Art

Art and design are all around us. As an artist or designer, you can impact every level of society—from culture, communication and commerce to sustainability, equity and basic problem solving. So if you want to make your mark on the world—and make anything you can imagine—then art might be the perfect program for you. You'll get to use your creativity and explore how art helps you better understand yourself, your community, and the larger social, cultural and political contexts in which you exist.

What will I learn?

How do artists conceptualize and then create their art? What tools can you use to move your art from idea to object? How does knowledge of culturally relevant historical practices make your work stronger?

Find the answers to these questions (and many more!) through the art program, which offers a broad understanding of how to create and critique art, with a focus on your concentration—including drawing, painting, print media, photography, sculpture, graphic design and interdisciplinary art and technology (emerging practices). You'll practice your craft, build visual fluency, learn technical and conceptual skills, hone your critical thinking and creative problem-solving abilities, develop a body of work and learn how to get professional career experience.

What can I do outside of class?

Learning happens both inside and outside of our studios, and at UB you can access a variety of opportunities for growth beyond the classroom. With a network of UB professors and alumni, students are able to:

  • Land an internship at a local Buffalo business or design studio in New York City.
  • Study abroad through one of our global programs.
  • Meet world-class artists at speaker series and workshops.
  • Get paid to work while in school in multiple UB art galleries and spaces (including the on-campus UB Art Gallery and the downtown UB Anderson Gallery), with hands-on research and training, exhibition opportunities, internships, workshops and more.
  • Become an active member in the vibrant Buffalo arts scene, with world-class museums including the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and Burchfield Penney Art Center, Griffis Sculpture Park, and the wealth of alternative art spaces featuring experimental work and opportunities to exhibit.
  • Travel to nearby Toronto and connect with hundreds of alternative spaces and galleries.
  • Explore UB's Center for the Arts, filled with galleries, studios and labs, which house traditional and digital art- and design-making equipment and processes, from tintypes to 3D printing.
Study Abroad
Fieldwork
Internships
Connect with Mentors

What can I do with an art degree?

A degree in art can open up a wide range of paths, including:

  • A career as a professional artist, creating and selling your own artwork or working as a freelance artist. (Many artists are self-employed and have strong entrepreneurial skills.)
  • Working in galleries, museums or other arts organizations, curating exhibitions, managing collections or working in arts administration.
  • Going to graduate school to become an art teacher, sharing your skills and knowledge with students at all levels of education.
  • Careers in design, advertising and other creative industries, where you can apply your artistic skills in a commercial context.

A degree in art can also teach you creative problem-solving skills, which are highly valued in many fields (not just in the arts), and provide you with a competitive edge.

Who will I learn from?

Our faculty have exhibited work at the Museum of Modern Art and the Sundance Film Festival, and have earned fellowships and awards from the Warhol Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, among many others.

Passionate about their field and committed to mentoring the next generation, they're here to teach you. Guide you. Help you refine your creative voice. And prepare you for what you choose to do next in the dynamic world of art and design.

As practicing artists, designers, scholars, activists and technicians in both traditional and emerging fields, our faculty know first-hand what it takes to have a successful career in the arts and design industry. They are innovative, interdisciplinary and focused on helping you build the problem-solving skills that can help you throughout your career.

Admissions

Financial Aid

Student Guide