University of North Texas

College of Visual Arts and Design

UNT CVAD - Images
  • CVAD Alum Carl Finch heads the two-time Grammy winning band, Brave Combo.

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  • The CVAD Art Education Doctoral Program is a nationally ranked program, #13 in North America

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  • One of every fifteen students at the University of North Texas is a CVAD major! 

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  • UNT is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design

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  • Art Education faculty members Chris Bain and Nadine Kalin served on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Art Education, one of the most prestigious journals in the field.

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  • UNT‘s MFA program ranks in the upper 25% nationally according to US News and World Report

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  • CVAD‘s Communication Design students won nine of fifteen Best of Show prizes in this year‘s Dallas Society of Visual Communication 4th Annual National Student Show.

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  • As of Fall 2008, all new CVAD MFA students will receive $1000 scholarships.

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  • In Spring 2008, CVAD donors sponsored over $50,000 in scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students!

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  • The CVAD NAEA student chapter won the 2008 Student Organization Distinguished Service award from the University

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  • The Department of Art Education and Art History prepares more art teachers each year than any other university in Texas.

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  • CVAD‘s Ph.D. program in Art Education is among the top-rated programs in the U.S.

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  • Recent graduates of the art history program have pursued advanced degrees at University of Texas, Tufts University, University of Rochester, City College of New York, University of Arizona, Southern Methodist University, and Texas Christian University.

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  • CVAD art historians were the first UNT faculty chosen to participate in UNT‘s Next Generation course redesign. This program is considered to be a national model.

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  • The Department of Art Education and Art History faculty includes presidents of three national and international professional societies and the 2006 Art Educator of the Year.

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  • CVAD offers regular opportunities to study and travel in countries such as China, England, Ireland, Russia, and Scotland.

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  • CVAD‘s Texas Fashion Collection includes over 15,000 fabulous dresses by designers such as Balenciaga, Dior, de la Renta, and many others.

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  • CVAD Art Education alum Susan Gabbard is the former president of the National Art Education Association.

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  • CVAD alum, sculptor, Jesús Moroles, is on the Board of the Smithsonian Institute

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  • “I learned a lot about the creative process for producing a complete original work.”

    - Jezzalie Gill (Drawing 1)

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  • CVAD‘s Texas Fashion Collection includes over 15,000 fabulous dresses by designers such as Balenciaga, Dior, de la Renta, and many others.

    Did you know?

  • CVAD Art Education alum Susan Gabbard is the former president of the National Art Education Association.

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  • CVAD alum, sculptor, Jesús Moroles, is on the Board of the Smithsonian Institute

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  • Interior Design MFA student Greta Buehrle was named one of two IDEC Foundation Graduate Scholars for 2009.

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UNT CVAD - Images

Overview for future students

CVAD Student Information

This section includes links to important information for current students in CVAD. Links will be added and updated throughout the year. Please check back regularly! For information on events and activities, see CVAD on Facebook and subscribe to Stories from the Avant-Garde, our monthly e-newsletter.


IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PROSPECTIVE CVAD STUDENTS

Effective fall term 2012, in addition to the university admission requirements, students wishing to major in any program in the College of Visual Arts and Design must meet minimum academic requirements to be classified as a pre-major. Admission to the college through this process does not guarantee acceptance into your chosen major as several programs have entry reviews and all have midpoint reviews that must be passed in order to complete the program. For entry review details go to NEW CVAD ADMISSION STANDARDSFor details on program reviews please go to the program page and review the curriculum sheet provided there.

Directions to CVAD (Word doc)

CVAD Facilities Map (pdf)

UNT Academic Deadline Calendar 2012-2103 (pdf)

 

Exterior Art Installation Application Form (pdf) Guidelines (pdf)

Model Release Form (pdf)

regional resources: ArtNSeek WorthGoing

Publication Release Form (pdf)

CVAD Tours

CVAD offers year round student-led individual and group tours of the college. For more information, and to sign up for a tour, please visit our tours page at art.unt.edu/tours. Please click here to see our buildings and here for CVAD's Facebook page with information about current events.

Directions to CVAD and other useful guides are also available under CVAD Student Information. Or take the Virtual Tour and download the CVAD facilities and building directory (PDF) for information about each of the nine buildings housing CVAD programs and resources on campus. And while you are on campus, be sure to view the campus art collection by taking the Art Path.

Newsletters & Blogs

For in depth information on CVAD students, alumni, faculty, and activities, subscribe our monthly e-newsletter, Stories from the Avant-Garde

NEWSLETTERS

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COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, PROGRAM, INSTITUTE AND CENTER BLOGS

CVAD Student Organization Blogs

Letter from the Dean of CVAD

Students: Please take the time to thank your faculty HERE!

 
Senior Sculpture in the Lightwell Gallery

Visit CVAD on Facebook
 

Dear Students, friends, and colleagues, 

Please visit http://www.unt.edu/academics.htm for class schedules, registration information, calendars, and catalogs. And for CVAD information, watch our website and Facebook pages for announcements of new activities and subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Stories from the Avant-Garde to keep track of our activities and accomplishments.

Visiting Artists and Scholars:
See SPRING 2013 for a calendar of exhibitions, lectures, and presentations.

CVAD hosts annual lectures and lecture series throughout the College, including the newly launched Art History Lecture series, the Core Design and Core Drawing series, the College's Visiting Artist and Scholar series, the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Institute (CAMCSI) series, and individually sponsored lectures including the Nasher lecture, the Gough lecture in Interior Design, and the Davis lecture in Art Education. Additionally, visiting artiists are regularly brought to the campus to participate in PRINT, our print research facility, and through our exhibition series. We will once again host the seventh annual North Texas Medieval Graduate Student Symposium in April, bringing a host of scholars to the campus.

Robert Milnes, Dean, CVAD

Robert Milnes
Dean, CVAD

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About CVAD

CVAD Building

Art has been a vital part of UNT since it was first taught in 1894, just four years after the institution was founded. Dr. Cora Stafford, an imaginative leader who served on the faculty and as director for four decades before retiring in 1964, played a major role in guiding the art program to the reputation it maintains today. Determined to keep the program aligned with new ideas, she hired young innovators on the faculty. These included James Prestini and Gyorgy Kepes, two early proponents, in the United States, of the Bauhaus system which endeavored to relate a new design approach to the world of technology and craft. Also on the faculty were Carlos Merida, the internationally known Guatemalan painter and muralist, as well as Octavio Medellin, the celebrated Mexican sculptor and painter. Students included Ray Gough, who became a noted interior designer and UNT professor, and O'Neil Ford, who became one of Texas' most famous architects.

Masters degrees were initiated in the 1930s and the first MS degree in art was awarded in 1937 to Ms. Ann Bookman Williams, a long-time art teacher in the campus demonstration school. UNT's modern art program has been one of continual growth. After World War II, professional programs in advertising art, fashion design and interior design supplemented traditional studio and art education programs. Following an extensive study of the arts in Texas by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in the 1960s, North Texas was designated as a major visual arts program in the State and was approved to offer the BFA, MFA, and Ph.D. degrees beginning in 1971. With the Southwest's demographic population shift in the late 1970's and early 1980's, enrollment increased dramatically. At the same time, the department's comprehensive art programs were being recognized for their quality.

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Featured Alumni

Interview with Matthew Metzger

Former North Texas artist Matthew Metzger recently responded to Tête-à-Tête, offering some insight into his calculated and beautifully detailed paintings.

Matthew lives and works in Chicago. He received his BFA from The University of North Texas and his MFA from the University of Chicago in 2009. Since then, he has exhibited at such institutions as The Smart Museum of Art in Chicago and the Soap Factory in Minneapolis, while mounting solo exhibitions at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Sikkema & Jenkins Co. in New York, Arratia Beer in Berlin and Tony Wight Gallery in Chicago. He is co-editor of the publication SHIFTER, and is assistant professor of studio art at The University of Illinois at Chicago.

"I am interested in the correlation between Abstraction in painting and its dependency on the figure (the thinking, active and political body), both in regards to Abstraction's polarized history from the performing body (circa 1970), which now I see to be Abstraction's necessary subject, Metzger said."

Read the full interview at the Glasstire.com.


Read about our previous featured alumni on our alumni page.

For more information about alumni along with current faculty, staff, and students, follow CVAD on Facebook and subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter, Stories from the Avant-Garde.

CVAD Mission & Goals

Mission:

To engage our diverse student population with issues of artistic heritage, stimulate their imagination and involvement with the world, foster their critical and analytical thinking, and inspire their creativity through educational opportunities in art education, art history, design, and studio arts, all supported by a vital program of creative research.

Student sculpture, Fall 2009

Goals:

Access:
To provide undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom are first generation college students, access to outstanding programs;

Pursuit of Excellence:
To recruit and retain highly qualified students, to develop student potential, and to manage selective degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, providing a high quality environment that prepares students to become leading professionals in their fields;

printmakers fashion

Service to the Region and the World:
To provide programming and access to resources in collaboration with educational, governmental, and cultural agencies, reflecting our role as part of a multi-campus university system integrated into the Dallas/Ft. Worth/ Denton metropolitan area and networked world-wide; and

Prominence:
To ensure the prominence of our students, faculty, programs, and institutes regionally, nationally, and internationally and to continue our role as leaders in visual arts education.

ceramics adam palmer

UNT Art in Public Places Program

UNT Art in Public Places Program

The University of North Texas inaugurated the UNT Art in Public Places Program in 2009. In 2010, a Percent for Art program was initiated at the university. The first artworks purchased under the APPP guidelines were paintings by CVAD graduates Mariko Frost and Sarah Williams which were installed in the General Academic Building in 2009. The first artwork commissioned was the UNT Multicultural Center Mural in Fall 2010. In Fall 2011, the commemorative sculpture "Spiriki"by artist Kent Ullberg was installed in the new Apogee Football Stadium. Currently, Percent for Art projects are being established for the Library and Discovery Park. The Art in Public Places Program was initiated by the University President's office and is administered by the Art in Public Places Committee. An inventory of art on campus was undertaken and the Art Path map created in 2010 to help people view the collection.

Current Projects

  • Willis Library: $15,000 is available for purchase of artworks for the Willis Library. Artists will be selected from the Artist Registry during Summer 2012. Description of the project with specifics about location is available for download, here. This project is now closed for committee review.
  • Discovery Park: $23,000 is available for purchase of artworks for Discovery Park. Artists will be selected form the Artist Registry during Winter 2012. A project description will be posted here as soon as possible.
  • Sage Hall: $20,000 is available for the commissioning of artwork for Sage Hall. Artists will be selected form the Artist Registry during Summer 2012. Description of the project and commission with specifics about location and images is available for download, here.This project is now closed for committee review.
  • UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center: $15,000 is available for purchase of artworks for the new Autism Center at UNT. Artworks will be selected from the Artist Registry during July 2012. Description of the project with specifics about location is available for download,here.This project has been selected and artworks will be available for viewing during an Open House at the Autism Center on Saturday, November 3 from 9-11 am.

Artist Registry

The Art in Public Places Program established the UNT Artist Registry in October, 2011. This registry will be used by selection committees for upcoming projects. All artists are invited to submit their work, without charge, to the Artist Registry. The submission process also permits updating of entries, which we encourage the participants to do regularly. Registry procedures and more information about the registry can be found at art.unt.edu/forms/appp-registration.

Art in Public Places Blogsite

Public art projects at the University of North Texas will be posted on the UNT Art in Public Places blogsite. Please check regularly for new projects and deadlines. We anticipate several projects a year through the Percent for Art program.The blogsite can be found at untappc.blogspot.com.

UNT Art in Public Places mission and policies.

The Art in Public Places Program mission. UNT Art in Public Places policy, and the campus Percent for Art policy are available as pdf. Files:

Mission Art in Public Places Policy Percent for Art Policy

UNT Committee on Art in Public Places Fall 2012 membership:

The Art in Public Places program includes representatives of each of the major divisions of the University:

  • Robert Milnes, Dean, College of Visual Arts and Design (Chair)
  • Teresa Robertson, UNTArtGalleries Director (Co-Chair)
  • Victoria Decuir, Art in Public Places Registrar
  • Susan Sanders - Office of Advancement
  • Ana Lopez - CVAD Faculty (Studio Art)
  • Bruce Nacke - CVAD Faculty (Design)
  • Terry Barrett - CVAD Faculty (Art Education/Art HIstory)
  • Claire Christy - Graduate Student Council
  • Caitlin Little - SGA representative
  • Sean Zeigler - URCM
  • Uyen Tran, Director of Organizational Development, Institutional Equity and Diversity
  • Keesha Trim, Risk Analyst, Office of Risk Management
  • Helen Bailey -Office of Facilities
  • Sharon Kirkpatrick, Facilites Maintenance
  • Terri Pierce - Construction Manager, Facilities Planning
  • Gerald Ringe, Staff Council

Support CVAD

Gifts to the College of Visual Arts and Design at UNT allow the College to pursue excellence. These gifts insure that CVAD can attract top graduate and undergraduate students through Scholarships. These gifts also make possible CVAD's Visiting Artists/Scholar programs, Faculty Enrichment Opportunities, and support to each of the hallmark Institutes housed within the College of Visual Arts and Design. If you think your gifts aren't important, think again. Supporting CVAD through endowments or the Annual Fund helps secure the arts for future generations.

You can see our recent activities online or in the Avant-Garde. Better yet, get in-depth reports on the activities of our faculty, students, and alumni by subscribing to "Stories from the Avant-Garde," our monthly e-newsletter and hourly updates by visiting CVAD on Facebook. Please take a moment and join us in pursuing excellence. We value your gifts as they are an endorsement of the University of North Texas, College of Visual Arts and Design. If you have any questions, or you would like more information on how you can be a partner, please contact Susan Sanders, CVAD Director of Development at (940 565 4026) or Robert Milnes, Dean of CVAD (940 565 2987) for information. You may contribute to CVAD (and the program of your choice) online at: Give to UNT, or you may print out the Donation Form, and mail in with your gift to:

Mailing Address:

CVAD ANNUAL FUND
1155 Union Circle #305100
Denton, Texas 76203.

Special Appeals:

Join the Dress Circle and support the Texas Fashion Collection, and Fashion on Main.

Two scholarships at CVAD specifically benefit from your support through purchases of artworks. For information on supporting the Jack Sprague Communication Design Scholarship, see "Photography by Communication Design Professor Jack Sprague" .

For information on supporting the Jean Andrews Scholarship, see Jean Andrews Pepper Painting on the CVAD website under "CVAD Images" and the "Image Anthology"

Happening at CVAD

Featured Work

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APRIL ’13

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Announcements

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Opportunities

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