The art department offers courses that provide students with the technical and aesthetic instruction necessary for visual expression of all types. An environment conducive to the student's total involvement as a developing artist is provided with offerings in art history and appreciation, studio work, and art education. There are three areas of concentration within the art major. A concentration in fine arts prepares students for careers involving the visual arts or for further study in graduate or professional schools. An art education concentration prepares students to teach art in grades K-12. The graphic design concentration provides a strong background for commercial or applied art careers.

The department maintains studios for sculpture, drawing, painting, textiles and print making. Photographic darkrooms, a digital image database and a slide collection support the program. The Janalyn Hanson White Art Gallery schedules professional exhibitions and visiting artists throughout the year. Microcomputers for graphics are available in the art department on fourth floor Warde as well as in the computer centers, in the Busse Library and Basile Hall. The Art Sales and Rental Gallery provides students the opportunity to exhibit and sell their art work.