Integrating art historical foundations with hands-on creation of art
At Ursinus, our Art & Art History program empowers students to both understand and actively shape the rich landscape of human creative expression. Our close-knit community fosters meaningful faculty-student relationships within an interdisciplinary environment that nurture artistic growth and innovation.
With concentrations in Studio Art, Graphic Design, and Art History, our program equips students with essential visual literacy skills for navigating today’s image-dominated world, preparing graduates for diverse careers both within the arts and beyond.
Studio Art and Art History offerings focus on the preparation of students in the creation of art, the critical study of Art History, and the appreciation of visual culture as an integral part of their liberal arts experience.
Coursework covers the broad cultural and intellectual context of human civilization from a visual and historical perspective and provides an important framework for advanced study in making and interpreting art and the environment. The curriculum integrates art historical foundations with the hands-on creation of art, moving from general survey and introductory courses to advanced studio work, historical analysis, and museum practices. The exceptional Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art on campus and the vibrant artistic resources of the Philadelphia region provide invaluable opportunities for experiential learning through your academic journey.
Upcoming Events
The Head and the Hand: Embodied Perception and the Time-Charge of Painting
Innovation and Discovery Center, IDC 114
A Baden presentation with Assistant Professor David Aipperspach, Art and Art History
Beyond the Canvas and Curtain: Connecting Arts, Industry, and Future Creative Leaders
Berman Museum
Join us on Wednesday, September 23rd, from 12:30–2:30 p.m. at the Berman Museum for a career panel just for you. We’re bringing together a small group of arts professionals to share how they built their careers in the arts — and what advice they’d give students just starting out.
Graduate School Fair
Floy Lewis Bakes Center, Field House
ALL STUDENTS are invited to the 2026 Ursinus College Graduate School Fair. The Fair will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Floy Lewis Bakes Field House and will end at 2:30 p.m.
Artist Talk with Ron Tarver, MFA - The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America
Olin Hall
Join us for an artist talk exploring his acclaimed project and 2024 book, The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America. A stunning collection of portraits capturing rodeo culture from city streets to wide open plains. Tarver’s work challenges the myth that cowboys were only white, restoring an overlooked chapter of American history through powerful photography.
Tarver is a Pulitzer Prize winner, Guggenheim Fellow, and Associate Professor of Art at Swarthmore College, with work held in collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
