what is art history & Visual culture?
Art History is an academic discipline devoted to the examination of artistic production throughout human history with a focus on context, meaning, and the people that created the works. Visual culture is an interdisciplinary field that examines how images and visual media (not limited to historic definitions of art) shape, influence, and reflect human experience and societal values. Our department unites these two approaches to understand how images and structures actively shape our experiences in the past and present.
What do Art History majors do?
We offer hands-on experience through travel to regional and national art collections. Our department likewise has a strong relationship with the University Art Gallery, the University Archives, the Greenhouse & Herbarium, and Sewanee Elementary School where we make frequent class visits.
We also maintain a welcoming learning community through various events such as a pinning ceremony for new majors, open house events, and a senior dinner with the professors.
From social media posts to film to political advertisements to the built environment around us, we live in a world saturated with visual imagery. If you’re curious about how to better understand the visual world in which we live and are drawn to art, ideas, and culture, art history is a smart choice.
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“One of my favorite parts about being an Art History major is the exposure to new cultural concepts, challenging the conceptions that I previously had concerning art. Through the excellent guidance from professors within the major, I can contextualize works of art and can dispel monolithic tendencies when it comes to viewing art and its influences.” -Hufton Parker, C'28 |
Navigate to the Students page to learn more about the student experience and what our alums have been up to!
Follow us on Instagram and take a look at our Substack to see more about what our students and professors are up to!
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Skills you'll learn as an art history & visual culture major
Your professors carefully curate their courses to ensure that you build the proper skills to prepare you for the professional world guided by the .
Visual Literacy |
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Critical Thinking |
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Research Skills |
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Technology Literacy |
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Communication Skills |
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Teamwork |
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what jobs can you get as an art history & visual culture major?
The skills acquired through an Art History & Visual Culture major open more doors than many people realize. Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in teaching, museum work, auction houses, law, sales, interior design, and much more. Here are a few specific examples from our alums:
Art Related |
Non-Art Related |
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Navigate to the Students page for more information on our alums!
is an art history & visual culture degree worth it?
Absolutely. A degree in Art History & Visual Culture provides important, durable skills that current and future employers value even as technology continues to evolve.
Courses in our department equip students to understand and articulate how and why art objects communicate, and to read and understand our built environment. Making sense of new and unfamiliar images, understanding how images and places work on the people experiencing them, and understanding how images, objects and environments make contact with diverse and distinct audiences, are all essential skills for navigating and reshaping the world in which we live.
