Office
Fine Arts Building, Room 204
5015 Holmes Street
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 235-1501
Email: umkcmad@umkc.edu
Phone: 816-235-1501
Department Chair
Elijah Gowin
Department Description
The Department of Media, Art and Design is a dynamic environment that aims to provide all UMKC students with education and experience to develop their creative- and critical-thinking skills, their art-making abilities, and their versatility in professional and personal situations. The Department serves a variety of students, ranging from the non-major to the professionally oriented. The department offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, Film and Media Arts, Media, Art and Design, and Studio Art, as well as minors in each area. Art History also offers a Master of Arts degree in Art History and participates in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.
Students studying Art History, Film and Media Arts, Media Art and Design, and Studio Art obtain a broad liberal arts foundation during their educational career and receive sound fundamental training in the arts. Small class sizes combined with interactive teaching methods offer a comprehensive learning environment for the aspiring arts professional. The department also collaborates with other departments and schools within the university.
Kansas City is nationally known for its vibrant arts scene, with the UMKC Gallery of Art, Plug Projects, and many galleries located in the Crossroads Arts District. The department's partnerships with art organizations like Charlotte Street Foundation, ArtsKC, Studios Inc, and others structure internships, networking, entrepreneurial mentoring, and other professional development opportunities. Visiting artists and scholars, gallery exhibitions, and enrichment programs supplement coursework.
Outside of the classroom, physical proximity and close professional connections to the museums, studios, galleries, and art organizations in the Kansas City community offer students additional opportunities for exposure to new ideas, media, and special events. The extensive collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is located three blocks away, and there are also major contemporary collections nearby, including those of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, H&R Block Artspace, the Belger Arts Center, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.
Cristina Albu1,2; Associate Professor of Art History; B.A. (University of Bucharest); M.A. (University of Warwick); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh).
Richard W. Allman1; Professor of Studio Art; B.F.A. (Massachusetts College of Art); M.F.A. (Rhode Island School of Design).
Barry Anderson1; Professor of Studio Art; B.F.A. (University of Texas at Austin); M.F.A. (Indiana University - Bloomington).
Mitchell Brian; Teaching Professor of Film and Media Studies; B.A. (California State University, Northridge); M.A. (University of Missouri-Kansas City).
Lyn Elliot; Professor of Film and Media Studies; B.A. (Carleton College); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Iowa); M.F.A. (University of Iowa).
Elijah Gowin1; Professor of Studio Art; B.A. (Davidson College); M.F.A. (University of New Mexico).
Joseph R. Hartman1,2; Assistant Professor of Art History; B.A. (Goshen College); M.A. (University of North Texas); Ph.D. (Southern Methodist University)
Caitlin M. Horsmon1,2,; Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies; B.A. (Oberlin College); M.A.,M.F.A. (University of Iowa).
Kevin Mullin; Assistant Teaching Professor of Film and Media Arts; B.S. Radio and Television Journalism (Kansas State University); M.B.A. (Rockhurst University).
Larson Powell1,2; Curator's Professor of Film and Media Studies; B.A., M.A., M. Phil., Ph.D. (Columbia University)
Hyeyoung Shin; Associate Professor of Studio Art; B.F.A. (Kyung-Sung University); B.F.A. (Hong-Ik University); M.F.A. (University at Buffalo)
Kati Toivanen1; Professor of Studio Art; B.F.A. (Clark University); M.F.A. (School of the Art Institute of Chicago).
Davin Watne; Assistant Teaching Professor of Studio Art; B.F.A (Kansas City Art Institute); M.F.A (Maryland Institute College of Art)
Emeriti Faculty
Eric J. Bransby; Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.A., M.A. (Colorado College); M.F.A. (Yale University).
Frances S. Connelly; Professor Emerita of Art History; B.A. (Wake Forest University); M.A. (University of Pittsburgh); M.F.A. (University of North Carolina at Greensboro); Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh).
William G. Crist; Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.A. (University of Washington, Seattle); M.F.A. (Cranbrook Academy of Art).
Nancy DeLaurier; Instructor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.S. (Northwestern University).
Burton L. Dunbar III1,2 ; Professor Emeritus of Art History; B.A. (Park College); M.A., Ph.D. (University of Iowa).
George Ehrlich; Professor Emeritus of Art History; B.S., M.F.A., Ph.D. (University of Illinois).
Stephen J. Gosnell; Associate Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; M.A. (State University of New York).
Adrienne Walker Hoard; Professor Emerita and Director Emerita of Black Studies; M.F.A. (University of Michigan), Ed.D. (University of Illinois).
Leonard I. Koenig; Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.A. (Adelphi College); M.A. (University of Iowa); M.F.A. (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
Barbara A. Mueller; Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.A. (Maryville College); M.A. (University of Iowa).
Craig A. Subler; Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.F.A. (Dayton Art Institute); M.A., M.F.A. (University of Iowa).
Paul Tosh; Associate Professor Emeritus of Studio Art; B.F.A. (Middle Tennessee State University); M.F.A. (University of Arizona).
Rochelle Ziskin; Professor Emerita of Art History; B.A. (University of Illinois-Chicago), M.A.; Ph.D. (Harvard University).
