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Art Major

Hone your creative side and build a successful career as an artist.

Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art

As an MVNU Art major, you’ll spend four years honing your talents in preparation for further study in a graduate program or for a career as a practicing artist, writer, photographer, illustrator, gallery owner, art historian, K–12 art educator, or one of a number of other artistic careers.

During your first two years, you’ll complete the foundation program, working in a variety of mediums, while learning broadly about art history. In your final two years, you’ll concentrate on developing a body of work informed by contemporary aesthetic discourse. Many students consider double majoring in Art and Graphic Design. At MVNU, these programs are compatibly designed to enhance your abilities in both disciplines.

Senior Art majors are given personal studio space and individual instruction from professors. The program culminates with a senior show in MVNU’s professional Schnormeier Gallery, a space that has exhibited the work of professional and nationally recognized artists.

Art Curriculum

As an MVNU Art major, you will go through the same rigorous training that you would at a school specialized for art, while simultaneously gaining a liberal arts education. You will develop both your creative skills and your academic mind, resulting in a double dose of preparation for life after college.

Faith & learning at MVNU

As an intentionally Christian University, we integrate our faith into everything we do at MVNU. From prayer before class to exploring real-world moral and ethical dilemmas, we’ll teach you what it means to shine forth.

Travel

Imagine walking the streets of Rome where St. Paul walked, floating down a Venetian canal, seeing the art of the Sistine Chapel, exploring the ancient site of Pompeii, experiencing Sorrento with its romantic cliff-side setting and discovering the modern and ancient sites of Italy from the Coliseum to Cathedrals to museums. Oh, plus there's great food and amazing coffee. Take in the wonders of Italy for yourself during spring break, and even get course credit for it!

Service Learning:
  • Belize
  • Swaziland
  • Haiti
  • Croatia, Austria & Hungary
  • Spain, Portugal & France
  • Greater Columbus Area
  • Orlando
  • San Francisco
  • New Orleans
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Guyana
  • Guatemala

Scholarships

Need a little help with finances? We’ve got you covered. Explore scholarships, grants, and other resources to help you pay for your education.

All Art students are eligible for the competitive Esther Buchwald Art Scholarships and Awards. Five scholarships are awarded to five individual Art students annually. Students from any class may submit work, including incoming students. One student from each class will be awarded the scholarship. 

Seniors in the MVNU Art program are eligible for the Crispin Webb Art Endowed Scholarship.

MVNU has many endowed scholarships available for students of a wide variety of backgrounds and majors.

Art Careers

More than 90 percent of MVNU Art graduates who apply for graduate MFA programs are accepted. Multiple MVNU alumni have been accepted into the Art Institute of Chicago’s Masters of Fine Arts programs — one of the most prestigious and selective programs in the nation.

PROFESSIONAL ARTISTRY

Become a full time artist in your chosen medium and build a body of revenue-generating work.

EDUCATION

Become an art educator or start a private studio with lessons and share your passion with future generations.

DESIGN

Put your talents to work as a graphic designer or web designer and bridge the gap between form and function.

BUSINESS

Jump into sales, marketing, or other aspects of business–or bring much-needed business elements to a creative environment.

CREATIVE SERVICES

Lead designers, writers, and other creative professionals as a creative services director.

FILM

Lead designers, writers, and other creative professionals as a creative services director.

Break into the film world with a creative background that would serve you well as a director, producer, filmographer, and more.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Become a professional photographer for an organization or media outlet or start a photography business.

Photographer in studio
Graphic designer
Art Professor

Meet the Faculty

MVNU’s art faculty are professional artists trained from some of the top MFA programs in the nation. They regularly exhibit at the national and international level.

Buchwald Center

Buchwald Center drone

The Buchwald Center, MVNU’s 32,000 square foot art and design building, is located in friendly downtown Mount Vernon, just a few miles from MVNU’s main campus. South Main Plaza, adjacent to Buchwald Center, is a community gathering space which boasts a whimsical fountain featuring cast iron dogs, a cat, birds, and a pony.

Schnormeier Gallery

Whether you’re creating a digital piece on an i-Mac in the Mac lab, setting up an installation for a show in the exquisite Schnormeier Gallery, or throwing a piece of pottery on one of the wheels in the ceramics studio, you will be working on your craft in a space that inspires.

The Buchwald boasts warm, sunny spaces that feed creativity and bear the scars of the artistic process. Each artist and designer that passes through its doors finds places to call their own.

Check these majors out, too

Visual Arts Education

Teach future generations to create and appreciate art with this education degree that’s perfect for creatives.

Graphic Design

Enrich the lives of consumers with effective designs, influencing culture and society in constructive ways.

Minors that pair well

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