Who We Are
The School of Art and Design is a creative learning community in which students develop their practice as artists, designers, and art historians who work in and across media while enhancing their technical skills, historical and theoretical knowledge, and visual, material, and conceptual thinking within the context of the School’s commitments to social and environmental justice and innovative entrepreneurship, as well as its location near the U.S.-Mexico Border and on the Pacific Rim.
Mission
The School of Art and Design at San Diego State University is dedicated to educate, support, and empower our diverse student body to become active participants in the evolution of art and design. We seek to prepare curious and engaged creative practitioners and empathetic scholars who will develop their unique voices and create positive change in local and global communities.
Values
The School of Art and Design at San Diego State University values equity, inclusion, and a diversity of perspectives, media, and approaches. We advocate access to art for all and support the vital role that art and design play in societal movements, communal growth, and individual expression. The School promotes integrity, innovation, and collaboration through teaching, creative endeavors, and community engagement.
Vision
The School of Art and Design at San Diego State University envisions a global community where the arts are valued and accessible to all. We seek to inspire students to learn and apply techniques and skills that will enable them to find their voice, hone their vision, and thrive as artists and humans. We support students to remain curious lifelong learners that actively participate in solutions-based thinking, creative practice, and community building.
Description
The School of Art and Design at San Diego State University educates, inspires, and prepares a new generation of artists, designers, scholars, and educators to both thrive as individuals and collectively transform our world. Located near the border with Mexico, the School is dedicated to the integration of art, design, and community building. We support our students to become engaged global citizens and active participants in local communities. We prepare students to seek, create, or attain meaningful work and professional opportunities in the field. Our curriculum includes a diversity of approaches to art, design, art history, and arts education. We have studios dedicated to painting and printmaking, sculpture and ceramics, wood and metal work, graphic design, and interior architecture as well as three computer labs, a fabrication lab, and darkrooms. The School houses four galleries that give students ready access to contemporary art and design as well as professional opportunities to exhibit their work. Students have numerous real-world learning opportunities that support their future goals and allow them to contribute to the community and School culture, including internships, guest lectures, service learning, and student assistantships. Through both discipline-specific and multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning, we support students to innovate solutions, express ideas, imagine possibilities, and interpret the world through historical, cultural, and global contexts.
