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The Department of Visual Arts (VA)

Find your creative voice

The Department of Visual Arts assists and encourages students to find their creative voice by providing an educational environment where artists and art historians of promise and motivation can explore the horizons of their own talents in the midst of intense critical dialogue. This dialogue is generated by their peers; by distinguished visiting artists, scholars, and critics; and by a faculty comprising artists and art historians of acknowledged accomplishment. The critical dialogues help to mold and shape who you will become as an artist in the twenty-first century.

Cultivate your mind

The Visual Arts department's efforts are devoted not only to the refinement of visual skills, but to the articulation and cultivation of the mind. Students must bring creative force and imagination to their own development, for these qualities cannot be taught–they can only be stimulated and appreciated. Education in the fine arts encompasses a comprehensive knowledge of and direct experience with the various media of drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, multimedia, and animation. Supporting this enterprise is the development of an understanding of art theory, knowledge of the methods and materials of art making, and examination of the diverse approach to examining the art object in history. Central to the practice of art history are critical writing and analysis.

This is the right place

As a developing artist, you couldn't be in a better place. The department is located in downtown Denver and is at the heart of its thriving, dynamic arts community.  Whether you work as an intern at a local gallery or visit one of the nation's leading museums, our urban setting yields endless opportunities for you to learn, experience, and create art both on and beyond the Auraria campus.

The Visual Arts Curriculum of Study

Students are exposed to rigorous instruction that allows for exploration of both the technological and creative facets of the arts, both the practical and inspirational motivations of the discipline.  The Visual Arts curricula revolves around an emphasis on historical foundations; it also offers courses that assist students with understanding visual art’s modern relevance—and their place within its promising future.  Though classes are constantly added to ensure students complete the program with the most sophisticated knowledge, the following topics are always included in the BA emphases (Art History, Drawing, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture):

  • Drawing Foundations
  • 2-Dimensional Design

The following topics are always included in the BFA emphases (3D Graphics and Animation, Drawing, Multimedia, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture):

  • Drawing Foundations
  • 2-Dimensional Design
  • Color Theory
  • 3-Dimensional Design
  • Freshman Art Seminar
  • Art History Survey I
  • Art History Survey II
  • Contemporary Art History
  • Senior Art Seminar
  • BFA Thesis
  • Fine Arts Electives

In addition, guest artists and professionals are constantly lecturing and performing on campus and in the classroom, extending the scope of what students are exposed to.  Past guests have included:

  • Visual artist/visual activist Sue Coe
  • Distinguished sculptor Chakaia Booker

The Visual Arts Faculty

Visual Arts faculty members are masters of their chosen field of art—not to mention significant participants in their fields.  Their accomplishments and experiences in the arts include:

  • Guggenheim Fellowship award winner
  • Creative designer at Paramount Pictures and LucasFilm, Ltd.
  • Chief Technologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
  • Presenter at Siggraph
  • Active members of the Society for Photographic Education and hosts the regional conference in 2004 and the National Convention in 2008
  • Featured artist in  the “Exhibition Catalogue:  179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy of Design”
  • "Psychometric" series of photographs published in the July/August 2005 issue of LensWork Magazine #59.

To find out more about the dedicated Visual Arts faculty, please visit our faculty page. 

Beyond the Classroom

Students are encouraged to persistently apply the knowledge they are gaining in the classroom, to survey the creations and projects around them, and to involve themselves in these extracurricular activities whenever possible.  Several opportunities for involvement exist right on the Auraria campus.

  • Sculpture Club: The UCD Sculpture Club provides members with the opportunity to engage and further our educational experiences in sculpture and other aspects of the art world. The club's aim is to increase our knowledge of techniques and materials, establish beneficial relationships with one another, other artists, and the community as a whole, and actively participate in exhibitions and community events.
  • CU-Denver Live!: The program council is responsible for the booking, production, and promotion of events for the entire campus.  Students have the opportunity to sit on the board, work events, and/or assist with publicity and public relations.
  • Art History Club:  The Art History Students Association was created to promote art history among students by providing information on art history-related careers and graduate schools, internship and research opportunities, scholarships, fellowship and grant possibilities, and academic assistance to art history students.

Cutting-edge techology and amenities – Visual Arts Facilities

The College of Arts & Media prides itself on its cutting-edge technology and amenities.

  • Visual Resources Collection, housing an ever-growing collection which is an invaluable resource to students of art history. The collection is in the process of being digitized.
  • Spacious classrooms dedicated to painting and drawing.
  • The best sculpture facilities in Colorado: Visual Arts has a full foundry for the casting of bronze and aluminum as well as fully-equipped wood shop and metals lab.
  • Outstanding photography facilities, including all types of wet processing labs and digital facilities.
  • Off-campus classes at the Denver Art Museum and "Smart" classrooms that support the teaching of art history with the latest media equipment.
  • Students have access to a variety of photography and macintosh labs for study and practice. Also available is the Art Resource Center, a “clearing house” for information about study abroad programs, job offers, internships and continuing education.
  • The CU-Digital Studios two labs used by CU-Digital Animation Students, have fast Hewlett Packard workstations with strong video accelerators running the latest releases of MAYA and supporting design software. There is another lab with new Hewlett Packard workstations equipped with full suites of design and editing software that is used for video editing, multimedia and digital photography.

Your Future Profession: http://www.careersincolorado.org

  • Sketch Artist: Average salary $38,330 a year
  • Art Director: Average salary $65,570 a year ($48,020-$72,250/year)
  • Multimedia Artists and Animators : Average salary $46,700 a year ($37,370 - $49,720/year)
  • Fine Artists Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators: Average salary $29,580 a year ($17,710 - $29,580/year)
  • Graphic Designers: Average salary $39,670 a year ($30,890 - $40,130/year)

Confirmed success–Our Visual Arts Alumni

The success of the Visual Arts program is confirmed by the success of its students. Graduates have exhibited their work in galleries across the Denver metropolitan region, andhave published books of the works as well as writings or critical essays written about their work by national publications.

  • A 2003 BFA graduate in Photography had an essay written about her work in Exposure magazine.
  • A 2005 BFA Photography graduate's photography exhibition was recently reviewed in Exposure magazine.
  • Multimedia graduates produced an animated live-action feature for a science museum; created web ads for a recording label; served as a video editor for advertising a clothing line; and served as a creative director for an advertising agency.
  • A Photography graduate published his first mongraph of his photography.
  • A Photography graduate was chosen as one of the fifteen hottest young photographers in the country by Black & White magazine.     

Twelve Visual Arts Programs

The Visual Arts Department has two main tracks: the Bachelor of Arts programs (Art History, Drawing, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts programs (3D Animation, Drawing, Digital Design, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture).  The Bachelor of Art degree is more of a liberal arts degree, it places a greater emphasis on academic studies than on studio courses. It is designed for students who desire significant breadth of experience and understanding rather than a professional specialization. Upon graduation, students will develop visual sensitivity, and the ability to conceptualize observations.  It also familiarizes students with the works and intentions of the major artists and movements of the past and present, as well as the latest contemporary thinking in art. The Bachelor of Fine Arts is the initial professional degree in art; it is heavier in studio courses and is designed to train graduates to be professional practicing artists.  Students who graduate with a BFA often pursue the highest or terminal degree offered to a studio artist, the Master of Fine Arts degree.

Please see below for a further explanation of these Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs.  If you have any further questions, please see the UCD Course Catalog, or contact a CAM advisor for more information.

Please see the UCD Catalog or a CAM advisor for more information.