Visual Arts Department
The Visual Arts Department helps students develop their artistic talents and pursue meaningful careers in the arts while cultivating a lifelong appreciation for personal and cultural awareness. Faculty are accomplished artists and dedicated teachers who take a vested interest in their students’ growth and success.
Students can major in Visual Arts and specialize their studies by selecting a concentration in Art Education, Art Therapy or Studio Art. The art therapy program is one of the few offered in the Midwest and the only undergraduate art therapy program in the Universities of Wisconsin. Art minors are also available and can be paired with any major.
I thought it was a very beautiful campus and it felt safe, safer than a lot of other campuses I toured. There seemed to be more opportunities with professors helping me with beyond what they need to do. And that is kind of what brought me here.
The art department at UWS is wonderful. I feel like I have found an artistic community that has welcomed me with open arms and so much enthusiasm. The teachers genuinely care about your work and help you grow artistically with consistent support.
The Art Department encourages everyone to work in their own style while challenging them to try new things. Art is seen and recognized to be personal and reflective of the individual.
I feel like I actually got more opportunities at UWS than I would have at a larger university. My visual arts professors knew me well and were so supportive. They helped me in so many ways.
I love being a part of the UWS Art Department. The faculty are amazing! They see me as an artist, and challenge me to continue to better myself and my work.
I feel like I actually got more opportunities at UWS than I would have at a larger university. My visual arts professors knew me well and were so supportive. They helped me in so many ways.
Scholarship Opportunities
Involvement Opportunities
Visual Arts students have abundant opportunities for off-campus internships and service-learning activities in the vibrant Superior-Duluth community. Professors work with students individually to help them find placements that align with their career goals.
Facilities
Holden Fine and Applied Arts Center facilities include spacious studios for painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, drawing, woodworking, stained glass, mosaics, weaving and much more. A metal-working forge studio provides opportunities for students to work with faculty on large-scale metal sculptures. Two art galleries are also located in the building, providing an ideal space for displaying students’ and visiting artists’ work.
Galleries
Kruk Gallery
The Kruk Gallery located near the entrance of the Holden Fine and Applied Arts Center provides a flexible, contemporary gallery space for art exhibits. Alumni and other professional artists’ work is displayed throughout the year, attracting visitors from the community and beyond. The Kruk Gallery is an important contributor to the vibrant art culture in the Twin Ports of Superior and Duluth.
Experimental Gallery
One of the newer spaces on campus, the Experimental Gallery sends the message to visitors that this is a building for art – right as they walk through the doors of Holden Fine and Applied Arts Center. The viewing window allows people to see into the space and enjoy the art anytime, providing a reminder that art should be accessible and available to all who seek it out. The space includes a see-through glass display case off the entry to showcase artwork in this high-traffic area of the building. The Experimental Gallery frequently hosts student, faculty and community exhibitions at a professional level and allows the university to showcase the immense talent that these walls hold in a manner that is at the same level.
Internships
Visual Arts students benefit from the vibrant arts community in the Superior-Duluth area as well as our faculty’s many professional connections and associations. Art professors help students identify internship opportunities that align with their future career goals and provide experiential learning opportunities throughout the course of the programs.