Art and Art History

OVERVIEW

The Hunter College Department of Art & Art History offers two distinguished master’s programs, an MA in art history and an MFA in creative art. The department boasts world renowned faculty in art history and studio art.

Hunter is situated within walking distance of a range of resources unsurpassed anywhere for the study of art history: outstanding museums, galleries and specialized research libraries. The Art History - MA , granted by Hunter College since 1952, is a comprehensive program of study intended to give the student a broad background in the history of art as well as an in-depth concentration in a particular area. It leads to enrollment in PhD programs throughout the country and serves as a terminal degree for professional work in museums, galleries, arts organizations and art publishing.

In New York, as nowhere else, the Studio Art - MFA student has access to the changing ideas and forms of contemporary art. This is crucial to the achievement of the goal of the MFA program: to develop professional artists capable of continued growth once they leave the relatively structured university environment. The program is designed to offer broad training for the artist in the development of critical and analytical visual thinking as it relates to their work. Students are encouraged to develop their own art through constant peer contact in the studios, individual work with faculty tutors, critical seminars focusing on student work, and classes in the theory and history of art. Electives in a range of studio practices broaden student experience and are also required. In addition, many artists, curators, critics and historians are invited to meet with students.

Art Facilities and Galleries

Facilities

The department functions in two main Manhattan locations, the main campus at 68th Street and Lexington Avenue and the MFA Studio Building at 205 Hudson Street in Tribeca. The main campus at 68th Street houses the administration, the Leubsdorf Art Gallery, and the Zabar Art Library with extensive databases including Artstor, a digital source of over one million images in the arts and humanities. It also houses fully equipped workshops on the 11th floor in photography, graphics (printmaking), metal, wood and plaster, as well as a computer lab and painting and drawing studios. The basement of Thomas Hunter Hall, the adjacent building, houses the clay workshop.
The MFA Building is a large, unique facility that plays a significant role in the life of the college and, indeed, the city as a whole. It has studio space for up to 150 students and a 5,000 square foot gallery.The building houses a number of workshops and labs including photography, wood, metal, printmaking and ceramics studios, as well as digital audio and video production labs.

Galleries

The Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery, located at the main campus, houses professionally organized exhibits that support the educational programs of the Department of Art & Art History at Hunter College.The gallery at 205 Hudson Street is home to each semester’s MFA theses exhibitions and other exhibitions supporting the department’s educational mission. Students in both the MA and MFA programs have opportunities to make curatorial and research contributions to shows mounted at the Hunter College Galleries. The Department and its students are also involved with the Artist’s Institute, located in a townhouse on East 65th Street, and with the Hunter East Harlem Gallery, on 119th Street and Third Avenue.

Programs and Courses

Programs and Courses in Art

Administration and Faculty

Chair:

Howard Singerman
11054 North
(212) 772-5051
howard.singerman@hunter.cuny.edu

Department Office:

11054 North
(212) 772-4995
email: art@hunter.cuny.edu
www.hunter.cuny.edu/art/

Faculty

Art and Art History Faculty