About
The importance of the arts as communication, in the past, the present and the future, is pivotal.
This belief is the keystone of our programs, and it is the foundation for our primary goal, which is to expose students to the richness of art through a wide range of new and traditional media. We also seek to develop critical thought in our classes, and the practice and methods for understanding the teaching of the arts and the history of art.
The Department is dedicated to providing the best education possible no matter which degree a student might be pursuing. We are also committed to benefiting UNM, the city of Albuquerque, the state of New Mexico, as well as national, and international communities. To achieve these aims, the Department maintains a world-class faculty that is actively engaged in creative art, art education, and art history.
Art Department News
Ray Hernández-Durán and Irene Vásquez Discuss Voces del Pueblo on NM PBS
On August 4, 2026, Professor of Art History Ray Hernández-Durán @rhernand65 and Irene Vásquez, Chair of Chicana and Chicano Studies, were interviewed about their work on the exhibition, Voces del Pueblo:
Bianka Groves De La Cruz, Arts MFA, Featured in The Line Exhibition and Studio Talk 2026
MFA ceramics student Bianka Groves De La Cruz is gaining recognition for her thoughtful and patient approach to ceramics. She is currently featured in the “The Line” exhibition, September 4–26, 2026, which showcases artists who use line work to explore...
Welcoming Postdoc Afrooz Partovi to CFA
Afrooz Partovi is an artist-architect who explores intangible dimensions of time and space through immersive technologies and time-based media.
