From your first day here in the Art Department, you will be encouraged to push beyond what is
common, to produce art that is innovative and distinct. You'll begin to appreciate a culture of
creativity that fosters the connection between critical thinking and art making. From drawing,
painting, ceramics, photography, cinematography, digital film editing and production, web
design, graphic design, typography, software and hardware art with robotics, 2D and 3D
animation and visual effects, and more, you will be challenged and inspired to realize elements
of your boundless imagination in various forms. The Art Department is located in the Washburn
Arts Center, a building named for Cadwallader Washburn, a Gallaudet graduate (class of 1890),
who became world renowned for his etchings. Renovated in 2002, the building has expanded
studio spaces, dark room, and a gallery for exhibitions. Computer based classrooms and labs
offer students a state-of-the-art environment where they can learn and master software and
design programs standard to the evolving field of visual art. In addition to the Washburn Arts
Center, the Gatehouse is also being used by the Art, Theater, and Physics Departments as a
cross-disciplinary space for teaching, discussion, and creative experimentation. Nicknamed
the FunColab, http://www.funcolab.com, students will work together to expand the scope of
human action through science, technology and the arts.

OUR PROGRAM GOALS

A rigorous course of study lays the groundwork for classes that build upon concepts and
skills that ultimately end in mastery. Infused into our curriculum are five areas of emphasis:

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

OUR MISSION

Gallaudet University's Art Department offers a bilingual, diverse, and multicultural program
designed to ensure the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of
hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Within this context, we
cultivate a multifaceted, interdisciplinary understanding of art as fundamental to human
expression and dialog. We embrace the creative potentials of our discipline whether
expressed traditionally or through cutting-edge technology. Our curriculum provides
majors and non-majors a balance of studio art, graphic design, digital media and art history.
Outside our doorstep world-renowned museums, galleries and professional studios beckon
us to visit and conduct research. In these off-site classroom spaces and in our classrooms
and studios on campus, we encourage students to engage in their community, become
creative problem solvers, and explore the potential of art as a force for positive social change.