Art is a potent and positive force for change in contemporary society, and Cal Poly Humboldt’s Department of Art 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.
Our extensive facilities include a foundry, ceramics lab, print studio, photography lab, galleries, and much more. As an undergraduate, you’ll get hands-on experience in graphic design, painting and drawing, sculpture and metal work, ceramics, photography, and other disciplines of your choosing.
Our small class sizes mean getting to know your professors and fellow students through your education. Your connections will help you grow as an artist and intellectual, and help you throughout your career.
The local area is well-known as an arts haven. The small-but-thriving arts community is intimate but inclusive, and you’ll be able to interact with professional artists and show art in local galleries, giving you valuable experience and contacts.
Cal Poly Humboldt Art students can pursue a Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in Art Studio, Art History, or Art Education or Bachelor of Fine Arts
The Bachelor of Arts degree is available in three concentrations: Art Studio offers small classes with individual attention and large, well-equipped studio facilities, including a computer lab and a foundry; Art History gives students an opportunity to study the visual culture of the world, from prehistoric cave art to works being produced by artists active today; and Art Education provides the foundation to successfully teach art in K-12th grades and prepares students to enter California's mandatory fifth-year, single-subject teaching credential program.
Concentrations in: Art Studio Art History Art Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts students work closely with faculty from our eight different media areas: painting, drawing/illustration, printmaking, graphic design/digital media, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and jewelry/small metals. The BFA degree offers students the opportunity to further their studio art practice and to prepare for graduate school or professional art careers through a rigorous and focused course of study in the visual arts. The BFA is a cohort-based program for students in their junior and senior years. Students will typically be admitted to the program in the spring of their sophomore year.
As an art director, I direct visual elements for an advertising campaign, commercial, or e-commerce production.
Here are a few examples of possible career fields.
Art Director
Gallery Director
Freelance Artist
Animator
Graphics Artist
Art Therapist
Marketing Director
Curator
Editor
Illustrator
Teacher
Photographer
Art Critic
Jeweler
Fashion Designer
Museum Registrar
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Submitted: January 3, 2022
Submitted: January 3, 2022
Department of Art
1 Harpst St.
Arcata, CA 95521
Phone: (707) 826-3813
Fax: (707) 826-3628
arts@humboldt.edu
