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Message from Jay Wolke, Chair

Columbia College Chicago’s Art and Design Department accentuates the importance of a well-rounded education along with the development of students’ technical and conceptual skills in multiple disciplines. We want our students to become creative thinkers and producers as well as great leaders and entrepreneurs. The curriculum of the department, therefore, encourages students to develop their creativity and to learn the importance of diligence to their success as professional designers, artists, and historians.

During their first year, students learn a variety of basic skills that prepare them for further study in their majors. The foundational courses include drawing, two-dimensional design, and three-dimensional design, as well as photography and art history. These courses are structured to provide practical and creative learning opportunities as students prepare to specialize in one of seven Bachelor of Fine Arts majors: Advertising Art Direction, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture, and Product Design. For students who want a more liberal approach to learning and the freedom to investigate a broad range of interests, the department also offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design.

Our highly skilled faculty possesses a commitment to and exuberance about art, design, and history that is actively communicated to students, both in and outside the classroom. Many are award-wining, internationally exhibiting artists, published writers, or highly talented practitioners in various design fields.

The Art and Design Department has outstanding facilities supported by expert staff. From drawing, painting, and fashion studios to model and wood shops, from graphics and Auto-CAD labs to experimental digital media spaces, we have the tools to teach students how to be professional practitioners within their chosen majors.

As part of a large and vibrant college, the Art and Design Department offers many programs beyond the classroom that supplement the curriculum including lecture series, internships, competitions, study abroad programs, and exhibitions. Manifest, our annual College-wide senior exhibition event, is the largest student art exhibition in the city and allows graduating seniors and graduate students to exhibit their work to the community at large.

Jay Wolke
Chair, Art and Design

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