Art

About

Our Art Program offers classes in many areas including:

  • Ceramics,
  • Painting,
  • Drawing,
  • Photography,
  • Printmaking,
  • Sculpture,
  • Digital media,
  • Illustration
  • Hybrid Studies,
  • Visual Culture and More

Whichever degree option you choose, you’ll learn how to use your individual artistic passions to “create” your future career.


Contact Us

For further questions or concerns about Art, please contact:

Professor Jenny Hyde
Program Director for Art
P: 509.359.6997
E: ArtDepartment@ewu.edu

136 Art Building
Cheney, WA 99004

Ready to declare an Art Major? email the Art director for an appointment.

Why Should I Study Art at EWU?

We launch the careers of people who dream of contributing to the world through the Visual Arts through the making of art—or the curating, researching and/or teaching of art.

Careers in Art

  • High School Art Teacher
  • Elementary Art Teacher
  • Art Education Director
    • Museum programs
    • Community based programs
  • College Instructor or Professor
  • Visiting Artist
  • Artist Residency Instructor or Technician
  • Art Teacher
    • Community centers
    • Art centers
  • Workshop Leader
  • Workshop Coordinator

  • High School Art Teacher
  • Elementary Art Teacher
  • Art Education Director
    • Museum programs
    • Community based programs
  • College Instructor or Professor
  • Visiting Artist
  • Artist Residency Instructor or Technician
  • Art Teacher
    • Community centers
    • Art centers
  • Workshop Leader
  • Workshop Coordinator

 

  • Working Artist
  • Grant Writer
  • Public Artist
  • Art Consultant
  • Curator
    • Gallery
    • Museum

  • Gallerist
  • Art Agent and Business Manager
  • Online Vendor

  • Art Therapy

  • Archivist
  • Foundation Accounts
  • Arts Preservation
  • Membership Officer
  • Museum Shop Manager
  • Preparator
  • Public Relations Officer
  • Registrar
  • Receptionist
  • Program Assistants
  • Curatorial Assistant
  • Museum Program Assistant
  • Research Assistant
  • Social Media Managers or Assistants
  • Marketing Assistants
  • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Grants writer
  • Press/PR Assistants or Directors
  • Event Management

  • Commercial Photography
  • Professional Photography
  • Illustrator
  • Graphic Designer
  • AV Technician
  • Studio Artist
  • Muralist
  • Studio Artist
  • Potter
  • Production Design
  • Set Design
  • Studio Artist
  • Freelance Illustrator
  • Freelance Designer
  • Creative Technologist
  • Craft Artist
  • Industrial Designer
  • Animator
  • Multimedia Specialist
  • Digital Designer
  • Digital Content Strategist
  • Tattoo Artist
  • Digital Image Specialist
  • Digital Video Editor
  • Videographer
  • Digital Asset Manager
  • Studio Assistant
  • Studio Technician

With 3.48 million people working for arts businesses, arts education is a critical tool in fueling the creative industries with arts-trained workers as well as new arts consumers.

“The arts develop skills and habits of mind that are important for workers in the new economy of ideas.”
– Alan Greenspan,
former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman

Art Scholarships

Background: Established by former faculty members Tom Askman and Barbara Miller for EWU Art Students

The recipient of this award should:

  • be a full-time junior or senior who is majoring in Studio Art or Art History
  • have a GPA of 3.0 or higher

The art faculty will select a student based on their determination of the most deserving and promising student.

Amount Awarded: $600-$1,200

 

Background: Established by EWU alumnus Phillip D. Grub in honor of his appreciation for art classes.

This award is for students who:

  • are juniors or seniors
  • demonstrate financial need and/or superior ability in art

Amount Awarded: $600-$1,400

Background: Established in honor of Ruby Gould Tyler and her love of Art.

The recipient of this award must:

  • be an art major
  • have a 3.0 GPA or higher
  • demonstrate financial need

Amount Awarded: $200-$500

Background: R. A. Hanrahan established her biannual scholarship in 1975.

Amount Awarded: $200-$1,000

Our scholarships help many students pay tuition.

Complete the general EWU scholarship application to be considered.

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Range of Facilities

We have multiple studios spaces that are bright and open for use – pretty much anytime! When they are not being used for classes, students are welcome to use the spaces to create.

Some of the spaces include the:

  • Digital Art Lab
  • Painting Studio
  • Photography Darkroom
  • Ceramics Studio
  • Printmaking Studio
  • Student Gallery space
  • and more!

If you are interested in touring the spaces – head on over to the Visitors Center to schedule a campus tour and let them know you want to check out the Art Building!

Visiting Artist Lecture Series

Every year the Visiting Artist Lecture Series (VALS) works with national & international contacts in the art world to bring working artists, critics, and educators to the Spokane area.

This is a great opportunity for our students and the community to learn more about careers in the visual arts.

Established in 1993 with grants from the National Education Association, the Visiting Artist Lecture Series (VALS) is a community consortium that promotes dialogue about contemporary art and art issues. Past panelists, lecturers and exhibitors have included a roster of impressive creators/scholars including:

  • Amalia Mesa-Bains,
  • James Luna,
  • Mel Chin,
  • Kiki Smith,
  • Janine Antoni,
  • Sue Coe,
  • Enrique Chagoya, and more!

Visit our Facebook page to see about current VALS events and for further questions or concerns, please contact Jenny Hyde at jhyde@ewu.edu.

EWU Gallery of Art

The Department of Art houses a unique central gallery space. We offer an excellent exhibition program geared towards giving students first-hand knowledge of the work, ideas, and methods of successful visual artists working today.

Exhibitions occur throughout the academic year, with an end-of-the-year student symposium and BFA exhibition of student work. Exhibitions are often coupled with artist talks and/or critique sessions with students.

Head on over to their webpage to learn more about the EWU Gallery of Art.

Frequently Asked Questions

You should begin taking Art Foundations courses as soon as you think you might want to major in art. No matter which degree you choose, you’ll need the following:

  • ART 201 | Studio Art I: Surface/Image/Practice
  • ART 202 | Studio Art II: Space/Form/Materials
  • ART 203 | Digital Art I (except Art History majors)
  • ART 213 | The Visual Art Experience

Many art history courses require ENGL 201 as a prerequisite, so we encourage you to take that course as early as possible.

You’ll probably also take some General Education courses while taking your Art Foundations. During this time, you should work closely with a CAAR advisor to plan your degree program. Once you’ve decided to declare a major (art education, art history, or studio art), you’ll be assigned an ART advisor.

Keep in mind, while taking general education credits, the Art Program has multiple General Education courses that can count towards your program:

  • ART 213: The Visual Art Experience (humanities breadth area)
  • ART 310: World Art,
  • ARTH 303: The Body in Art,
  • and ARTH 340: Native North American Art (diversity requirement).

For the Studio Art (BA) you do not have to apply. Email the Art director for an appointment to declare an Art Major.

If you are interested in pursuing a BFA – Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art, there is an application process in the spring and you can learn more about the process on the Studio Art (BFA) page.

If you are interested in applying for the BFA program, make sure to talk to your faculty advisor.

Yes, the Art Program offers two art minors:

  1. Studio Art
  2. Art History

An art minor is a great credential to add to many other degrees. It shows an exposure to creative thinking and problem solving: things important to fields such as business, design, or even law!

YES! EWU Art alumni have been accepted into a variety of top-notch universities across the USA. Our BFA students alone have been placed in over 300 universities across the country, including:

  • University of Texas – Austin
  • Cranbrook
  • San Francisco Art Institute
  • Pratt Institute
  • Claremont
  • California Institute of Arts and Crafts
  • Mills College
  • University of California – San Diego
  • Alfred University
  • University of Idaho

… and more!

For our program learning objectives, please see our individual degree pages:

Overall, we understand that art represents people, cultures, values and perspectives on being human. Studying art gives students the tools to interpret the world in which they live by cultivating creativity and stretching perceptions.

If you are interested in pursuing a degree or minor in Art and don’t see your question here, please feel free to reach out.

Professor Jenny Hyde
Program Director for Art
P: 509.359.6997
E: ArtDepartment@ewu.edu