The Department of Art & Art History’s mission is to offer relevant, rigorous and purpose-driven education in studio art and art history; conduct insightful and high-impact faculty and student scholarship and creative research; present engaging programs and exhibitions that stimulate understanding of diverse artistic expression and encourage cultural and intellectual awareness; and promote outreach and professional experience in the arts to provide students with a competitive advantage in preparing for an expansive range of career paths.
Diversity and difference are sources of our strength, creativity and innovation. The Department of Art & Art History is committed to understanding, resisting and dismantling the legacies of racism and oppression in our community and beyond. We encourage students to be critically aware of the role of the visual arts and culture in historical and contemporary social hierarchies and power structures, including their role in challenging racism and other forms of oppression. We strive to be an inclusive community that welcomes people from every background and fulfills its land-grant mission through the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach and diversity as inextricably linked goals. We acknowledge that systemic prejudice and intolerance silences members of our community. We pledge to make space for all voices, and work toward building an environment united by our shared goals of equality and accessibility. We value the contributions of each individual and respect the profound ways their identities, cultures, experiences, histories and abilities enrich our department and the university. We are committing time, resources and attention to our goal of ensuring that all members of our community feel a sense of belonging. We are developing specific short- and long-term programs to realize these objectives and to embed cultural change. In these efforts, we are contributing to Auburn University’s mission, as set forth in the current strategic plan and supported by the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, to “establish diversity as a core value at Auburn University.”