History of Art and Visual Culture

The Department of Art, Design, and Visual Studies offers both a Bachelor of Arts and a Minor in the History of Art and Visual Culture, with the former being the only program of its kind at a public institution in Idaho. 

We are a small but dynamic community, one of the most engaging places in the Northwest to study Art History and Visual Culture. Our faculty continue to secure national and international grants, awards, and fellowships, and have published in the discipline’s most prestigious journals, including Art History, Oxford Art Journal, and The Art Bulletin.

Students can choose from a diverse selection of upper-division courses ranging from ancient to contemporary art in both Western and non-Western traditions. The BA program, leveraging its position within a comprehensive studio art department, requires students to complete two foundational studio art classes, as well as attain practical experience via either gallery internships or by serving as a teaching assistant. The BA also allocates open elective credits which allow students to explore interests in related areas, including literature, foreign languages, history, anthropology, philosophy, or through study abroad opportunities.

The Art History and Visual Culture faculty display a wide range of interests and specialties, with expertise in fields such as medieval manuscripts, early modern material culture, ecocriticism, environmental humanities, animal studies, art theory, art criticism, and classical archaeology. All are actively involved in research. 

The Visiting Artist and Scholar Program, along with the Art History Speaker Series, provide students with further opportunities to engage with the latest methodologies and perspectives in the study of art and visual culture.

Faculty:
Niharika Dinkar, Assoc. Professor, Nineteenth-Century Art
Tomasz Grusiecki, Assoc. Professor, Early Modern Art & Material Culture
Lisa Hunt, Int. Director, Stein Luminary, Medieval Art & Material Culture
Muffet Jones, Lecturer, Modern & Contemporary Art
Craig Peariso, Assoc. Professor, Modern & Contemporary Art
Lee Ann Turner, Professor, Ancient Art & Material Culture