“The professors of the Coe College Art & Art History Department had such a positive impact on my life. They encouraged me to cultivate and exercise my creativity and artistic ability, as well as inspired me through their own artwork and technique. They were constantly supporting me in my artistic exploration, as well as aiding me in life lessons that benefitted me throughout my college career.”
— Kelsey Staub ’14, Art Therapist
Coe prepares you to become a creative thinker, designer and problem solver.
A degree in art or art history prepares you for a wide range of rewarding careers in the arts, business, academia and elsewhere. Coe graduates in art and art history are visually literate and understand how to navigate the multimedia world of the 21st century. Coe grads also use their creative problem-solving skills to change and reshape the world around them.
Our innovative curriculum breaks down barriers between mediums to provide broad thematic courses for hands-on learning. You will focus on making and meaning, developing an understanding of visual and contextual history and analysis. In studying form and content, as well as technical and conceptual aspects of art and art history, you’ll learn to communicate effectively to broad and diverse audiences. As an art major, you will complete your degree with a senior exhibition, a capstone project that demonstrates what you’ve learned at Coe.
Our courses offer majors the opportunity to gain specific skills and knowledge that will prepare you for the future. These include partial-credit courses that teach you to write artist statements, create digital portfolios and websites and encourage you to turn a critical eye toward your creative practice and process.
“The professors in this department are brilliant, original and helped teach me to think outside of the box. They introduced me to hands-on and career-building experiences such as conferences and study abroad opportunities.”
While at Coe, Savannah assisted with curation of Coe’s permanent art collection. Her experience helped her secure internships at the Des Moines Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Art, as well as an apprenticeship in art restoration in Florence, Italy. Savannah has been awarded a Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in art history at the University of California Riverside.
