Department of Art

In the Art Department at the University at Albany we provide an environment in which you will develop your creative skills, have the freedom to grow artistically, and be challenged to reach beyond your limits.

Our programs aim to foster a challenging and innovative learning environment, support creative and academic exploration, provide technical and professional mentoring, and promote faculty and student excellence.

Degrees in Studio Art and Art History prepare students by developing strong visual skills, keen critical reasoning, and an understanding of broad historical and social themes. At both the undergraduate and graduate levels we encourage the freedom necessary for creativity by offering flexible programs, a wide-open working environment, and a committed faculty that represents a diverse set of artistic backgrounds. Our curriculum encourages students to develop their own unique visual expression as well as an understanding of the role art plays in contemporary culture.

Offering instruction in Art History, digital art, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture, the Art Department at UAlbany is a community of talented, creative individuals committed to redefining the boundaries of art and to expanding our perspective through rigorous study.

News & Announcements

  • Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition

    The annual MFA exhibition features the work of Graduate Art students, Jaimee Atkinson, Rodrigo Chevitarese Batista, Amanda Kates, Jenny Kemp, Janae McHugh, Alex Oslance, Marilee Sousie, and Carolyn Zuaro, who have just completed the UAlbany Art Department's three-year, 60 credit-hour, terminal degree program of intensive training and study in fine art practices. A tradition since 1983, the M.F.A. exhibition is an important way in which the University Art Museum and the Department of Art collaborate to enhance the academic environment at the University at Albany. Read more.
  • Adam Frelin's Firepusher Event: June 7, 2012

    On Saturday June 2nd, LaFarge Cement Quarry in Ravena, NY will be hosting a large-scale version of Adam Frelin's project, Firepusher. An enormous bonfire of 300 wooden pallets will be burned into a pile of hot embers and slowly and dramatically shoveled off a 200' foot cliff to create a waterfall of fire. FREE and open to the public, but the quarry can only allow 200 people to attend, so please call 518-756-5048 to reserve a spot. LaFarge Cement Quarry 2-98 Limekill Rd Ravena, NY 12143.
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    MFA Alumna Dawn Clements awarded 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship

  • The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has awarded Fellowships to a diverse group of 181 scholars, artists, and scientists in its eighty-eighth annual competition for the United States and Canada.  Appointed on the basis of prior achievement and exceptional promise, the successful candidates were chosen from a group of almost 3,000 applicants.  Read more.