ABOUT

THE DEPARTMENT

OF ART

By providing an environment where creativity, experimentation, and intellectual discourse can flourish, the Department of Art demonstrates a strong commitment to its community of Studio Artists, Art Educators and Art Historians. The Department recognizes the advantages that are gained through the integration of these disciplines and through broader association with other disciplines and research units across the university. Creative and intellectual energy generated by crossing boundaries benefits our graduate and undergraduate students and prepares them for an ever-changing global culture.

The Department offers BFA and BA undergraduate degrees in Studio Art, the BA and a Post Baccalaureate Licensure in Art Education and a BA in Art History. The MFA degree is offered in Studio; an MA can be pursued in Art Education; and the MA and PhD degrees are possible in Art History. In all of the work leading to these degrees, 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 what degree a student might be pursuing. The Department is dedicated 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 is committed to maintaining a world-class faculty that is actively engaged in creative art, art education, and art history.

From The Chair

Susanne Anderson-Riedel

Welcome to the Department of Art where artists, scholars, and educators engage and collaborate in vibrant research and artistic production.  Our nationally and internationally renowned faculty mentor a talented and diverse student body, and together they create an inclusive environment where creativity and critical discourse thrive.  Our students engage in contemporary and emerging media in art studio, they explore interdisciplinary and intercultural approaches to art history of various places and periods, and they train as artist-educators responsive to cultural and artistic developments.

The Department of Art ranks among the top 50 programs in the nation and placed 5th in the area of Photography. I encourage you to explore our website and learn about the range of degrees you can obtain, the exciting possibilities and opportunities offered in the department, and the exhibitions and lecture series organized each year by faculty and students.  Your career in the arts – be it in the studio, in research, criticism or in education – begins with an inspiring education you receive at the University of New Mexico Department of Art. I invite you to meet with me to discuss your future in the visual arts.

Susanne Anderson-Riedel
Associate Professor and Chair