About Us
The University of Texas Río Grande Valley is a component of the University of Texas System. The School of Art and Design consists of two locations in the southernmost part Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. One is located in Edinburg and the other in Brownsville. Both locations are close to South Padre Island and northern Mexico. The School of Art and Design programs operates in a unique rich international multicultural bilingual environment that provides abundant opportunities for artistic development and expression.The School of Art and Design supports the Guiding Principles of the University and encourages students to pursue lifelong learning and the development and practice of their discipline. We offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in various art programs. We also offer undergraduate and graduate study abroad courses in such countries as China, Peru, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Italy.
Resources and Funding through the Center for Latin American Arts!
The Center for Latin American Arts seeks to support faculty and student scholarship, performance, and exhibition of the arts to promote excellence in scholarship and creative works. The Center also places a priority on student success by providing our undergraduate and graduate students with unique learning opportunities and funding to produce new research and make an impact on our community and beyond. Click Here to visit their website.
Program Offerings and Distributions Art Course Offerings
Campus Climate Campus Climate Action Plan
Department Profile
| Department/School: School of Art and Design |
| Vision:Through cross-disciplinary teaching, creative activity, and respect for individual expression, the School of Art and Design prepares students to be socially conscious artists, visually and analytically astute. |
| Mission:The School of Art and Design serves the artistic and educational needs of the rapidly growing transnational, culturally diverse population of South Texas. Our School creates, preserves, and transmits knowledge that advances the region, state, and nation. Through cross-disciplinary teaching, creative activity, and public service, the School of Art prepares students to be socially conscious citizens and transformative leaders.It is the mission of the School of Art and Design to develop individual direction among students, personal expression in art, and art historical perspective. This will be accomplished by increasing student visual perception, technical skills, knowledge of current art trends and multicultural art fluency. |
PROFILE
| Majors:BFA in Art (Specializations: Studio and Graphic Design) 119 studio & 279 graphic design = total 398BA in Art (Specializations: Art Education and Art History) 3 art history & 101 art ed = total 104 |
| Graduate Programs:MFA in Studio Art – 4MIS (Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies) in Latin American Art History – 3 |
Students
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Faculty
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| Campus Program Offering80% of program/courses are available at both campuses (face-to-face, online, hybrid, or ITV)100% of program/courses in the first 2 years of study per major map are available at both campuses (face-to-face, online, hybrid, ITV)80% of program/courses in the upper division are available at both campuses (face-to-face, online, hybrid, ITV)100% of graduate program/courses are available at Edinburg campus (face-to-face, online, hybrid, ITV)BFA in Art, Specializing in Studio 100% offered in Edinburg campus 87% offered in Brownsville campusBFA in Art, Specializing in Graphic Design 100% offered in Edinburg campus 80% offered in Brownsville campusBA in Art, Specializing in Art Education 100% offered in both campusesBA in Art, Specializing in Latin American Art History 100% offered in Edinburg campus 50% offered in Brownsville campusMFA in Studio Art 100% offered in Edinburg campus |
| Stats & Highlights:The UTRGV School of Art and Design has a 73,000 square foot facility in Edinburg with the highest quality studios and labs in graphic design, sculpture, ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, digital photography and film photography with a wet lab.The School of Art and Design facility in Brownsville with 20, 000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space with very unique 20 foot high ceilings in all of their studios for optimum student art production in painting, ceramics, sculpture photography (digital and film), printmaking, drawing, an iMac lab for computer imaging and graphics, and a 3000 square foot out door open area for experimental art.Faculty involve students in workshops and conference presentations.Guest artists provide interactive workshops and lectures.One of the most established study abroad programs to Peru. |
| Success Stories/”Bragging”:Jose del Castillo, MFA student, was the only receipent from Texas to be selected as a finalist recipient for the AXA Art Prize that exhibit her art work in a traveling that showed in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. The Graphic Design program is one of the fastest growing programs in the College of Fine Arts.International Faculty Art Exhibits exchange between the faculty at UTRGV School of Art and Designand the Hengyang Normal University (HYNU), located in Hengyang, Hunan, China. |
| Traditions:Nexus: BFA Senior exhibitsIndividual MFA student art exhibitsMid-semester undergraduate critiquesUTRGV Faculty annual Art ExhibitionPortfolio Day in BrownsvilleOpen House for entering freshmenFESTIBA facutty and student participationSub-culture Event in BrownsvilleK-12 school visits to the School of Art facilities on both campuses with faculty demonstrations |
| Mantra/Slogan: Art(e) por Vida |
Contact Information
Brownsville
Rusteberg Hall 180
One West University Blvd.
Brownsville, Texas, 78520
(956) 882-8805
Edinburg
VABL 1.201
2412 Bus. 281 (Closner)
Edinburg, Texas 78539
(956) 665-3480