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Department of Art + Film
Visual art and film are a potent and positive force for change in contemporary society, and Cal Poly Humboldt’s Department of Art + Film is dedicated to educating the students who will shape the culture of our collective future. The hands-on techniques that you’ll learn in our small, intimate classrooms, studios, and galleries will allow you to address issues, ethics, history, and culture with a unique and personal vision in your career.
Choose from Four Degrees
Cal Poly Humboldt Art + Film students can pursue a Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in Art Studio or Art Education, a Bachelor of Arts in Art History & Museum Studies, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, or a Bachelor of Arts in Film
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts degree is available in two concentrations: Art Studio offers small classes with individual attention and large, well-equipped studio facilities, including a computer lab and a foundry and Art Education provides the foundation to successfully teach art in K-12th grades and prepares students to enter California's mandatory fifth-year, single-subject teaching credential program.
Concentrations in: Art Studio, Art Education
Bachelor of Arts in Art History & Museum Studies
Art History gives students an opportunity to study the visual culture of the world, from prehistoric cave art to works being produced by artists active today. Art history majors not only learn about works of art, but also about the different geographies, histories, and cultural traditions that surrounded them and informed their making. Our program is particularly strong in the areas of European Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, American, 20th Century and Contemporary art.
BFA in Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts students work closely with faculty from our eight different media areas: painting, drawing/illustration, printmaking, graphic design/digital media, ceramics, sculpture, photography, and jewelry/small metals. The BFA degree offers students the opportunity to further their studio art practice and to prepare for graduate school or professional art careers through a rigorous and focused course of study in the visual arts. The BFA is a cohort-based program for students in their junior and senior years. Students will typically be admitted to the program in the spring of their sophomore year.
Bachelor of Arts in Film
Steeped in the traditions of independent filmmaking, students learn the fundamentals of fiction and non-fiction film through a production-based, hands-on program. The curriculum integrates creative exploration and technical skill development with film theory and history, grounded in a liberal arts education that fosters ethical storytellers who artfully explore the human condition in creative ways. Students will develop and master the fundamentals of production and post production using state of the art equipment while learning industry protocols, practices and technical workflows. Creating impactful, cinematic stories through the craft and artistry of directing, writing, cinematography, and editing are key components of the program.
Get Hands-On Experience
Our extensive facilities include a foundry, ceramics lab, print studio, photography lab, film production studios, galleries, and much more. As an undergraduate, you’ll get hands-on experience in graphic design, painting and drawing, sculpture and metal work, ceramics, photography, filmmaking and other disciplines of your choosing.
Personal Attention
Our small class sizes mean getting to know your professors and fellow students through your education. This community will help you grow as a creative practitioner and intellectual, supporting you throughout your undergraduate career and beyond.
An Artistic Community
The local area is well-known as an arts haven. The small-but-thriving arts community is intimate but inclusive, and you’ll be able to interact with professional artists and filmmakers, engage in the local gallery scene, and participate in film screenings and festivals.
Career Options
At Cal Poly Humboldt you’ll learn the practice, language, theory, and history of the visual arts and film in preparation for careers in studio art, museums, education, filmmaking, business, and daily life. Our graduates work in galleries and museums around the globe, teach at elementary schools and universities, and enjoy successful careers as artists in an array of mediums.
Here are a few examples of possible career fields.
- Art Director
- Gallery Director
- Freelance Artist
- Animator
- Graphics Artist
- Art Therapist
- Marketing Director
- Curator
- Editor
- Illustrator
- Teacher
- Photographer
- Art Critic
- Jeweler
- Fashion Designer
Museum Registrar
Minors & Certificates
Featured Alumni - Art
Featured Alumni - Film
Achievements
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Gina Tuzzi and Eliseo Casiano
Art + Film
Paintings by Lecturer Gina Tuzzi and Assistant Professor Eliseo Casiano are now on view at Lake Tahoe Community College in the Haldan Gallery. Through December 7th. Check out these amazing works if you happen to be in the South Lake Tahoe area!
Nicola Waugh
Art + Film
This month, Film Lecturer and Producer Nicola Waugh premiered the narrative feature film Lucky Star (Dir. Gillian McKercher) at two film festivals in Canada: Vancouver International Film Festival, and Calgary International Film Festival. It will be screening at the Windsor Film Festival and Reel Asian Film Festival in November, with a US festival run and wider digital release to follow. The film, starring Terry Chen, Olivia Cheng, and Andrew Phung was produced with Kino Sum Productions and Notable Content and is distributed by Game Theory Films.
Sarah Lasley
Art + Film
Sarah Lasley's short film "Welcome to the Enclave" received a glowing review from critic Collin Souter in the Features section for RogerEbert.com. Souter writes that the film has "one of the strangest and funniest closers to a short film I’ve seen in a long, long time" and notes "when [he] programmed this film for the Chicago Critics Film Festival (where it won the Audience Award), [he] knew it had to close the block. Every film had to, in some way, lead up to this one."
https://www.rogerebert.com/features/short-films-in-focus-welcome-to-the…