Visual Arts Program
You look at the world through the eyes of an artist.
You know deep down inside that art is for you.
Now what do you do?
Postsecondary training is recommended for all artist specialties. Although formal training is not strictly required, it is very difficult to become skilled enough to make a career or a living without formal training. The University of Michigan-Flint offers programs leading to degrees in Visual Communication, Studio Arts and Art Education along with minors in Art and Art History. There is also an Honor’s Program in Art available to those who are in the Honor’s Program. Our faculty consists of excellent artists and art historians who are committed to the development of the next generation of artists.
Artists generally fall into one of five categories. Art directors formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications media. Designers including Graphic Designers plan, analyze, and create visual solutions to communications problems. Craft artists create or reproduce handmade objects for sale or exhibition. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators create original artwork, using a variety of media and techniques. Multi-media artists and animators create special effects, animation, or other visual images on film, on video, or with computers or other electronic media. At UM-Flint, we will help you determine where in the world of art you belong and help prepare you for your career choice.
The Art Department offers a curriculum that emphasizes analytical processes and competency in art techniques. Students are trained as viewers, creators, communicators, theorists, and historians of art. In addition, the curriculum provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to serve as artists in related fields, such as art education, exhibition coordinating/curating and criticism.