The Hartford Art School combines a rigorous studio-based, professional education with the breadth of knowledge that only a university can provide. We believe that every student arrives with unique gifts and talents. Our goal is to make available a challenging, dynamic, creative process that will assist in developing each student’s remarkable abilities.
Although the world has changed considerably since the Hartford Art School’s founding in 1877, our singular mission has not changed. For over 130 years it has been: To develop successful practicing artists and designers. To fulfill this mission, our five founding mothers recruited highly recognized artists and designers committed to teaching, and we have not wavered in this tradition, Distinguished artists and designers continue to teach our students today.
The Hartford Art School is one of seven colleges at the University of Hartford. All art students take liberal arts courses and have access to courses in the other colleges. The art curriculum focuses on studio skills and developing the facility required of traditional art disciplines, as well as new digital technologies. Whatever the discipline, medium or technology, we are committed to the idea that the creative process demands the intimate, hands-on engagement of an individual artist or designer working toward a unique vision.
The world is in a period of great change, socially and technologically. The arts have always played a critical role in interpreting and shaping change. BFA students are encouraged to develop skills and historical understanding, and to take risks as they develop work that is meaningful to themselves and others. MFA students are challenged to enhance their professional abilities and take their work to new levels of achievement. It is an important time to be an artist or designer; the arts are transformative and the world is in great need of creative transformation.
Many endowed programs, including at the Auerbach Visiting Artist Lecture Series, the Georgette and Richard Koopman Distinguished Chair in the Visual Arts, and exhibitions at the Joseloff Gallery, bring a spectrum of local, national and international artists and critics to campus. The Silpe Gallery provides opportunities for art students to exhibit their work. To expand our students’ global perspectives, approximately 50 of our 350 undergraduate students participate in international study each year. With over 200 arts related institutions within a 50-mile radius, and our close proximity to New York City and Boston, our students benefit greatly from being in a region where the arts have flourished for generations.
I hope you will visit the Hartford Art School and experience first-hand our dynamic community of students, faculty and staff members. We have come together to ensure that aspiring artists and designers receive the best possible education for our time.