Studio Art

Study art. And everything else you want to learn.

Artful shot of jars of brushes on a table next to a student working on a large-scale painting.

Our students develop their artistic practices while pursuing diverse academic interests in science + medicine, design, and the humanities. They graduate uniquely equipped to become professional artists and find prosperous careers in virtually every field.

STUDIO ART AREAS

Studio art comprises diverse disciplines and practices. By their very nature, these courses will inspire and challenge you to think, act, and be in the world differently.

Painting

Photography

Printmaking

Sculpture

Time-Based + Media Art

Discover the perfect path for you.

Every first-year student is mentored by a dedicated academic advisor who guides them in shaping the educational path they desire. This includes course selection and scheduling. Whether you want a studio-intensive or a broader liberal arts-focus, we will help you find the right choice for you.

BFA in Studio Art

More studio-intensive experience
65 credits of studio courses (about ½ of your total coursework)
Optional concentrations in Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Time-Based + Media Art
Capstone experience + annual thesis exhibition

*Students may also earn the BFA as part of a dual-degree program.

BA in Art

Broader liberal arts focus
30-36 credits of studio courses (about ¼ of your total coursework)
No capstone requirement

*Students may also earn the BA as part of a dual-degree program.

Second Major in Art

Integrated mix of disciplines, including printmaking, photography, sculpture, painting, and time-based + new media
Designed for WashU undergraduates pursuing a primary degree in another discipline
Develops essential skills like visual thinking + creativity

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Minors

Creative Practice for Social Change
Design
Human-Computer Interaction
Studio Art

Learn more

In the senior capstone course, BFA in Studio Art students commit to an artistic position evidenced through studio production, presentation, and writing. You’ll deliver a public presentation about your work and participate in the BFA in Studio Art Thesis Exhibition at the Des Lee Gallery in downtown St. Louis.

See Skin, the 2021 BFA in Studio Art Thesis Exhibition

BFA + BA Curriculum

STUDIO ART FACULTY

Artwork installation by Tom Reed featuring several wooden sculptures, several with flags, on a wooden bench in front of a large rectangular black artwork with dots on the wall.

Jamie Adams / Carrie Becker / Heather Bennett / Matt Branham / Lisa Bulawsky / Juan William Chávez / Carmon Colangelo / Jennifer Colten / Zlatko Ćosić / Brandon Daniels / Sage Dawson / Joe deVera / John Early /Jen Everett / Abby Flanagan / Amy Hauft / Meghan Kirkwood / Andrea Moon / Arny Nadler / Patricia Olynyk / Tom Reed / Jack Risley / Anna Schenker / Lindsey Stouffer / Anika Todd / Denise Ward-Brown / Cheryl Wassenaar / Monika Weiss

*Image: Tom Reed. Bruno David Gallery, 2020.

Learn More

Student + Alumni Spotlights

Alumni spotlight

Jack Radley, BFA in Studio Art ’19

Alumni spotlight

Virgil Marti, BFA in Studio Art ’84

Virgil Marti, BFA ‘84, is an artist known for his works in sculpture and installation — which have been described as flamboyant and psychedelic — as well as his many years spent as a master printer.

Alumni spotlight

Alison McNulty, BFA '01

Alumni spotlight

Marisa Adesman, BFA '13

Alumni spotlight

Imani M. Cheers, BFA in Studio Art ’02

Storytelling is at the core of Imani M. Cheers’ work—particularly helping to amplify the stories of women from underrepresented communities.

Student spotlight

Q&A with Avery Johnson

Avery Johnson talks about her approach to making and the influence her experiences with Island Press have had on her own work as a printmaker.

Alumni spotlight

Kimia Ferdowsi Kline, BFA in Studio Art ’08

Kimia Ferdowsi Kline discusses her current practice and the way Family Systems Theory influences her work in this Q&A.

Alumni spotlight

Lauren Weinstein, BFA in Studio Art ’97

For the past twenty years, Lauren Weinstein’s funny, beautiful, and bizarre comics and graphic novels have addressed universal human issues such as mortality, time, and most recently, motherhood.

Alumni spotlight

Paula Jane Wilson, BFA in Studio Art ’98

Paula Wilson’s work blends multimedia and multicultural references to create extravagant paintings, prints, and videos that are simultaneously realistic and unworldly.

Alumni spotlight

Benjamin A. Guthorn, BFA in Studio Art ’10

In this Q&A, Benjamin Guthorn talks about his current work as an attorney focused on affordable housing and public finance, as well as the most valuable lessons he learned as an art student.

artist Maria Adesman standing in her studio next to a table with paint supplies and paintings on easels and hanging on the wall behind her

Mixed media painting featuring a vibrant, rounded pink and orange X-like figure in the center, with ovular shapes—some appearing to be heads, around the perimeter in black, olive green, yellow, and brown. Composed of ink, acrylic, freshwater pearls, lava beads, fire glass, glitter, abalone, thread, and glass beads on papyrus.

Comic showing the white outline of a body surrounded by a small halo of yellow, green, and orange, against a wider universe of deep blue and purple with speech bubbles articulating various voices and criticisms.

Photo of three large-scale 2D installations of figures on the wall of a gallery, with an individual gazing up at them.

Storytelling is at the core of Imani M. Cheers’ work—particularly helping to amplify the stories of women from underrepresented communities.

Avery Johnson talks about her approach to making and the influence her experiences with Island Press have had on her own work as a printmaker.

Kimia Ferdowsi Kline discusses her current practice and the way Family Systems Theory influences her work in this Q&A.

For the past twenty years, Lauren Weinstein’s funny, beautiful, and bizarre comics and graphic novels have addressed universal human issues such as mortality, time, and most recently, motherhood.

Paula Wilson’s work blends multimedia and multicultural references to create extravagant paintings, prints, and videos that are simultaneously realistic and unworldly.

In this Q&A, Benjamin Guthorn talks about his current work as an attorney focused on affordable housing and public finance, as well as the most valuable lessons he learned as an art student.