Save Your Spot for Fall 2025 on the Lamoni Campus
Pay Your DepositOur department attracts gifted and motivated students who thrive in an environment that encourages autonomy and meaningful communication. As a team of professional, relevant, accomplished and student-focused faculty, we will help you build a dynamic interrelationship of ideas, processes and practices that are steeped in tradition with an emphasis on contemporary art and ideas.
Our small class sizes enable student-driven courses that help you promote your unique voice. We are a close-knit community that encourages meaningful engagement between studio, classroom, campus and community. As a part of our community, we will encourage you to take big risks in your creative work and develop a set of problem-solving skills that will help you succeed in a multitude of arts-centered careers. We will travel together to metropolitan areas to experience art first hand.
Our facilities in the Helene Center for the Visual Arts are open 24 hours a day to give you complete access to our extraordinary studios, equipment and materials. Our MAC computer lab is state-of-the-art, and our sculpture, painting, drawing, non-toxic printmaking and ceramics studios are some of the best in the Midwest region. We have multiple student galleries and a professional gallery for visiting artists and senior exhibitions, and as a department, we are committed to bringing in regional, national and international artists to exhibit on campus and work in partnership with you.
Come create with us!
Our unique curriculum is both creative and professional. We offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with studio art and graphic design concentrations, and a K-12 teaching certification. We will help you build self-promotional tools, connect you to internships and job opportunities, and help you discover your creative place in the world. We offer discipline-specific scholarship opportunities for majors and non-majors based on portfolio reviews and interest in the arts.
Want to learn more about the Visual and Performing Arts at Graceland?
Contact Information:
Karen Gergely, Associate Professor of Art and Art Program Coordinator
Parker Worden, Director of Bands and Music Program Coordinator
Lauren Clark, Director of Choral & Vocal Studies and Music Program Coordinator
Kimberly Manuel, Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Program Coordinator