Art and Art History

Art student in her studio with two paintings behind her

Explore the Department of Art and Art History

The Department of Art and Art History provides an integrated studio and art history experience. Through the study of history, critical analysis, materials, techniques and contemporary art practices, we encourage you to construct meaning, understand multiple perspectives, employ differing academic disciplines and unravel the complexities of creativity. Our department is committed to fostering an education that inspires you to innovate, while honoring the traditions of the past and the techniques of the masters. Our alumni go into the workforce employing creative and critical thinking that ultimately manifests in a diverse scope of professional careers. From authors to teachers, designers to business owners, we are proud of the imaginative successes of our former students.

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Area Spotlights

  • Ceramics students at UNH

    Spotlight on Ceramics

    The opportunity to do ceramics at such a beautiful campus is really inspiring.

    Ember Nevins

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  • Lily Soucy

    Spotlight on Printmaking

    The professors here are really welcoming. They are all excited and passionate about their art and they want to instill that passion in their students.

    Lily soucy 

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  • Maddie Pender in painting studio

    Spotlight on Painting

    We're a really tight-knit community. You're able to come to this safe, creative space that really gets your mind flowing and makes you want to come in and paint every day.

    madeline pender

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  • Female student in front of white background

    Spotlight on Photography

    I've learned so many great techniques and so quickly, with the help of my professors

    Jacquelyn Weik

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  • Lorna Bostwick-Pope

    Spotlight on the BFA Program

    I chose to apply to the BFA program because of the studio spaces and the one-on-one time you get to have with each of the professors.

    Lorna bostwick-pope

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Department News

  • Leah Woods with chainsaw

    Building Skills

    This month’s UNH TODAY Newsletter includes a story featuring our very own woodworking professor, Leah Woods. The article discusses Professor Woods’ participation in a prison outreach program in New Hampshire that teaches woodworking skills to women.

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  • Design professor Liese Zahabi

    Thinking Out Loud

    Professor Liese Zahabi has recently had an article published in the design journal Dialectic. “Thinking out Loud: An Invitation for Designers to Consider the Voice User Interface” discusses voice-activated devices and interfaces (specifically VUI) becoming normalized in places like the U.S.

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  • Portrait of Michael Cardinali

    Scenes from a Floating World

    "Scenes from a Floating World," an exhibition of photographs by Professor Michael Cardinali, will be on view at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) from September 6, 2022 to January 20, 2023.

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  • Portrait of Professor Susan Wager

    Boucher's Spirit

    Congratulations to art history professor Susan Wager on the publication of her article, “Boucher’s Spirit: Authorship, Invention, and the Force of Porcelain” in the latest issue of The Art Bulletin. Published by the College Art Association of America, The Art Bulletin is one of the most prestigious journals devoted to art historical scholarship.

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  • Portrait of Patricia Emison

    Art and Its Observers

    What ties western art together? This extended essay attempts to distill some of the basic ideas with which artists and observers of their art have grappled, ideas worthy of ongoing consideration and debate. 

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Recent Stories

painting of women huddled around ill woman on bed

Myths Retold, In the Garden

Myths Retold, In the Garden

New exhibitions open at the Museum of Art, January 26...

Article
three women in classroom showing their woodworking projects

Building a Skill

Building a Skill

Prison outreach program in New Hampshire teaches woodworking to women...

Article
books in a pile

On the Bookshelf and Streaming

On the Bookshelf and Streaming

A year-end roundup of books and recordings published by College of Liberal Arts faculty...

Article
Plaster sculpture of a head lying on its side

Research Snapshot: Pox

Research Snapshot: Pox

2019; plaster, ink, cement...

Article
men unloading fish in a boat

Frame of Mind

Frame of Mind

COLA faculty take snapshots to capture their research — and bring fascinating insights to the...

Article
Illustrated postcard of Italian landscape

Going Places

Going Places

Madison Hoppler '24 headed to Italy after winning travel scholarship...

Article
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Student & Alumni Spotlights

  • E.J. Theriault in her studio
    Wildcats
    E.J. Theriault '21
    Fine Arts Major (Sculpture)
    How did you choose your major and why? As an undeclared student my first semester as a freshman, I explored a variety of classes and enrolled in a biology class which I immediately dropped after the first meeting. With a gap that needed to be filled, I registered for Professor Ben Cariens evening...
    Learn More
    Wildcats
    E.J. Theriault '21
    Fine Arts Major (Sculpture)
    How did you choose your major and why? As an undeclared student my first semester as a freshman, I explored a variety of classes and enrolled in a biology class which I immediately dropped after the first meeting. With a gap that needed to be filled, I registered for Professor Ben Cariens evening...
    Learn More
  • headshot
    Wildcats
    Kaitlyn Grant '20
    Studio Art Major
    As an art major, Kaitlyn Grant ’20 of Somersworth, New Hampshire, is, in some ways, learning the same things over and over — but not out of redundancy. Instead it’s part of an arts education that allows students to hone their skills and develop their personal style. It’s why art students can...
    Learn More
    Wildcats
    Kaitlyn Grant '20
    Studio Art Major
    As an art major, Kaitlyn Grant ’20 of Somersworth, New Hampshire, is, in some ways, learning the same things over and over — but not out of redundancy. Instead it’s part of an arts education that allows students to hone their skills and develop their personal style. It’s why art students can...
    Learn More
  • headshot
    Alumni
    Jenna Riley '08 '17G
    Psychology and Studio Art Majors, Liberal Studies Masters | Library Services Specialist
    What you are currently doing for work? I currently work at the UNH Dimond Library in the Circulation unit. I have a supporting role in training, scheduling and supervision of circulation student assistants. As an undergraduate I worked at the Dimond Library as a student assistant for one summer....
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    Alumni
    Jenna Riley '08 '17G
    Psychology and Studio Art Majors, Liberal Studies Masters | Library Services Specialist
    What you are currently doing for work? I currently work at the UNH Dimond Library in the Circulation unit. I have a supporting role in training, scheduling and supervision of circulation student assistants. As an undergraduate I worked at the Dimond Library as a student assistant for one summer....
    Learn More
  • Tejas Moses with Don Williams, senior lecturer in art
    Wildcats
    Tejas Moses '20
    Fine Arts Major
    A native of Dublin, N.H., Tejas Moses came to UNH because he wanted to maintain his relationships to people and places he had before college, while feeding his desire “for challenge and adventure and bliss.” Those and “a really good financial aid package” that included a prestigious Hamel...
    Learn More
    Wildcats
    Tejas Moses '20
    Fine Arts Major
    A native of Dublin, N.H., Tejas Moses came to UNH because he wanted to maintain his relationships to people and places he had before college, while feeding his desire “for challenge and adventure and bliss.” Those and “a really good financial aid package” that included a prestigious Hamel...
    Learn More
  • headshot
    Alumni
    Tara Lewis (Misenheimer) '92
    Studio Art Major | Art Instructor and Artist
    Describe what you are currently doing for work and how you got to this point. I teach art at Phillips Exeter Academy, where I have been an instructor in painting, printmaking and photography. I have been working there for almost 20 years. Prior to that, I worked at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston...
    Learn More
    Alumni
    Tara Lewis (Misenheimer) '92
    Studio Art Major | Art Instructor and Artist
    Describe what you are currently doing for work and how you got to this point. I teach art at Phillips Exeter Academy, where I have been an instructor in painting, printmaking and photography. I have been working there for almost 20 years. Prior to that, I worked at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston...
    Learn More

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