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Art History

Studying art history at Denison

The Department of Art at Denison offers courses for a bachelor of arts degree in art history. The program in the art history is designed to identify and develop critical awareness, in accordance with the general aim of a liberal education. This program provides students with the opportunity for instruction and practice in the visual arts as preparation for graduate studies and professional pursuits in this field.

The department has an extensive visual resources collection including both digital images and slides for use in art history classes. Art history courses include African Art and Visual Culture, Arts of the Western World, History of Asian Art, History of Photography, Byzantine Art, 19th Century Art and New Art.

The Art Department's current temporary locations during the construction period of the new state-of-the-art Bryant Center of Art at Cleveland Hall will be located throughout Denison's uphill campus. Art History classes are taught in various class room buildings. Faculty offices and studios, senior studios and additional studios for sculpture, and printmaking are housed in Chamberlin Lodge.

The Denison Museum houses large Burmese and Chinese collections, Cuna Indian Art, prints, drawings and paintings from the Renaissance to the Contemporary period. These collections, as well as the exhibitions in the Gallery, frequently are used for study. Programs encourage exploration of the collection and the rotating exhibitions by teachers, students and staff.

Requirements for the Art History Major

Art history offers a major for students interested in pursuing further study in graduate school, as well as for students interested in pursuing careers that require research, critical analysis and inter-cultural understanding in an ever-globalizing world. For the B.A. degree in art history, the following must be completed:

For an art history minor, the following must be completed:

What do art history majors do after Denison?

Art Department graduates use intellectual abilities and communication skills to pursue careers in education, media, publishing, fashion or business. In addition, some continue into careers in graphic design, museum and conservation work and professional development as working artists.

Who are our professors?

Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Department Karl Sandin joined the faculty at Denison in 1989. He earned his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University, focusing in art history and Byzantine studies. His research focus is the religious and political art of antiquity.

Associate Professor Joanna Grabski joined the faculty at Denison in 2000. She earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in the History of Art and African Studies at Indiana Univesity. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary art in Africa, expecially Senegal and the Congo, where she has worked with artists, collectors and critics.

Associate Professor L. Joy Sperling joined the faculty at Denison in 1989. She earned her M.A. and M.F.A. at Edinburgh University and her Ph.D. from the University of California - Santa Barbara. She specializes in art history, particularly American art, modern art and the history of photography. She has published in the areas of 19th century, modern and New Art.

Visiting Assistant Professor Mayu Tsuruya joined the faculty at Denison in 2007. She earned her Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Pittsburgh, PA in 2005.  Her M.A. in Art History is from the University of Oregon. Her area of specialization is Japanese art with a focus on the modern period and its interaction with the West.

For more information about the department and curriculum, go to:

Art History

or contact:

Karl Sandin, Co-Chair, Art History
Department of Art
Room 317 Chamberlin Lodge
Denison University
Granville, Ohio 43023

Voice:  (740) 587-6400
Fax:  (740) 587-8621
E-mail:  sandin@denison.edu