Explore your world of creativity through book arts, drawing, graphic design, photography, sculpture and more.

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The Department of Art offers a diverse program of bachelor's degree instruction in both art history and studio art. The major options include painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking and digital media.

The Department of Art offers a number of exciting opportunities for students to become actively involved and engaged in real-world experiences. The department boasts a world-renowned art museum, a cutting-edge fabrication lab and a printing press that brings the history of book arts alive.

The Lilley Museum is a two-story art museum that allows students the opportunity to help prepare exhibits and take care of collections. The Lilley offers regularly scheduled programming and events co-hosted with other campus departments and local organizations and exhibitions rotate frequently.

The Fabrication Lab provides hands-on production and learning by enabling innovation and interdisciplinary connectivity at the intersection of art and technology. Equipment available for student-use in the fabrication lab includes an industrial fabricator sewing machine, a laser engraver, a 3D printer and a Zundt D3 digital cutting machine.

The Black Rock Press is well-equipped to advance the art of the book while educating students and the broader community about book arts as both a historical and contemporary medium. The press publishes a range of literary, visual and experimental materials that address the evolving nature of the book. Students learn the history of graphic design and fine typography through letterpress printing from metal and wood type on historic presses from the 19th and 20th centuries along with the newest design tools.

Courses range over periods and topics whose content focuses primarily on western art. Periods include Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, modern and contemporary.

The Department of Art also offers a Bachelor of Arts in Art History for students wishing to further develop an understanding of historical art periods.

The book & publication arts program emphasizes both the book as an art form as well as the field of publishing as artistic practice. The program focuses on the many shapes and forms the book has taken throughout history and across cultures.

The focus of the ceramics program is to challenge students intellectually by providing an opportunity for an art-making experience with an emphasis on contemporary sculpture.

The digital media program is an interdisciplinary area for researching and implementing emerging media in contemporary art.

The drawing program builds on foundational drawing skills and further explores the possibility of "mark-making" as a form of expression.

Graphic design curriculum will focus on formal graphic design language, while exploring other media and studio art practices such as 3D, 4D, motion and virtual reality.

Painting courses develop students' ideas by exploring different painting techniques and media through demonstration, investigation and experimentation.

In concert with the evolution of the photographic medium, the photography program has pursued an evolving curriculum that embraces the digital era of photography.

Printmaking students explore conventional technique as well as contemporary practices such as photo, digital media and installation.

Sculpture - above all art disciplines - is comprehensive and open ended in materials and approach. This allows for all forms of creative expression.

The Department of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno also offers a minor in any of the art emphasis areas to include art history, book & publication arts, ceramics, digital media, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography and videography, printmaking and sculpture.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts program is interdisciplinary by design; students accepted into the program come from all disciplines within the department including art history, book & publication arts, ceramics, digital media, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography and videography, printmaking and sculpture. Students work to explore their creative development in an atmosphere that encourages cross-discipline activities and engagement.

Students who have completed 60 credits hours at the University overall may apply for the Bachelor of Fine Arts program. The Department of Art will screen candidates through an application process and portfolio review, and determine a candidate's acceptance.

In addition, applicants must have completed a minimum of 12 credits in studio art and 12 credits in art history. Candidates must have and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in all courses to gain acceptance to the major.

Bachelor of Fine Art students are admitted in the fall semester only.

Applicants are to submit a completed cover letter, application form, portfolio and any additional supporting materials,* (such as exhibition announcements, newspaper publicity, etc.) no later than 4:30 p.m. Feb. 14, 2022. Late applications will not be accepted.

*Supporting materials are optional (if you have exhibition announcements or other items you would like to add, please add pages to the application form).

Please submit one PDF document saved as 'LastName_FirstName' which contains:

Example Kevin Blue BFA Application Image Inventory 1. "Untitled # 134," gelatin silver print, 20" x 24", 2005 2. "Valentine," steel sculpture, 72" x 24" x 20", 2004

Submit the application either via email to Scott Hinton or via flash drive (with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for return of your flash drive) to the Department of Art office room 209, Church Fine Arts. We will make every effort to announce the results in early spring.

For more information, please contact BFA Program Coordinator, Scott Hinton at (775) 784-4994.

A bachelor's degree in art or advanced postgraduate master in fine arts degree provide knowledge and experience useful for many different career choices. This includes:

76% of students receive financial aid

Almost everyone is eligible to receive some kind of aid. We offer need-based and merit-based forms of financial aid to help you afford college.

54% of all students graduate with no debt

That's right. More than half of our students leave the University of Nevada, Reno with no student debt.

At the University of Nevada, Reno Honors College, our students maximize their unique gifts and passions through a series of personalized experiences that deepen their capacity for transformative societal impact.