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Art & Design, B.A.

Art & Design, B.A.

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As a Whitworth art & design major, you will develop your artistic skills and discover your creative voice. Our studio classes offer you rich opportunities to explore different materials and methods, while encouraging you to specialize in one area. For that, you can choose painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, glass, digital art, time-based media or a unique combination. Beyond the classroom, you can show your artwork in campus exhibitions, do an internship, organize art events or study abroad. When you graduate, you will be prepared to pursue your vocation in the arts. 

Why major in art & design at Whitworth?

  • Learn one-on-one. Faculty provide individual guidance in small studio classes and are available outside of class as well.
  • Immerse yourself in the Lied Center for the Visual Arts. This beautiful, contemporary building houses six studios, two gallery spaces and a cutting-edge computer lab. Our studios are available from 6 a.m.-1 a.m.
  • Easily double major in art education, graphic design, art history or a major in another department.
  • Express your faith or worldview in your artwork. Professors encourage you to engage intellectually and spiritually with the artwork you make.  
  • Learn from the pros. Our faculty members are professionally active artists who exhibit in prominent galleries. They win awards, grants and residencies.  
  • Travel the world through amazing off-campus programs led by your professors.
  • Prepare for a career in the arts by doing an internship, creating a professional website or working with our permanent collection.
  • Focus on vocation and connect what you're learning here to your life beyond Whitworth.
  • Become who you're meant to be.
Headshot of Faith Rice.
Printmaking and Painting 1 have been two of my favorite classes. I'd never done printmaking, let alone any formal art class before coming to Whitworth. Printmaking was something fun for me to try, and the format and layout of the class was very digestible for someone who was new to that specific medium. Painting I also taught me how to use a new medium, that being oil painting, and in that class I created one of my favorite projects I've made during my time here.
Faith Rice '27
What it's Like
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A row of trees stands at the end of a field covered in multi-colored autumn leaves.

Ask our faculty

Have questions? Our faculty are here to share their expertise and help you learn more about this program.

Ask Meredith

mshimizu@whitworth.edu

Professor of Art Meredith TeGrotenhuis Shimizu specializes in art history.

Faculty Page

Ask Katie

kcreyts@whitworth.edu

Professor Katie Creyts' areas of expertise are glass, sculpture, arts administration and community arts.

Faculty Page

Ask Ben

bnecochea@whitworth.edu

Associate Professor Ben Necochea specializes in graphic design.

Faculty Page

Ask Benny

bfountain@whitworth.edu

Associate Professor Benny Fountain’s areas of expertise are drawing and painting.

Our art & design grads make a difference (and get jobs)

Whitworth art & design graduates become studio artists, teachers, art curators, professional photographers and graphic designers. Popular graduate school routes include programs in the fine arts, art history, architecture and education.

Recent job placements for Whitworth Art & Design Department graduates include:

  • Jaime Rome Crain, gallery owner and professional fine artist, J. Rome Gallery, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
  • Ruth Campbell, elementary art specialist, Spokane Public Schools, Spokane, Wash.
  • Hannah Hirano, museum services & conservation coordinator, Seattle Art Museum
  • Melissa Murakami, freelance children's book illustrator, Bellevue
  • Kellen Pacheco, architectural designer, ZGF Architects, Seattle

Our recent art & design department grads further their studies in top graduate programs at institutions including:

  • University of Iowa
  • Clemson University
  • Portland State University
  • Iowa State University
  • Syracuse University
  • Digipen Institute of Technology

Opportunities outside the classroom

  • Show your work in the junior and senior exhibitions. In the process, learn how to organize, hang, and publicize an art show.
  • Participate in the annual trip to Seattle to visit galleries and museums with faculty and peers.
  • Join the Artists' Cooperative, a group of students who organize workshops, art fairs, and mini excursions to check out Spokane’s art scene.
  • Check out the art exhibitions at Whitworth's Bryan Oliver Gallery, plus interact with visiting artists through receptions, one-on-one critiques and workshops.
  • Get a job as the assistant for Whitworth's permanent collection or Bryan Oliver Gallery for hands-on experience working with art. You’ll learn how to manage a collection, organize and install exhibitions, handle artworks and maintain records.

Pack your bags!

Whitworth faculty members lead off-campus study programs around the country and the world that provide life-changing experiences with art, including exposure to significant museum collections. Programs that visit major destinations in Europe include Renaissance and Baroque Art, Power & Politics of Art, Art in Rome, Art & Culture in Oaxaca, and Early Christian Sites in Greece. 

Tracks

The Whitworth art & design major offers four tracks: two-dimensional art, three-dimensional art, art education and graphic design.

What related degrees and programs can I explore?

Program information