Media, Art and Design

Website
Contact

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

Caitlin Horsmon

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.