Visual Arts

Building culture one artist at a time

The FPA Department now offers three programs in the study and creation of visual art:
Art Major, leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Art
Fine & Performing Arts Major with the Art Concentration, leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Fine & Performing Arts
Art Minor

We offer a dynamic art major within our exceptional Fine and Performing Arts Department. We have one simple goal: to make great art. Our students hone their skills through access to all levels of art making – from introductory assignments to advanced, independent, student-designed projects. Our outstanding faculty offer courses from both traditional, nontraditional and experimental methods in a wide array of media such as drawing, painting, graphic design, photography, film, broadcast communications, computer graphics and costume design.

You will participate in art shows at MCLA Gallery 51 and serve internships at cultural venues such as the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) or the Clark Art Institute. Join us in a lively arts scene that includes hundreds of working, professional artists, many of whom have moved to North Adams to enjoy life outside the hustling metropolises of Boston or New York. The art major facilitates your entry into a career as a creative innovator.

Teachers in visual art are Anthony Gengarelly (professor of art history and museum studies), Gregory Scheckler (associate professor of visual art), Melanie Mowinski (assistant professor of visual art) Laura Christensen (visiting associate professor), Howard Cruse (visiting professor), and Laura Thompson (visiting assistant professor). A variety of teachers in the English-Communications Department provide film-making and photography courses, and in the Computer Science department provide digital arts courses.

Why Make Art? | Why Make Art at MCLA?