About the Department
Our Mission
The mission of the Department of Art includes professional and public service contributions. The expertise unique to the professional artist, designer, and teacher serves varied clientele, agencies, and associations in the community, state of Kansas, and the national and international community.
Our Commitment
A commitment to high-quality undergraduate and graduate education in the visual arts is the cornerstone of the mission of the Department of Art. Quality teaching is enhanced by the creative research endeavors of the faculty who work closely with students to stimulate aesthetic and intellectual inquiry in both theory and application. The Department of Art prepares its students to become practicing artists who possess visual literacy, cultural and historical awareness, sound aesthetic judgement, and creative problem-solving skills. To ensure the successful implementation of the mission, the pedagogical practices, educational objectives, and curricular structure of the Department are guided by a series of preferred student outcomes.
Our Accreditation
The Department of Art at Kansas State University is a NASAD accredited institution with eleven concentrations in studio art, graphic design and art history. The mission of the Department of Art is based on the recognition of the universal human need for visual expression, the necessity of the visual arts and visual communication in contemporary society, and the importance of cultural diversity provided for by exposure of the arts.
Our Home
The Department of Art is housed in the heart of campus with the university quad to the west and Hale Library directly south. Willard Hall went under reconstruction in 1934 after a fire destroyed the former Denison Hall. The new building, named after Dr. J.T. Willard, was the home of the Chemistry and Physics Department. While roaming the hallways one may still find faded traces of the old departments marking the doors and corridors.
Regarding our namesake, Dr. J.T. Willard, thoroughly served Kansas State University during the twentieth century. He aided the university in various roles: a Professor of Science, a K-State Vice President, and even assumed the position of acting President for two months after H.J. Waters resigned in 1917. Notably, in 1936, Dr. Willard took on the role as the College Historian for K-State. His association with Kansas State University is unparalleled, spanning an impressive 71 years. Additionally, in 1936, David Overmeyer immortalized Dr. Willard with a portrait that is present in the first floor of Willard Hall.
The Department of Art now resides in Willard, and its students have pumped new blood in the old walls with its array of studio arts and visual history.