Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Art & Visual Culture

Whether you’re a new or returning student, we’re excited you’re here! It’s my pleasure to introduce you to a vibrant community of thinkers, makers, educators, and scientific illustrators.

Who We Are

We are the creatives. We’re makers and explorers of the arts. In integrated studio arts, you’ll work with an array of mediums, putting them into conversation and experimenting with materials and technologies. In art history, you’ll uncover art’s plural histories, learning about cultural practices and global exchanges. In art education, you’ll delve into holistic methods of teaching and learning about art and its value as a way of engaging with the world. In scientific visualization, you’ll challenge the boundaries between art and science, forging interdisciplinary connections and new opportunities for collaboration.

What We Value

We celebrate creativity, collaboration, community engagement, and the interconnection of art-making and knowledge-making. We champion curiosity, openness, and inventive uses of theory and practice. We cultivate cultural facility, integrated learning environments, and transformative learning experiences – at ISU, in our local communities, and abroad. We promote a commitment to global vision, diversity, inclusion, and innovation. We passionately believe in art as an essential site of communication, collaboration, and expression.

You Belong Here

We’ll help you to craft a degree program that makes the most our dynamic curricula and hones your creative and analytical skills to give you a unique, innovative identity in this interconnected world and its crowded marketplaces. We challenge you to be a creative. You belong here!