Life is Ridiculously Awesome

2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition

On View May 16 - June 9

Stanford Art Gallery

McMurtry Building at night

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McMurtry Building atrium at day

Greater diversity and inclusion in the Department of Art and Art History

We are committed to building an equitable, antiracist, and non-discriminatory environment that empowers all students, staff, faculty, and community members.

The Department of Art & Art History is an interdisciplinary department offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history, art practice, film and media studies, and documentary film. 

Art History course in Oshman Hall.

Art History

Art History is a discipline that strives to understand works of art, architecture, and design from a variety of perspectives, including the original context of their making and reception as well as their subsequent circulation, collection, conservation, and display. As culturally embedded expressions, works of art may yield multiple meanings depending on the kinds of research and interpretive strategies that art historians bring into play. 

Learn more about the Art History program

Art History undergraduate program

Art History graduate program

Art Practice

The Art Practice program on both undergraduate and graduate levels offers production-based curriculum to prepare students for creative careers in the visual arts and to hone their creative capabilities. Access to diverse courses and faculty, cross-disciplinary interaction, and well-equipped labs are among the strengths of this flexible program.

Learn more about the Art Practice program

Art Practice undergraduate program

Art Practice graduate program

Documentary Film and Video

Students in the Documentary Film and Video Program become conversant with the documentary tradition as well as with alternative media and new directions in documentary.  In addition to the training in documentary production, graduates gain substantive research skills in film criticism and film analysis. The MFA degree is designed to prepare students for professional careers in film, video, and digital media, with the qualifications to teach at the university level.

 Learn more about the MFA Program in Documentary Film

Film and Media Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media Studies provides students with knowledge of film aesthetics, national cinematic traditions, modes of production in narrative, documentary, and experimental films, the incorporation of moving image media by contemporary artists, and the proliferation of new forms of digital media.

Learn more about the Film and Media Studies program

Upcoming Events

June
6
Date
Tuesday, June 6, 2023. 9:00am - Friday, September 15, 2023. 5:00pm
Location
Bowes Art & Architecture Library, McMurtry Building, 2nd floor
355 Roth Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
June
15
Date
Thursday, June 15, 2023. 6:00pm - 7:15pm
Location
McMurtry Building
355 Roth Way, Stanford, CA 94305
Oshman Hall
June
17
Date
Saturday, June 17, 2023. 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Location
McMurtry Building
355 Roth Way, Stanford, CA 94305
Oshman Hall

Current Exhibitions

Date
Tuesday, May 16, 2023. 11:00am - Friday, June 9, 2023. 5:00pm
Location
Stanford Art Gallery 419 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305

The Department of Art and Art History presents Life is Ridiculously Awesome, the 2023 MFA Thesis Exhibition, on view May 16 - June 9 at the Stanford Art Gallery.

Date
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 - Friday, June 9, 2023. All day
Location
McMurtry Building 355 Roth Way, Stanford, CA, 94305 Coulter Art Gallery

The Department of Art and Art History presents the 2023 Senior Undergraduate Exhibition Twice As Many Stars on view May 30 - June 9 at the Coulter Art Gallery.

Date
Tuesday, June 6, 2023. 9:00am - Friday, September 15, 2023. 5:00pm
Location
Bowes Art & Architecture Library, McMurtry Building, 2nd floor
355 Roth Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Stanford Studio Art faculty member Gail Wight's early works of art addressed the vagaries of the mind: neurology, machine intelligence and interspecies communication.

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