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Studio Art

In Person
Campus: Jackson
Three people stand and talk inside a modern art gallery with ceramic pieces displayed on white pedestals in the foreground. The gallery has white walls, large windows, and wood flooring.

Create with skill and intention

The Studio Art major at Union University develops students as visual artists through a five-course foundations sequence, a comprehensive art history curriculum, and focused study in a chosen concentration. Within a Christ-centered liberal arts environment, graduates are prepared for careers as practicing artists, educators, and contributors to visual culture.

Quick Facts

Academic Program

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art

Department

Department of Art

Format

In Person

Program Type

Major

Accreditation

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) since 2001.

Curriculum

What You'll Study

Studio Art at Union is designed to develop artists who make work that matters — combining a strong foundational curriculum with deep training in a primary medium and a required secondary emphasis. You'll graduate with a body of work, a developed artistic voice, and the discipline to keep making.

Find Your Way

Degree Pathways

Academic Pathways

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art

A person with short gray hair, wearing a striped shirt and apron, gives a pottery demonstration to a seated audience. They gesture with one hand while a clay piece sits on a spinning wheel in front of them.
Wearing a plaid shirt and earbud, a person creates an expressive black and white painting on a canvas set on an easel in an art studio. Several photos and images are pinned on the wall, inspiring their art.

Creating with Skill, Intention, and a Sense of Vocation

At Union, studio art is pursued as a serious discipline and a meaningful vocation. You’ll develop technical skill, visual intelligence, and artistic voice in a community that believes creativity is part of bearing the image of a creative God — guided by faculty who take your work and your calling seriously.

Study with Practitioners Who Still Create

Instructors who take your work and your calling seriously guide you toward technical skill, visual intelligence, and a distinctive artistic voice.

Emphases

Ceramics Emphasis

A person wearing a striped shirt and apron demonstrates pottery techniques at a table with clay, tools, and a bowl, while seated people watch in the background.

The Ceramics emphasis at Union trains students in functional and sculptural ceramic techniques within a Christ-centered art program. Students develop hands-on skills in hand-building, wheel-throwing, glazing and firing — building technical mastery and artistic voice for careers in studio art, craft and education.

Drawing Emphasis

Two people enjoy drawing at easels outdoors in front of a building with a dog statue. One stands while sketching, the other sits on a stool, surrounded by art supplies scattered on the ground.

The Drawing emphasis at Union develops foundational and advanced drawing skills within a Christian liberal arts context. Students build technical proficiency across a range of media and approaches — preparing them for careers as practicing artists, designers, educators or contributors to related creative fields.

Graphic Design Emphasis

Several students sit at a row of computers in a classroom. One student is editing an image of a person with photo editing software, working on a Graphic Design project. The walls are light blue.

The Graphic Design emphasis prepares students to engage visual culture in the marketplace with creativity and conviction. Students study design principles, digital tools and visual communication strategies — developing the skills to create compelling work that informs and resonates in a fast-paced world.

Painting Emphasis

Wearing a plaid shirt and earbud, a person creates an expressive black and white painting on a canvas set on an easel in an art studio. Several photos and images are pinned on the wall, inspiring their art.

The Painting emphasis at Union equips students with technical skills and artistic knowledge for careers as practicing painters or contributors to related creative fields. Within a Christian liberal arts environment, students develop their individual voice and craft across a range of painting media and approaches.

Photography Emphasis

The Photography emphasis at Union trains students to recognize and capture meaningful images through study of photographic history, contemporary trends and emerging processes. Within a Christ-centered program, students develop both technical proficiency and an artistic eye — preparing them for professional practice and creative careers.

Sculpture Emphasis

A person wearing protective gear uses a torch that emits a flame, while three others in safety goggles and masks observe in a workshop setting.

The Sculpture emphasis at Union develops students’ skills in three-dimensional art-making within a Christ-centered creative environment. Students explore sculptural concepts, materials and techniques — building the technical foundation and artistic vision needed for careers in studio art, public art and related creative fields.

Take the next step with confidence

Whether you’re exploring, visiting, or ready to apply—we’re here to help you move forward.