Welcome

The lecture and seminar courses presented by the Department of Art and Art History are designed to give an understanding and appreciation of the visual arts from the point of view of the art historian and critic. Through the various courses in the history of art, architecture, and design, individual works are considered both for their intrinsic qualities and as expressions of changing cultural values.

Studio courses given on the Tufts campus and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts enable the student to become acquainted with one or more of the creative disciplines. Tufts University students are admitted free of charge (with student i.d.) to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts through a special institutional membership.

Field trips to museums, sites, and collections are regularly scheduled. Past visits have included: Portland, Maine; Newport, Rhode Island; and New York City. Other fine local collections in the Boston area include the Fogg Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art.

The Tufts University Art Gallery, located in the Aidekman Arts Center across the street from the Art & Art History Department, is dedicated to conceiving and presenting art exhibitions and educational programs that support the academic and civic ideals of Tufts University. The Gallery fosters cultural exchange by creating a forum for art produced by emerging and mid-career professional artists, by featuring new work of established artists, and by exposing fresh interpretations and scholarship on art. Fifteen exhibitions are mounted annually in the Gallery's four venues in addition to seven exhibitions in the Slater Concourse Gallery that are generated by members of the Tufts community. The Gallery offers graduate assistanceships, Museum Studies Program internships, and volunteer opportunities in it's "Voice Your Vision!" guide program.

The department, located at 11 Talbot Avenue, has a comfortable lounge area where students can meet and keep up with art and architectural news on the bulletin boards. 11 Talbot also houses the faculty and staff offices, a seminar room, and the Visual Resources Collection.