Breadcrumb
Art, B.A.
Art is a potent and positive force for change in contemporary society, and Cal Poly Humboldt’s Department of Art + Film is dedicated to educating the students who will shape the culture of our collective future. The hands-on techniques that you’ll learn in our small, intimate classrooms, studios, and galleries will allow you to address issues, ethics, history, and culture with a unique and personal vision in your career.
Why this Program
Our facilities include a foundry, ceramics lab, printmaking studio, photography lab, galleries, and much more. You’ll get hands-on experience in many disciplines of your choosing.
Our small class sizes mean getting to know your professors and fellow students. Your connections will help you grow as an artist and intellectual.
The local area is well-known as an intimate but inclusive arts haven. You’ll interact with professional artists and show art in local galleries.
Program Concentrations
Art Studio offers small classes with individual attention and large, well-equipped studio facilities. In studio courses, students learn processes and strategies used in creating works of art in various media through problem solving assignments and accompanying instruction. Students are given the opportunity at the upper division level to concentrate on a particular studio area in depth, allowing them to prepare a portfolio for further professional opportunities or for postgraduate study.
Art History & Museum Studies gives students an opportunity to study the visual culture of the world, from prehistoric cave art to works being produced by artists active today. Art history majors not only learn about works of art, but also about the different geographies, histories, and cultural traditions that surrounded them and informed their making. Our program is particularly strong in the areas of European Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, American, 20th Century and Contemporary art.
Art Education gives students the tools they need to help others create and appreciate art. Our curriculum provides the foundation to successfully teach art in K-12 schools, higher ed, museums and galleries, and community settings, and prepares students to enter California's mandatory fifth-year, single-subject teaching credential program. Humboldt's Art + Film Department offers an approved subject matter waiver program through the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Did you know?
Art is one of the largest majors at Cal Poly Humboldt.
There are three art galleries on campus, including the Goudi'ni Native American Arts Gallery, which highlights the work of contemporary and traditional Native American artists.
Every second weekend of the month, downtown Arcata puts on Arts! Arcata. It’s a self-guided celebration of visual and performing, and a great opportunity to meet local artists and get to know the community.
Careers
Our alumni have gone on to pursue careers that harness the creative thinking, critical inquiry skills, and communication skills they developed at Humboldt. Art students find a strong foundation in communication skills, informing and explaining ideas, describing and evaluating ideas, problems, and events, and observing people, data, and visual information.
- Animator
- Art Critic
- Art Director
- Curator
- Exhibit Designer
- Fashion Designer
- Graphic Artist
- Illustrator
- Jeweler
- Photographer
