Department of Fine Art
 | |
| Department of Fine Art | |
| Type | Educational, School/Academy |
|---|---|
| Leader | Vacant |
| Leader title | Department Chair—Fine Art |
| Affiliations | Oakridge College |
Department of Fine Art & Art History
The Department of Fine Art & Art History prepares students for creative, academic, and public-facing work connected to visual art, art history, design, museum study, and cultural interpretation. For everyday use, the department is commonly referred to as the Department of Fine Art.
The Department of Fine Art believes artistic education should do more than teach technique or preserve beautiful objects. It should help students understand how images, materials, spaces, and historical objects shape the way people remember, communicate, and make meaning.
At Oakridge, we approach fine art as both a creative practice and a human record. The department reflects the college’s broader commitment to place, memory, stewardship, and public interpretation. In Briarmont, where history survives through buildings, archives, photographs, monuments, and inherited stories, the study of art is closely tied to the study of what communities choose to preserve.
Whether you are preparing for studio practice, art historical study, museum work, visual design, or cultural interpretation, the Department of Fine Art offers a course of study that balances creative development with historical awareness. Here, students build the habits of observation, discipline, craft, interpretation, and visual judgment needed to create and understand meaningful work.
We serve students who want to make, study, preserve, design, interpret, and present visual culture with care. If you are seeking an education rooted in creativity, history, visual expression, and the lasting power of objects and images, you will find your place here.
Programs of Study
The Department of Fine Art offers a focused selection of studio, historical, and visual culture programs designed to support creative practice, art historical study, museum preparation, and applied visual design. Its course offerings are organized to serve students seeking artistic development as well as those pursuing academic or public-facing work connected to visual culture.
Programs offered by the Department of Fine Art include:
- A.A. in Fine Art
- A.A. in Art History and Visual Culture
- B.A. in Fine Art
- B.A. in Art History and Museum Studies
- B.A. in Visual Arts and Design
Together, these programs give the department a clear artistic and historical identity. The associate programs provide foundations in studio practice and art historical study, while the bachelor’s programs allow students to pursue advanced creative work, museum and cultural interpretation, or applied visual design within Oakridge’s broader liberal arts framework.
Ranks & Positions
The department is led by its Department Chair and staffed through the standard Oakridge faculty ladder — Tenured Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, and Teaching Assistant.
The department belongs to the Arts & Humanities division and reports to the Dean of Arts & Humanities.