Art Studio

Major and minor

A major in studio art allows you to explore and expand your creative abilities, regardless of whether you plan a career as a professional artist. As an art student, you will develop and practice skills in problem-solving and cultivate your aesthetic sensitivity and visual awareness. These skills and traits will enrich your life, broaden your perspective and prepare you to succeed in any career requiring creativity and artistic sense. Our studio art faculty consists of a diverse group of nationally known artists who seek to share their skills, knowledge and enthusiasm with undergraduate students.

Real World Outcomes

While many UC Davis graduates have made successful careers as professional visual artists, a number of students pursue degrees in the fine arts with the goal of establishing careers as creative professionals--for example, as graphic or Web designers, as designers or builders of theatrical sets, or in various aspects of the performing arts. Many UC Davis fine arts graduates find employment in such fields as teaching, arts management, marketing, advertising and other areas of commerce as well as in the public sector.

Mural Business Brightens Freeways

Just before completing her undergraduate degrees in art studio and Italian in 2008, Sofia Lacin was hired to paint a mural at the Davis Crepeville restaurant. "It was difficult, but we had fun," said Lacin. "I found out I liked painting out in the open and solving the problems involved." That was the start of her career.

Requirements

You will begin your study with courses designed to introduce you to a variety of artistic media, including drawing, painting and sculpture. Courses in art history help you to understand the development of artistic styles over time and to develop your own work in a social and historical context. At the upper division level, you may choose to specialize in such media as drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography, video production and electronic arts. Courses in artistic theory and criticism round out your course of study and prepare you for continuing development in your art career.