Mission Statement
The Department of Art + Architecture at the University of San
Francisco
is situated within a vibrant liberal arts setting that provides an arts
education without boundaries. Our mission is to teach historical,
theoretical and practical foundations across disciplines with the
common goal of critically reflecting upon the global condition while
becoming local agents of change.
A Unique Urban Locale
We recognize the gift of our urban location in San Francisco and
encourage students to make the city their classroom. Students are
introduced to the field of arts management through a flourishing
internship program, and to cutting-edge approaches to the shaping of
“green,” sustainably built communities in the architecture program.
Highly skilled design faculty lead students into the professional design
world of the 21st century with training in the latest technologies and
design concepts in our state-of-the art computer laboratories. The fine
arts faculty is made up of dynamic and diverse practicing artists
offering expertise and mentorship in the mediums of drawing, painting,
sculpture, printmaking, installation, and community arts. The focus is
on the integration of traditional genres with contemporary applications
and concepts.
Student Exhibition Opportunities
Students in the department have many opportunities to
exhibit their work, share their developing expertise, and interact with
professional artists, both on campus and in the community. The Mary and Carter Thacher Gallery, located in the Gleeson Library, hosts up to five exhibitions
each year, bringing in extraordinary regional and national artists who interact
with students and offering opportunities to students to participate in
exhibition planning. Every year, the Thacher Gallery collaborates with Arts
Management students to produce the Thacher Student Showcase, a juried show
featuring juniors and seniors from USF's Fine Art, Design and Media Studies programs. Additionally each year students in the Senior Studio and Senior Design Projects capstone courses hold an exhibition of thesis projects at an off campus gallery. Other
exciting on-campus resources include a sculpture garden, visiting artists
programs, and mural projects.
Community Partnerships
The department also maintains creative working relationships
with a number of arts organizations. Students benefit from a partnership with
one of the finest museums in the nation, the de Young Museum, located within
walking distance in a spectacular new facility in Golden Gate Park through
on-site classes, internships, and special events. Mutually enriching collaborations
with community non-profit groups expose students to new alternatives to the
traditional ways of making a living and a life as an artist, designer, or
architect. They design graphic materials for non-profit organizations, curate
shows at local galleries, participate in well-recognized public art and design
projects, and develop successful art programs for organizations serving those
who might otherwise never be able to experience art.
Whether a student plans further training at the graduate level,
entry into the professional world, or a self-made life as a fine artist in the
studio and in the community, the mission of the department is to provide the
foundation for achieving these goals, as well as for the lifelong process of
continuing to realize goals still to be imagined.
