Art & Art History Mission & Vision

MISSION STATEMENT 


The Department of Art & Art History at San José State university provides a world class public education for thinkers & makers shaping the world for future generations. Visual art and art history play a central role in our increasingly visual and interactive culture. Our students graduate with visual literacy that fosters cross-cultural understanding required of global citizens.


As the Public University in Silicon Valley, we pride ourselves in offering inclusive education within a culturally diverse community. We value Ethical Production, Technological Humanism, & Sustainable Approaches to education and creative practices. We are dedicated to the understanding and analysis of visual communication, to complex critical thinking and writing, and to the interpretation of local and global culture, past and present. 


State of the art facilities support interdisciplinary scholarship across areas Art History and Visual Culture, cutting edge critical Digital Media Art practices in Computer Graphics, AI, VR, and creative coding, Photographic methods from digitally based methods to chemical and alternative photo processes, Pictorial Practice including painting, drawing and printmaking, and Spatial Practices that encompasses a broad range of media including Ceramics, Glass, Installation Art, Metal Fabrication and Casting, Digital Fabrication, Multimedia, Performance Art, and Sculpture. 


We open doors for students through community partnerships, student research initiatives, internships, & employment opportunities. Interdisciplinary research within the Department of Art & Art History supports hybrid practices that utilize new and historical practices, digital and analog technologies, critical thinking skills and hands-on making. Our programs prepare professional artists, creative thinkers, and educators to face challenges & opportunities in the 21st century.

 

Vision Statement


We are artists who have a global view of scholarship and curriculum. We want to share our successes with students, alumni, the university community, Silicon Valley and beyond through outreach.

  • We will generate a stronger visible presence in the Bay Area and beyond.

We will support diversity in RSCA, and in the classroom 

  • We support our students through accessible syllabi, equitable assignments and inclusive grading practices. 

  • We want to attract diverse faculty that reflect our students and can serve as mentors.

     

  • We will strive to be Interdisciplinary 

We believe the future of higher education must cross disciplinary boundaries to prepare students for an increasingly interconnected world.

  • Develop pathways for interdisciplinary development and instruction through projects and assignments. 
  • Foster interdisciplinary learning environments in our classrooms and labs. 
    Build on the multiple disciplines already within the department. 
  • Create interdisciplinary opportunities within university and outside institutions and industries.
  • We will critically engage with teaching and technology

We want to reimagine what the digital realm might mean within the various disciplines of the visual arts.

  • We will prepare our students for shifting careers in technology and art, ensuring our graduates have a baseline of technological literacy that will open the door to future careers in the arts.
  • Provide enough state of the art equipment in our labs for students to have reliable access to.
  • Communicate and inform our students so they know about these assets.

Creating and developing state-of-art facilities, including support staff, that match our curriculum and support interdisciplinary collaboration.

  • Engage with the community within the context of Silicon Valley