Students at art gallery

Art Degree and Art History Degree

The Department of Art and Art History specializes in educating students in the various modes of visual communication. The department believes that understanding visual means of expression, or being visually literate, is a fundamental component of a liberal arts education on par with written and verbal learning. The study of art and art history in a liberal arts context encourages students to realize that visual, written, and verbal means of communication are often inextricably bound.

The department, as its name implies, incorporates two distinct yet profoundly complimentary and dependent units. One, the studio arts, is primarily devoted to instruction in the making of works of art. The other, art history, is primarily devoted to the historical understanding and current interpretation of traditional works of art and visual culture. In its studio courses, the department endeavors to support the individual, expressive and technical needs of students as they explore various media and seek to reconcile ideas with their final visualization. In its art history courses, the department seeks to provide students with an overall grounding in the history and theory of world art and visual culture.

For more information on course requirements for the Art Degree and Art History Degree, visit the Academic Catalog

Art and Art History
Clark Arts Center
5050 E. State St.
Rockford, IL 61108
815-394-5203
Fax: 815-394-5167

Christopher Sisson
CSisson@rockford.edu