Our School
Art is powerful. It illuminates, it conceals. Art examines actual, lived life, and imagines alternative realities.
The School of Art & Art History at the University of South Florida recognizes the power of art. We immerse students in visual culture, past and present. Engage them to explore and understand how images construct and reflect the shared consciousness of a culture.
Students can pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history and studio art. Non-majors interested in supplementing their studies with a concentration in the arts can explore our minors and interdisciplinary certificates.
Our faculty guide and mentor students as they hone their skills and knowledge. They are actively engaged in their fields. Members of our studio art faculty have exhibited their works in galleries and museums nationally and internationally, participated in artist-in-residency programs, and spoken at conferences to share their expertise. Art history faculty members have received fellowships and grants to support their research, and published books and journal articles of their scholarly work.
The School began in 1956 with the founding of the University. Located in the metropolitan city of Tampa, we value and connect with our local and regional communities, with whom we produce and experience art. We are committed to providing a challenging learning environment of research, creativity and experimentation. In our students, we emphasize engaged, critical thinking and a sense of citizenship within our globalized society.
The School of Art & Art History and Tampa Bay
The USF School of Art & Art History is the critical and creative nucleus for the visual arts in the Greater Tampa Bay Region. Thirty-four artists affiliated with USF – current and former students, professors and staff – were selected for the prestigious 2017 “Skyway” exhibitions at three major Bay Area museums. They represented more than 60 percent of the 57 artists who were featured.
In addition to participating in our courses, certificates and degrees, the urban community frequently joins us for first-class exhibitions, on-site tours, and free lectures by the most respected artists, art historians, curators, designers and creative makers/thinkers from throughout the world.
We are a hub for linking the public to our unique programs and workshops in Art and Health, Arts Administration and Veterans in the Arts. A special fund enables us to offer afterschool art courses at Community Stepping Stones in Sulphur Springs, as well as internships at businesses, schools, and museums in Tampa Bay.
Additonally, check out the Fresh Art International blog which discusses our school's impact on the Arts in Tampa Bay! Fresh Art International
Last but not least, each spring semester, shortly before USF graduation, we hold our annual ArtHouse, where we open all of our studios to the entire community to showcase – and celebrate – the imaginative and amazing artworks, videos, animations, and performances by our art and art history students. The evening is electric with live music and exhibitions.
About The Arts at USF
The College of The Arts is the creative center of USF's Tampa campus. We prepare students for careers in architecture, community design, art, art history, music, theatre and dance.
About USF
Founded in 1956, the University of South Florida is a preeminent university located in Tampa, Florida. Learn about history, careers, facts, traditions, visiting campus and more.
Tampa Bay Arts Community
Outside USF, the Tampa Bay area offers a rich variety of creative and cultural activities. Follow this link to learn more about our local arts community.