Art and Art History

Art student drawing

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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Department News

  • Portrait of art history professor Ivo van der Graaff

    PROFESSOR VAN DER GRAAFF PUBLISHES "TRACING PROCESSION ROUTES FOR THE PRINCIPAL CULTS IN POMPEII"

    Co-authored with Professor Eric Poehler (UMass, Amherst), the article is part of a special issue of the Open Arts Journal that looks at the religious landscape in ancient Pompeii. Using evidence from inscriptions, visual culture, spatial analysis, and Roman religious traditions, the article is a preliminary attempt to gather the evidence for processional routes related to the principal cults in Pompeii. From this evidence, it proposes to chart a few tentative routes taken by public religious processions.

    Read more
  • Aerial view of PCAC Mural

    A NEW MURAL HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON THE ELEVATOR TOWER OF PCAC

    Titled, “Hope is A Discipline,” the digital mural is by the Texas-based artist Michael Menchaca. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Menchaca has also completed public art projects in their hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

    Learn more about the artist

  • Interior of UNH Museum of Art

    EXHIBITION: "THE ARTIST REVEALED: 2021 STUDIO ART FACULTY REVIEW" 
    UNH MUSEUM OF ART

    This exhibition of work by the artists who teach in the Department of Art and Art History reveals the breadth and range of the Department’s studio art program.

    Exhibiting artists include Benjamin Cariens, Michael Cardinali, Jamie Bowman, Brian Chu, Julee Holcombe, Meghan Samson, Emily Wernig, Leah Woods, and Liese Zahabi. Works will also be shown in memory of Alumni and adjunct faculty member of Jason Bombaci ’07 (1982-2020), who passed away from cancer in 2020.

    LEARN MORE

  • Portrait of professor emerita of art Jennifer Moses

    Professor Jennifer Moses retires after 32 years in the Department

    It is with mixed emotions that we announce the retirement of Professor Jennifer Moses. Over the course of her 32 year careet at UNH, Prof. Moses was a teacher and mentor to countless number of students, and a trusted colleague and friend to fellow faculty members. We will miss her sense of humor, her enthusiasm and passion for teaching, and her selfless committment to the pedagogical mission of the Department. We wish her the very best in the years to come.

    Follow Professor Moses on Instagram

  • Portrait of art history professor Patricia Emison

    Art history professor Patricia Emison publishes book on motion pictures and Renaissance art history

    Congratulations to art history professor Patricia Emison on the completion of her latest book, Moving Pictures and Renaissance Art History, which was published on August 17, 2021 by Amsterdam University Press.

    Learn more

  • Portrait of art professor Leah Woods

    Woodworking professor Leah Woods spearheads Prison Outreach Program

    Professor Leah Woods, along with colleagues Lynn Szymanski and Mary McLaughlin, is spearheding a new woodworking program in the NH Correctional Facility for women located in Concord. The initiative is part of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters prison outreach program.

    Learn more

upcoming events

Oct
27

ArtBREAK Artists Talk with Current Art Faculty

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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....
    Learn More
    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