Fine Arts

School of Communication & The Arts

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Bringing the History of Fine Arts into the Future

As a Fine Arts student at Marist, you’re ready to be creative and innovative. And with our tools, resources, facilities, and connections, you’ll be prepared to do just that. Whether you pursue graduate school or jump right into the workforce, you’ll be well-prepared for what the future in fine arts holds for you.

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Student Learning Outcome s

The faculty are incredible; I can’t really put it any other way. They help you develop as an artist without you even realizing it, by teaching you different techniques and analyzing your work in a way you had never considered.

Emily Yen

Fine Arts Major, Studio Art Concentration, Graphic Design Minor

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I returned to Poughkeepsie after my year abroad in the Freshman Florence Experience—and never thought that I would be a business major. Then, I fell in love and fascination with my Organizational Behavior class—as it tapped into the ways in which people act and think together, and my creative roots and business education began to collide.

Ankofa Billips

Business Administration Major, Studio Art Minor

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The faculty abroad are very supportive and welcome with students from all over the world, so they have made me feel at home and are always available to answer questions and/or help with anything you need even if it is just advice.

Hannah Armstrong

Fashion Design Major, Art History Minor

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I firmly believe that I could not have received an education of this caliber anywhere else. The faculty is unparalleled, everyone from guest lecturers to academic advisors. I’ve never met people so passionate about student education and lauded in their fields, and the curriculum reflects that.

Alexa Comuniello

Fine Arts Major, Art History Concentration; MA in Museum Studies

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Focus Your Curriculum On Your Future

The Fine Arts curriculum is designed with your interests and your future career goals in mind. You’ll receive a balance of foundational theory and dive into the history and techniques of your area of specialization. You will be able to concentrate in one of two areas:

Art History
Studio Art

Along with your concentration, you can further specialize in other artistic interests such as drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, or digital media.

View Full Curriculum

Image of student working in fine arts laboratory.

Focus Your Curriculum On Your Future

The Fine Arts curriculum is designed with your interests and your future career goals in mind. You’ll receive a balance of foundational theory and dive into the history and techniques of your area of specialization. You will be able to concentrate in one of two areas:

Art History
Studio Art

Along with your concentration, you can further specialize in other artistic interests such as drawing, graphic design, painting, photography, or digital media.

View Full Curriculum

Fine Arts in an International Context

At Marist, we believe that one of the best ways to connect with fine arts is to immerse yourself in the art, history, and technology of other cultures. Both our degrees in Fine Arts—Art History and Studio Art—are offered at our branch campus in Florence, Italy. Our Florence campus, as well as our other 70+ established study abroad locations, are available for short-term and semester abroad opportunities, and we offer a number of other four-year art degrees including Conservation Studies, Studio Art, and Interior Design.

"I was in Venice for about a month, and apart from the actual program and being in the studios or class, I enjoyed just wandering around and getting lost in the city. You find so many amazing things when you're not looking for anything in particular."

Image of Steel Plant Studio's art gallery

Cutting-Edge Arts Facilities

Our newly renovated Steel Plant houses important, cutting-edge facilities for our Fine Arts students. The art studios are yours to use to learn, create, and practice. Our Fine Arts students also engage in hands-on gallery curation experiences, putting on exciting exhibitions with students and faculty in our art gallery.

Cutting-Edge Arts Facilities

Our newly renovated Steel Plant houses important, cutting-edge facilities for our Fine Arts students. The art studios are yours to use to learn, create, and practice. Our Fine Arts students also engage in hands-on gallery curation experiences, putting on exciting exhibitions with students and faculty in our art gallery.

Peyton Burnett: From Inglewood to Italy for Fine Arts

A young six-year-old girl in Inglewood, CA, made music by banging her palms on kitchen pans and art by scribbling on the white walls of a two-bedroom apartment. Her latest home-masterpiece showcased a future-artist-imitating-artists, as she had seen her parents play instruments and paint on full canvases several times before.

Through Marist’s Venice Biennale program, a decade and a half later, against the backdrop of the canals of one of the art capitals of Europe, Peyton Burnett fully introduced herself to the world as an artist.

Read Peyton’s Story

Peyton Burnett: From Inglewood to Italy for Fine Arts

A young six-year-old girl in Inglewood, CA, made music by banging her palms on kitchen pans and art by scribbling on the white walls of a two-bedroom apartment. Her latest home-masterpiece showcased a future-artist-imitating-artists, as she had seen her parents play instruments and paint on full canvases several times before.

Through Marist’s Venice Biennale program, a decade and a half later, against the backdrop of the canals of one of the art capitals of Europe, Peyton Burnett fully introduced herself to the world as an artist.

Read Peyton’s Story

Learn Fine Arts From Professionals in the Art World

The art faculty is composed of full-time and visiting art professionals who are committed to creating a nurturing but challenging environment in which you can explore, experiment, and develop your own personal visions. You can expect a great deal of personal attention; you're never just a number at Marist. Studio classes are never larger than 20 students, with enrollment in most limited to 15. Browse some faculty below, or view all Arts faculty >

Anne Bertrand-Dewsnap

Dr. Anne Bertrand-Dewsnap works on seventeenth-century French and Italian paintings and prints. She has lectured on these topics in colleges and museums throughout the United States as well as abroad and has received grants from the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Ed Smith

A Guggenheim Fellow in Sculpture and Drawing, and a former Associate member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors. His work is represented in public and private collections in the United States and abroad. He currently serves as Gallery Director, Director of Marist Venice Biennale Program, and Professor of Art at Marist College, and his work is primarily involved with mythic and heroic aspects of the Artist and man.

Dan McCormack

Along with being a Professional Lecturer of Art here at Marist, Dan McCormack is also the Head of the Film Photography Lab. He has been specializing in photography with the nude, workshops, lectures, and demonstrations for nearly 50 years and has even won a NYSCA-CAPS Photography Fellowship.

Your Education Doesn’t Have to End Here

Many Marist Fine Arts students consider graduate school as the next step in honing and finessing the skillset they have developed as a Red Fox and are well-prepared for grad school success. Along with our M.A. in Museum Studies offered at our Florence, Italy campus, Fine Arts students earn scholarships and full rides to top college and art institutions, including:

The Value of a Marist Education

At Marist, we pride ourselves on our dedication to providing our students with a well-rounded liberal arts education that prepares them for practical experience and profound success in their field. But don't just take our word for it - the numbers speak for themselves.