A degree in Art hones your creative edge & collaborative skills.

Toklat River scene by David Mollett

The Art Department encourages and promotes independent, original, innovative and critical thinking skills and prepares students for a career in art.

The department endeavors to provide an environment of artistic and academic excellence in the visual arts. By design it provides the student the opportunity to explore, research and master skills needed for many art careers. The department serves a vital community role in enriching the 911±¬ÁÏn humanities through the promotion of all aspects of visual arts, from traditional to contemporary including 911±¬ÁÏ Native art and history.

The department designs, develops and implements programs that encourage and foster new ways of seeing as part of the 911±¬ÁÏ aesthetic. Department faculty teach the means, modes and history of art to encourage independent, original, critical and creative thinking. Students enrolled in art studio classes are provided technical skills and access to facilities required to create fine art in varied disciplines in many different media. Students are prepared for careers in art and the department operates a gallery for the presentation of student, faculty and special exhibitions The gallery provides opportunity for academic and career development with an emphasis on professional presentation of works. The department  also serves as a resource center for artists and arts groups.  Emphasis is placed on 911±¬ÁÏ Native Arts, given the university’s location and the variety of Native cultures represented in the student body and the value placed upon 911±¬ÁÏ Native culture and art in the North.

 

News and events 

News
  • Sarah Manriquez, 911±¬ÁÏ Photo

    Rising with Resilience

    May 06, 2025

    Sarah Manriquez was awarded 911±¬ÁÏ's 2025 Gray S. Tilly Memorial Award for excellence, resilience, and service as a nontraditional, multi-degree student.

  • Kevin Carroll at Susan Kuznitsky's workshop, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark at Dakota Pastels, 2025. Photo courtesy of Carroll

    Drawn from Addiction

    May 06, 2025

    BFA student Kevin Carroll wins the People's Endowment for The Sick, a powerful art project exploring addiction through 45 drawings.

  • Opening reception of the 2025 Student juried art exhibition. 911±¬ÁÏ Photo by Sarah Manriquez

    Artfully Chosen

    April 27, 2025

    Record entries, vibrant turnout, and inspiring student work defined the Spring 2025 Student Art Show, juried by artist Lindsay Saunders.

Department Gems