Educating the next generation of art historians
The Department of Art History and Visual Culture at the University of St. Thomas seeks to explore the many dimensions of art in a wide range of periods and worldwide cultures. Art history embodies the liberal arts by considering art and architecture within its broader context.
As a student in any of our programs, you will be encouraged by our passionate faculty to become an investigator, learning to ask and answer questions about art. You will have the opportunity to conduct and present independent research to a larger audience, making art accessible inside and outside of the classroom. You will learn the professional standards needed to work in museums of all types. Plus, you will have the chance to work with the university's teaching collection of art and digital visual resources, adding a practical dimension to your education and gaining invaluable skills for the future.
All of our undergraduate and graduate programs offer unique opportunities to engage with faculty and your peers inside and outside of the classroom while gaining practical skills that will benefit you in your future career.
Our graduate certificates are flexible and give you the opportunity to gain mastery of core concepts while exploring areas of passion and interest.
Our department is committed to providing exhibitions, collections and galleries that foster a better understanding of the power of art in our lives. Students work closely with curators and artists to learn proper curatorial and exhibition management and techniques.
The Sustainability Arts Gallery is an evolving, living space, continuously activated with new artwork, research, and activities. Over the next two years (2025-2027), join us in exploring the past, present, and future ecology of St. Thomas, the surrounding area, and the Mississippi River through interdisciplinary and indigenous perspectives.
The American Museum of Asmat Art features the work of the Asmat people of Papua, Indonesia, and is one of the preeminent teaching collections in the United States.
The Voorsanger Architects Archive consists of a digital collection of 25 projects and the physical files of Voorsanger Architects PC in New York City.
The core curriculum is the bedrock of St. Thomas that focuses on educating the whole person. As a student at St. Thomas, you will complete four credits (or one course) focusing on the fine arts. We offer numerous classes that meet this requirement.
The J-term study abroad course "ARTH 150 - Explorations in Art History: London" takes you to London, where you immerse yourself in the city's rich history of art and architecture.
Street art – including graffiti, murals, stickers, wheat paste posters, light projections, and more – is by nature ephemeral, often capturing raw and immediate responses to events happening in the world. In the context of crisis, street art has the potential to transform urban space and foster a sustained political dialogue, reaching a wide audience. The George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art database and Covid-19 Street Art database, both created by the Urban Art Mapping Research Project, seek to document examples of street art demanding social justice and racial equality in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and ongoing responses to the pandemic on a global scale.
Image: Stencil from the wall of Cup Foods, photographed on October 16, 2020
Our faculty are passionate scholars and researchers that are eager to connect with students inside and outside of the classroom.
Dr. Shirey is Professor and Chair of the Department of Art History and Visual Culture and is primarily interested in arts of the African Diaspora, the history of photography and global street art.
Dr. Stansbury-O'Donnell's research centers on ancient Greece, as well as narrative and context.
Dr. Kindall focuses on Chinese art in her classes and research. Her current research focuses on farewell culture and landscape identity, and representations of the Yandang mountain range in Chinese painting.
Dr. Heather Shirey, Department Chair
Tel: (651) 962-5572
Email: hmshirey@stthomas.edu
Mailing Address
University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Avenue, Mail 44C
Saint Paul, MN 55105
Campus Location
Our offices are located in the Department of Art History and Visual Culture House at 44 Cleveland Avenue North.