The Furman Art Department is a vibrant collaborative environment that encourages creative innovation and entrepreneurship analysis making and reflection.

We are less interested in making students look like traditional art and art history majors that master one particular studio or historical area. We are focused on developing interdisciplinary creative thinkers and problem-solvers who are adaptable and successful in their lives outside of Furman.

Our primary goal is to support, encourage and mentor students through their educational pathways while championing the Arts.

Department of Art and Art History Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The faculty and staff in the Art Department at Furman University are committed to building a diverse, equitable, antiracist, and non-discriminatory environment in which all members are valued and supported. As a tool of creative expression, we believe that art, in study and practice, has the potential to connect people of diverse backgrounds because it explores aspects that are unique and integral to the human experience: imagination, memory, and identity formation.  Artistic representations of all kinds embody personal and cultural beliefs, values, and ideology, and as such, we acknowledge and are actively working to dismantle the systemic injustices and prejudices that are often preserved and promoted through works of art and architecture. In our classes and departmental programming, we commit to bringing awareness to and amplifying the stories of individuals and communities who have been historically marginalized in academic scholarship, museum collections and exhibitions, and artists’ shows. We recognize that our core value of inclusive and equitable teaching requires the thoughtful inclusion of diverse perspectives that aim to combat harmful stereotypes and instill a sense of intrinsic self-worth, belonging, and resiliency in our students, staff, and faculty.

The Art Department is working to expand its curriculum and programming to bring new content and perspectives to our community. These steps have already begun to take place through the redesign of the art history curriculum, which now emphasizes cross-cultural connections across multiple chronologies in a global context. As we plan future gallery rotations and artist- in- residency opportunities, we are shaping these programs to better support university-wide initiatives aimed at enhancing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion along with promoting anti-racist policies and practices across the campus, including Furman’s Task Force on Slavery and Justice.

Program Overview

Program Overview

From declaring your major to choosing from our diverse selection of courses, learn what's required to major in art history or studio arts.

Thompson Art Gallery

Thompson Art Gallery

The Thompson Art Gallery features a variety of exhibitions throughout the academic year and is located in the Roe Art Building on Furman's campus.

Beyond These Walls: Senior Art Show 2020

Beyond These Walls: Senior Art Show 2020

"A Senior Show website was not exactly what we had initially envisioned as the platform to display our final projects. Much time, dedication, and long nights were spent over the past year creating pieces of artwork to display to Furman and the Greenville community in the Thompson Art Gallery. However, COVID-19 had other plans for us." - Class of 2020

Student Experiences

Student Experiences

Students connect coursework to meaningful experiences such as research, internships, study away and community learning projects.

Annual Sleep When You're Dead 24 hr. Design Competition

Annual Sleep When You're Dead 24 hr. Design Competition

Sign up for our annual SWYD 24 hr Design Competition. Every year students from all over campus lose one night of sleep embracing design and creating work that solves problems and tells stories.

Faculty

Faculty

Our small student-faculty ratio and diverse, talented team of professors and staff are the reason our art program is one of the most acclaimed in the Southeast.

  • 9:1
    Student Faculty Ratio
  • 70%
    of Art Majors are double majors
  • 90%
    of our Art Majors have had an internship by the time they have graduated

Read Our Blog

What Can I Do With a Degree in Art?

Discovering your future career with an art degree is not always a straight forward path. While your mind may immediately gravitate towards marketing your own work as a fine artist, many other career options exist....

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Contact Us

Contact Us

Have a question or need further information? We're here to help.