Museum Studies: Minor
Architectural Studies: Self-Designed Major, Self-Designed Minor
Studio Art: Major, Minor
The study of the visual arts provides a powerful lens through which you can better see, evaluate and understand the world that surrounds you.
Encompassing multimedia studio explorations, art historical research, and specialized opportunities in architectural and museum studies, the Department of Visual Arts empowers the broader examination of the liberal arts at the College. You will hone your sensitivity to visual culture and the built environment, refine your skills of visual expression and critical analysis, and engage the surrounding community as points for visual inspiration, reflection, and advocacy.
In the classroom, you will study the rich heritage of global artistic and cultural traditions through specialized lecture and seminar courses. In the studio, you will engage traditional and new methods of art-making, becoming absorbed in the process of creating original work. Outside the College, you will immerse yourself in the architecture, galleries, and museums of Worcester and nearby Boston. The New England region’s rich cultural resources form an integral part of the visual arts curriculum, and will provide you with abundant learning, community engagement, and internship opportunities.
The department — comprised of the divisions of art history and studio art — is composed of a group of highly respected scholars and artists who regularly lecture, publish, exhibit, and curate nationally and internationally. The faculty place great emphasis on student mentoring in the classroom and in the field, facilitating student research projects and exhibitions, and leading excursions to area sites, galleries and museums.
Program Highlights
Art history areas of study include:
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Introductory
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Pre-1800
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Cross-cultural
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Modern and contemporary
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Architectural studies
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Museum studies
Studio art areas of study include:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Digital media and new media
Senior studio art majors participate in a yearlong course centered on the development of an individual body of work.
There are frequent visiting artists and lecturers and regular field trips to museums and galleries throughout the region.
Visual Arts News
As students across the country transitioned to remote learning in March in the wake of coronavirus, communities of learning had to start thinking about creative approaches to education outside of the classroom. For Holy Cross' Montserrat program, however, learning that transcends the typical classroom had been part of the experience from day one...
