Graduate Studies Design
The University
The University of Kansas is located in the city of Lawrence, Kansas, (population 81,000) located 30 miles west of Kansas City. Lawrence, a city of historical significance, has a picturesque downtown, neighborhoods with beautiful older homes and a thriving art community. There is affordable and extensive off-campus housing within easy access to the University. The University also provides married student housing as well as apartment housing for graduate students.
The University of Kansas is a major research institution, with 28,000 students, 2,100 faculty and is noted for many nationally ranked academic programs. The University offers degrees in more than 100 major fields of study. The School of Fine Arts has nearly 1200 students in the Departments of Art, Design, Music and Dance. Approximately 50 Art and Design faculty teach approximately 900 undergraduates and 60 graduate students.
The Design Department
KU's Departments of Art and Design form the largest visual arts program in the region. Programs leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree are available from both departments.
The Design Department is part of the School of Fine Arts, which has about 1,500 students with 35 graduate students working toward the MFA degree in design and 15 graduate students in art. KU's art and design programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Department of Design is one of the oldest design programs in the country.
Faculty
The Department of Design has 27 full-time and 12 part-time faculty members. Design faculty members represent a broad range of geographical and educational backgrounds. Their creative work and research reflect wide interests, directions, and attitudes representing a contemporary approach to the visual and applied arts.
KU Facilities
The Spencer Museum of Art, located on the University’s campus, features more than 24,000 works of art from all media. In addition to the permanent collection, the Museum annually features 12-15 special exhibitions. Located in the same building as the Spencer Museum of Art are the Art History Department and the Murphy Art and Architecture Library. The library contains 150,000 volumes and 600 current journals, documenting art, design and architecture from all cultures, dating from antiquity to the present.
Kansas City Art Venues
Thirty miles east of Lawrence, Kansas City offers all the resources of a major metropolitan area including many galleries, such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.
Design Facilities
The Art and Design Building houses all major programs of the Art and Design departments. The contemporary facility is centrally located on the Lawrence campus and contains 130,000 square feet of floor space. Each program has well-equipped, spacious work areas. Full-time graduate students in art and design usually have individual working spaces. In addition to studios, classrooms, and offices, the building has a photography lab, graphic imaging MAC and PC computer labs, a central woodshop (including plastic forming and metal forming facilities), and an exhibition gallery.
An enclosed bridge connects the Art and Design building and Marvin Hall, home of the School of Architecture and Urban Design, which houses a slide library, a reading room and many architecture resources.
Exhibitions and Lectures
Thirty miles east of Lawrence, Kansas City offers all the resources of a major metropolitan area, including many galleries such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Design. In addition, the Lawrence Arts Center, in Lawrence, and other galleries in Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita present a wide variety of art exhibitions and lectures.
Graduate students' thesis exhibitions normally are held in the Art and Design Gallery but may be held in other facilities in Lawrence, on or off campus. The Departments of Art and Design sponsor exhibitions, visiting artist lectures, and workshops representing a range of viewpoints. Hallmark Inc. sponsors a series of 14 visiting speakers annually in illustration, graphic design, photography and the craft areas.
