So exciting to have our students recognized and featured in the press! Check out the Westword article here.
ALUMNI FOCUS
BECKY D’ARCEY | ART HISTORY, THEORY AND CRITICISM
Alumni Becky D’Arcey earned a bachelor’s degree in Art History, Theory and Criticism. While she pursues a graduate degree, D’Arcey writes about art. This fall, she also worked as a gallery host at the Denver Art Museum’s exhibit, “Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature.” Read Becky's primer of Must-see Monet, from the largest exhibition of the french impressionist's work in more than 20 years, as published in MSU Denver's RED.
FACULTY FOCUS
YUNJIN LA-MEI WOO | STUDIO ART
MSU Denver Department of Art welcomes our newest full-time faculty member! Assistant Professor Yunjin La-mei Woo is a socially-engaged artist and a cultural-studies researcher. Born as the granddaughter of a Korean shaman, her artistic practice is informed by her research on various notions of humanness and how such notions intersect with issues of power, gender, class, and ethnicity. Her creative work ranges widely from installation to video, performance, sculpture, writing, and participatory projects. Woo has exhibited, published, and presented her creative work and research in various venues both internationally and nationally. She earned her BFA and MFA from Seoul National University, South Korea, and is currently working on her PhD dissertation in Communication and Culture at Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. You can find more about the material structures that Yunjin has built here.
DEPARTMENT COLLABORATION
WORKING TOGETHER IN CREATIVE WAYS
MSU Denver Communication Design students gave the Department of Nursing a dose of artistic inspiration, in the form of a mural designed to capture Nursing’s importance and contributions of superior education for students. Read more about the recent collaboration and design contest in the Early Bird.
CAREER PROSPECTS
HERE'S WHERE AN ART DEGREE FROM MSU DENVER MIGHT TAKE YOU
Commercial design and graphics, environmental design and architecture, education, business, crafts, and fine arts all offer an array of possibilities for art graduates. Graphic designer, museum curator, art teacher, jewelry designer, photographer, illustrator, and many, many more.
According to the most recent Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Economic Activity Study, which collects data from the nonprofit organizations that receive funds from the SCFD in the seven-county Metro Denver area, “Employment in the arts reached an all-time high in 2017, with 11,820 jobs, an increase of 10% over 2015.”
DATA AND INSIGHTS
ARTS GRADUATES ACROSS DISCIPLINES
The idea of working across artistic disciplines is far from new, but evidence suggests that such crossover is becoming an increasingly important part of artistic careers. This DataBrief detailing the under-acknowledged prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of multi-disciplinary arts practice, from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), provides arts educators and arts policymakers with highlights of SNAAP data and insights into the value of arts-school education: Arts Graduates 'Oscillate Wildly' Across Disciplines (SNAAP DataBrief)
OUR PROGRAM OPTIONS
Phone:
303-615-0300
Office Location:
Arts Building, Suite 187
Auraria Campus
Accreditation
The Department of Art at MSU Denver is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design.