Our Mission

The mission at the Department of Art at Youngstown State University is to provide a teaching and learning environment for the development of skills, concepts and sensitivities essential to professional artists, designers, art educators, and art historians. This mission and the cultural enrichments that it entails are directed at the entire student body and at the community as a whole. This mission is accomplished within the context of a local multicultural society, thereby demanding special concern for the dissemination and sensitivity to a wide cultural heritage.

The Department also recognizes the rapid changes occurring in technology and is dedicated to developing leadership in the application of technology to the arts. It is the commitment of the Department to address both traditional issues and innovations in its educational environment.

The commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service takes place within a wide array of disciplines at the undergraduate level. Majors are offered in art education, art history, and studio art. The latter includes concentrations in digital media, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, and 3-dimenional studies (sculpture/ceramic) as well as an interdisciplinary studio arts course of study. Degrees offered are the BA (art history), the BFA (studio art), and the BSE (art education) in conjunction with the College of Education.

The Department is committed to enhancing the intellectual and cultural climate of the University and community by presenting public activities and producing graduates with firm cultural and intellectual grounding, developed creativity, and problem-solving abilities.

There is a strong recognition in the Department of the role of responsible, productive, and creative individuals in society and the place of the arts in determining the quality of life in a multicultural society.

Teaching and Learning

The Department of Art will continue to offer a curriculum that balances creativity with traditional skills and emerging technologies while also focusing on contemporary issues and historical perspectives presented with varied methodologies.

In support of this and the broader goals of the College of Fine and Performing Arts, the Department of Art is committed to the general standards for all undergraduate degree programs in art and design as expressed by our accrediting agency, the National Association of Art and Design (NASAD).