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A film is projected on the side of a wooden framed canvas, and people are seated in the background.

About the department

Department of Art

About the Department

At Cornell, the study of art is an education in creating objects, images, spaces, and experiences that reflect intellectual judgment, philosophical understanding, knowledge of the history and traditions of the visual arts, and ethical principles that engage the often bewildering complexity of contemporary culture.

Projected artwork in a darkened gallery space

Sopheak Sam (M.F.A. ’25) presents work for a student group show in Olive Tjaden Gallery.

Degree Programs

Upcoming and Ongoing Events

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Student Experience

  • student developing an image at a work station
  • book and papers on a desk
  • student examining objects on a pink-lit gallery floor
  • student sketching in charcoal on a gallery wall
  • students putting up work in a bright gallery space

Jason Gama Bezerra De (B.F.A. ’24) working in the alternative processes lab in Tjaden Hall.

Andy Li looking at the work of Hyunjin Park (both M.F.A. ’25), part of the M.F.A. group show over and over, Tjaden Gallery.

Artists Tim Green and Oliver Stern (both B.F.A. ’24) draw on canvas lining the walls of the Olive Tjaden Gallery during a five-day live drawing performance and exhibition titled Cave Painting 2.

As artist-educators, we assume a unique and critical role in connecting some of the most complex aspects of art practice to pedagogy. We do this, understanding that the next generation of artists live in a world that is both fraught with compounded crises and full of opportunities for engagement, intervention, and for making lasting change.

Paul Ramírez Jonas, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art

Latest News and Faculty Work

Latest News and Faculty Work

Exhibition Mud + Corn + Stone + Blue

Woodcut print of a figure outside a building.

This traveling group show, which includes work by Art Assistant Professor Oscar Rene Cornejo, traces major conflicts that have scarred Central America since the 1960s and explores how their histories are entwined with that of US agriculture through the corn industry.

Stories What’s Ahead: Spring 2026 Highlights

a large domed building covered in snow as part of a college arts quad

After a winter break to regroup and recharge, faculty, students, and staff return to campus and to the open questions, conversations, and explorations that will drive the work of the semester ahead.

Announcements Artist Team Mendi + Keith Obadike Named USA Fellows for 2026

The USA Fellowship gives recipients an unrestricted award of $50,000 that “nurtures creative freedom and drives lasting impact.”

Stories Teiger Foundation Gift Advances AAP’s Teiger Mentor in the Arts Program

Tug boat pushing a dirt-filled barge covered with grass and trees.

Cornell AAP announces funding to continue the Teiger Mentor in the Arts program, which brings a remarkable slate of internationally acclaimed faculty artists to the college, including Spring 2026 Teiger Mentor Mary Mattingly.

Stories

Jeffrey Gibson: Materials of Invention

Artist Jeffrey Gibson’s work powerfully transmits a vibrating energy and joy, even when his message is complex. In advance of his visit to the Department of Art in late March, he shares insights into his practice and career path.

Stories Cornell Faculty and Staff Honored for Community-Engaged Innovation

Space Needle lit up at night over Seattle

Awarded by Cornell’s Einhorn Center, Art Professor Keith Obadike was recognized for using his role as director of undergraduate studies to foster a culture of community-engaged practices across the AAP curriculum.

Announcements 15 Scientific and Technical Achievements to be Honored with Academy Awards

Jeff Budsberg (B.F.A. ’04, ’07) was part of a team recognized for their contributions to the stylized animation toolset at DreamWorks Animation.

Stories ‘I Hadn’t Come for the Oddness of the Art World’

Woman standing in front of brightly painted canvas.

Painter Pat Sutton Lipsky (B.F.A. ’63) speaks with Cornellians about her six-decade career. Her recent memoir, Brightening Glance, reflects on life, work, and the power of color.

In the Media The Strange Menagerie of Sculptor Joan Danziger

The Washington Post — Art alumna Joan Danziger (B.F.A. ’54) will unveil new sculptures for Ravens: Spirits of the Sky in parallel with The Magical World of Joan Danziger, a concurrent retrospective at the American University Museum at the Katzen Art Center.

In the Media The Shakers’ Utopian World Sees a Surge of Modern Interest

The New York Times — Art alumna Amie Cunat’s (M.F.A. ’12) meeting house is included in A World in the Making: The Shakers, a group exhibition that will be on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania through August 9.

Book Walls Wearing Worlds

Book cover featuring textured, pastel colored diamonds

This full-color catalog documents Art Assistant Professor Leeza Meksin’s solo site-specific exhibition at Ortega y Gasset Projects in 2025, with a curatorial essay by Eric Hibit and an interview between Jodi Hays and Meksin.

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