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Art and Art History

Art stands at the intersection of culture, politics, religion and philosophy, making it an ideal place from which to understand the liberal arts and the world at large.

At Dickinson, the Department of Art & Art History offers students two tracks for study: studio art and art history. Both concentrations foster rigorous, critical investigation through active processes of learning in which students connect historical discourse with an engagement of art from multiple contemporary perspectives.

The senior year capstone experience allows studio and art history majors to pursue intensive, original research in their respective concentrations. Senior studio majors, benefiting from individual studio spaces, each create a body of work for an exhibition in The Trout Gallery accompanied by a museum catalog they create.

Senior art history majors undertake advanced scholarly research in co-curating and producing a published museum catalog for an exhibition in the Trout Gallery drawn from works in the college's permanent collection or from work lent by established galleries and museums.

Contact Info

Chair

Elizabeth LeeAssociate Professor of Art History

Department Coordinator

Michele Karper

Phone

717-254-8705

Fax

717-245-1937

Social Media

Location

Rm. 226 , Weiss Center for the Arts Mailing Address

Department Gallery



Student Outcomes

Where Our Students Go From Here

Jobs

  • One River School of Art + Design  
  • American Folk Art Museum 
  • New York Public Library 
  • Children’s Museum of New York 
  • The Pennsylvania State University 
  • Philadelphia Museum of Art 
  • National Gallery of Art  
  • National Museum of American History 
  • Michener Museum of Art 
  • Barnes Foundation 
  • Museum of Modern Art 
  • Sotheby's  

Graduate Schools

  • Columbia University 
  • SUNY Purchase 
  • Lewis & Clark  
  • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 
  • Cranbrook, Academy of Art 
  • SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) 
  • University College of London, Slade School of Fine Art 
  • Virginia Commonwealth University 
  • New York University, School of Law 
  • McGill University 
  • University of Toronto 
  • Yale University 
  • Harvard University 
  • Rhode Island School of Design 
  • Boston University 
  • MICA (Maryland Institute of Contemporary Art) 
  • PAFA (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts) 
  • University of Delaware 
  • UPenn 
  • Temple University 
  • The Courtauld 
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • Cardiff University
Where Our Students Have Interned
  • Atlantic Records 
  • The Biscuit Factory 
  • New York Arts Practicum 
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art 
  • Whitney Museum of Art 
  • Philadelphia Fabric Workshop and Museum  
  • Princeton University Art Museum 
  • Wadsworth Athenaeum 
  • Philadelphia Mural Arts 
  • State Museum of Harrisburg  
  • Brandywine River Museum of Art 
  • Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc. 
  • Christie’s  

Department Features



Artist in Residence

Artist in Residence

Warith Taha is a visual artist from Oakland, Calif. Working primarily through the medium of painting, Warith creates work that addresses his Black queer relationship to time, space and material.


Student Perspective

"Art history is the ultimate liberal art. Through studying art, we are able to learn about history, politics, economics and trade, religion, culture, philosophy, languages, architecture, environmental studies, music and more! All of the art-history faculty have different concentrations, and the variety of courses in the major gives students exposure to diverse art forms spanning numerous continents and millennia. The faculty also have high expectations and push students to produce their best work."

—Xenia Makosky ’24


Art & Art History News

Anatomy of Learning: Students Merge Art and Science in Innovative Course

Anatomy of Learning: Students Merge Art and Science in Innovative Course

Humanities and science students recently visited Dickinson's "cadaver room" together. Their aim: To learn a memorable lesson about connections between science and art.

Inspired Pairings: Near at Hand Presents Fresh Views of Faculty Work

Inspired Pairings: Near at Hand Presents Fresh Views of Faculty Work

Art history majors chose a dizzying array of objects—from Neolithic tool fragments to Warhol prints—to show side by side with faculty artworks. Their pairings create fresh new takes on faculty art.

Who We Are and What We Can Be

Who We Are and What We Can Be

Professor of Art History Melinda Schlitt finds a "cosmos of culture" in art, and she strives to ensure that her students experience it too.

Creativity in Bloom: Dickinson Announces Spring Arts Events

Creativity in Bloom: Dickinson Announces Spring Arts Events

From students to luminaries, we're highlighting work by Dickinsonians and guests at various stages of creative careers. Learn more about the can't-miss public arts events in store.

A Custom Taste of Italy

A Custom Taste of Italy

"Dickinson makes it easy to study abroad, even with two majors." Lena Rimmer '26 is weaving all of her interests into her study-abroad year in Italy.

Lasting Impressions: Students Explore Art, Cultural History

Lasting Impressions: Students Explore Art, Cultural History

Students learned directly from the pros while taking in a luminous exhibition in Washington, D.C.