Welcome to the Art Department
We invite you to explore our site and discover what our academic courses, our faculty, and our environment can offer you.
The study of art and its processes is integral to the Christian liberal arts college curriculum, and is designed to stimulate full development of the whole person. The Art Department at Westmont is dedicated to help students discover and develop their creative abilities and to be attentive to the power of the visual arts in our world. Accompanying the serious study of the visual arts is the motivation to integrate artistic pursuit with the development of a maturing Christian faith.
Our program emphasizes basics and breadth. The central core of the Art major is based on sound understanding of the principles of design, it focuses on two-dimensional media, and is articulated through foundational and intermediate studies in drawing, computer graphics, painting, interpretive printmaking, and photography. Three-dimensional investigations in crafts, ceramics and stone carving, as well as the in-depth study of art history, compliment the core classes. Both studio and art history courses are designed to stimulate critical thinking and intellectual curiosity about the visual realm. Westmont's art courses are open to all students.
Distinctive Features
Studio and art history courses are held in the Art Center on lower campus. sculpture has its own facility on upper campus as does computer graphics and photography. The nine department members (4 full time, 5 part time) are all specialists in their respective fields, and all are active in their scholarly pursuits.
The art program offers four disciplinary tracks for the major: a 48-unit major in studio art, a 24-unit minor in studio art, a 24-unit minor in art history, and a 48-unit alternative major in art history.
For students interested in graphic design, the general studio major can opt for a graphics emphasis within the major.
An on-site art gallery serves both the Westmont community, and the Santa Barbara community at large with its exhibition schedule, lectures by guests artists, and a supportive community-based arts council that helps to oversee the gallery program. The Reynolds Gallery gives students the opportunity for work and internships in gallery management and curatorial practice.
A number of art related off-campus program opportunities are available for the serious art student in England, Italy, New York and San Francisco. We hope this Web site is informative and helpful to you. Please feel free to contact the Art Department office at (805) 565-6162, or email questions to Professor Lisa DeBoer, department chair, at deboer@westmont.edu if you have specific concerns.