The mission of the Department of Art at Chapman University is to offer a comprehensive education that develops the technical, perceptual, theoretical, historical and critical expertise needed for successful careers in visual art, graphic design and art history. The department supports artists, designers, and scholars within a rigorous liberal arts environment that enriches the human mind and spirit. We foster the artistic and academic growth necessary to encourage lifelong study and practice of the arts through a curriculum that contains strong foundational and historical components as a basis for continued innovations in contemporary practice and scholarship.

Whatever your major, your ability to understand visual images is essential to your education; the Art Department is the focal point for this discussion on campus.  Southern California is home to the second largest population of artists and designers in the country and is distinguished by world-class museums such as the J. Paul Getty Museum and Research Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Huntington Library, and the Norton Simon Museum. The greater Los Angeles area is one of the most important and dynamic centers for the viewing, research, and production of art in the United States. Access to these resources allows students to experience first hand what they are studying in the classroom. Our strategic location enables the Department of Art to invite artists, scholars and design professionals from the region to share their varied experiences with students as visiting speakers or adjunct instructors.

Click on the images below for our brochure and student handbook: