Visual Arts

Through small classes as well as individual and personal instruction, the Visual Arts major at CBU will help you not only hone your craft but also come to see our world through new eyes. With small classes, professors are working artists and scholars who get to know your portfolio, challenging your ideas to push you past what’s comfortable. That’s a different experience than what you’d get at a larger university, and it shows in the work students leave here with.

• Innovation Lab: Our coursework integrates the latest technologies into design and studio art curriculum by bringing tools such as 3D printing and laser cutting into our foundation studio courses, as well as into projects like packaging design within our graphics design program. Our goal is to combine emerging technologies with foundational artistic skills, advancing both in a meaningful and practical way.
• Professional Approach: Our faculty are working professionals who know the demands of their fields. They shape the curriculum with real-world scenarios, preparing our students to perform at the highest level once they graduate.
• Connected and Personable Education: At large universities, it’s easy to feel like just another number in a seat. At CBU, students build real relationships with their professors and classmates and develop a rapport that continues beyond the classroom. That kind of advocacy matters when it comes to connections, scholarships, and jobs. At CBU, you’re recognized as an individual with goals, not just a number in a seat.

You will have many opportunities to become aware of global issues in art through local exhibitions, internships, visits to campus by artists from around the world, and study abroad programs. The study of art history is a vital component of the degree program, placing art in a historical context along with religious, cultural, and social issues. You’ll form a deeper understanding of how art contributes to our rapidly changing world and be ready to make your own mark.

Memphis offers visual culture to inspire your work, from galleries and murals to cultural institutions and creative communities, to help you on your journey in art school. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with local exhibitions, connect with working professionals, and enrich your education. 

Visual Arts Program Options

All Visual Arts students build from the same core of art history, drawing fundamentals, and critical thinking across creative and liberal arts disciplines. From there, you may choose from two concentrations:

• Graphic Design consists of courses that teach typography and image construction essential to conveying idea messaging and brand identity. You will use the latest software and technology, and gain valuable experience in web design, digital illustration, animation, image manipulation, and photo restoration.
• Studio Arts is the broadest area of study within the degree and emphasizes cultivating individual creativity within a contextual understanding of art history and global issues. You will develop your technique in painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, mixed and other media.

Studio Arts with Education Certification for Grades K-12

If you want to teach, CBU makes it possible without adding years to your plan. After completion of the BFA in studio arts concentration, you can enroll in a fifth year of study that will allow you to finish a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and full K-12 teacher licensure preparation in just one extra year.

Program Highlights

The Visual Arts major requires 121 credit hours:

• 31 credits: General education. Math, English, religious studies, social science or history, natural or physical science
• 18 credits: Liberal arts. Humanities and social sciences
• 39 credits: Major requirements
• 24 credits: Concentrations requirements
• 9 credits: Electives

The degree culminates in a Senior Exhibition, a body of original work accompanied by a written thesis. It’s a real professional milestone, and not just a final project.

Minors

You don’t have to be a Visual Arts major to be a student at CBU. Both minors are 21 credit hours and pair well with almost any degree program. 

• Graphic Design — Art, art history, drawing, and graphic design courses
• Visual Arts — Art, art history, and drawing courses

Facilities 

The Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery on campus gives visual arts students an exhibition space to show and discuss their work. It’s also where visiting artists exhibit, which means as an art student, you’re regularly in conversation with contemporary artists, not just art history textbooks. 

Meet the Faculty

The Visual Arts faculty at CBU are working artists and educators bringing active studio practices, exhibition experience, and a genuine investment in your development as an artist. 

Professor Scott Andrew Carter, MFA

Assistant Professor, Gallery Coordinator, Visual & Performing Arts, Beverly + Sam Ross Gallery

Professor Nicholas Raul Peña, MFA

Associate Dean; Associate Professor, Visual & Performing Arts, Rosa Deal School of Arts

Professor Melinda Eckley Posey, MFA

Associate Professor, Visual & Performing Arts