College of Visual and Performing Arts | Art | Degrees and Programs | BA Overview | Explore a BA in Art History
Explore a BA in Art History
Art History is more than analyzing art—it broadens our worldviews, develops global understanding, and cultivates cultural sensitivity through close engagement with the rich history of artworks, practices and material culture across time and space.
The UNCG Art History concentration within the BA Art degree is an object-focused program offering students global, historical and contemporary perspectives on art through coursework and hands-on experiences both locally and abroad. Through their training in cross-cultural and transhistorical critical analysis of the visual world, majors will take their place as informed global citizens prepared for life-long critical engagement and a wide variety of scholarly pursuits.
Graduates of this versatile program are well equipped to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Majors have joined competitive graduate schools and built careers in a wide range of professions from museum curators to art librarians, university professors to lawyers, and government service to social media executives.
Art History Faculty
Course of Study
Art history classes develop the core skills of close looking, writing, research, creative and analytical thinking, visual literacy and effective communication. Courses take the form of lectures, internships, independent studies, seminars and on-site investigations in museums, archives, and even Renaissance churches and palaces. Small, major specific classes, such as the topical Second Year Seminar in Art History (ARH 219) and the advanced Research Topics in Art (ARH 405) provide students with one-on-one experiences with the area’s dynamic faculty.
Students shape their own degree by selecting a minor and a foreign language that complement their future careers paths. Past majors have selected from a range of subjects in which to minor including Classical Studies, History, Religious Studies, Anthropology, English, Media Studies, Political Science, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, among others.
Program Distinctions
The Art History program is distinguished by the breadth, quality, and diverse research conducted by its award-winning faculty. From contemporary South African pottery to Italian Renaissance portraiture, to histories of photography and Native American art in the Atlantic World, to the art and artists of the Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, to the art and material culture of the American and African American South, innovative faculty research informs every course taught in this program.
Here, faculty and students co-lead meaningful and community-engaged projects based in art historical research, such as increasing the accessibility of public art in Greensboro. Working closely with faculty, students develop their own critical voices in a range of high-impact, public-facing research projects such as making historically underrepresented artists visible through new Wikipedia pages, social media takeovers and essays published on museum websites, as well as critical reviews of art exhibitions in national publications.
In person, student engagement with works of art is a core value. This priority has led Art History faculty to actively engage students with the collections and exhibitions of the nationally-renowned Weatherspoon Art Museum on UNCG’s campus in their courses—from regular class meetings in the galleries, to special collections visits that enable students to interface directly with objects, to assignments that ask students to consider questions of curation, display, and viewership. Faculty also develop student programs with the Greensboro Project Space in downtown Greensboro, and lead student field trips to other art institutions across the state including the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh and the Mint Museum in Charlotte. Students also have multiple study abroad programs available through the UNCG Global Engagement Office.
The Student Experience
With the guidance and mentorship of area faculty, majors often present their work at local and regional undergraduate conferences and symposia. Majors have presented at the UNCG Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo, State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, and National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Graduates have published their research in Explorations: The Journal of Undergraduate Research Activities for the State of North Carolina and co-authored work with faculty members for scholarly publications.
Our faculty have been strong supporters of the McNair Scholars Program, “a federal TRiO program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Designed to prepare undergraduate students for the pursuit of a Ph.D” who come from first-generation and under-represented backgrounds. Our graduates have pursued degrees at highly-prestigious graduate programs. https://success.uncg.edu/trio/
Every other summer, School of Art faculty lead an immersive, four-week study abroad trip to Florence, Italy. Focused on the art history of the Italian Renaissance and taught on-site, the program offers attending art history majors the opportunity to earn six credit hours of art history, all while living, studying and experiencing Italy firsthand.
Students may choose to participate in a range of university clubs and activities, including Co-WAM, the student organization of the Weatherspoon Art Museum on UNCG’s campus. Majors interested in museum work frequently hold summer internships at local institutions such as The Weatherspoon Art Museum, The Reynolda House Museum of American Art, The North Carolina Museum of Art and the Mint Museum.
Students interested in Disciplinary Honors in Art History may pursue a focused course of advanced study that involves independent learning and student-faculty mentorship through a collaboration with the School of Art and Lloyd International Honors College. Many majors earn invitations to our nation’s most prestigious Honors Societies including, Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi.
Undergraduate Research & Creativity Awards
2024 – Beth I. Campbell
Faculty Mentor—Heather Holian, Art History
“Envisioning the Virgin’s Assumption in Renaissance Florence: Reflections of Religious and Private Patronage”
The Annual Carolyn & Norwood Thomas
Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo & Awards
2021 3rd Place in the Humanities- Emily Moser (Classical Studies, Art History, and Painting)
Faculty Mentor – Michiel Van Veldhuizen (Classical Studies), An Enduring Image of the Pythia: Embedded in Art History
2020 2nd Place in the Humanities – Eliza Rosebrock (English and Art History),
Faculty Mentor – Ben Clarke (English), The Damning Word: The People’s Side of Irish History in Frank Delaney’s Fiction
2014 2nd Place in the Humanities—Eliana Mundula
Faculty Mentor- Heather Holian, Art History
“Learned, Mannered, and Titled: Baccio Bandinelli’s Self-Referential Work in the Context of the Changing Status of the Artist”
2013 1st Place in the Humanities–Mary Piepmeier
Faculty Mentor – Heather Holian, Art History
“The Medici Gardens: Microcosms of Divine Rule”
2013 2nd Place in the Humanities—Steisha Pintado, BFA painting
Faculty Mentor – Heather Holian, Art History
“Remediated Optical Toys and the Animated GIF”
2013 Honorable Mention in Humanities — Michelle Lanteri
Faculty Mentor – Elizabeth Perrill, Art History
“Earth Forms: The Boundless Art of Lonnie Vigil and Ansel Adams”
2012 1st Place in the Humanities—Mary Piepmeier
Faculty Mentor – Heather Holian, Art History
Faculty Mentor – Derek Krueger, Religious Studies
“The Pola Casket”
2014 Lloyd International Honors College Symposium
3rd Place in the Humanities and Fine Arts—Eliana A. Mundula
Faculty Mentor—Lawrence Jenkens, Art History
“The Production of Identity in the Roman Military, 2nd-3rd C. A.D.”
Art History Majors and Minors
Provost’s Student Excellence Award Winners:
the most prestigious academic award at UNCG
Camille Blackman (2025)
Meghan Fox (2025)
Adia Carter (2024)
Quan Apollo (2023)
Jo Williams (2021)
Emily Moser (2020)
Alexandra Romero (2019)
Eliza Rosebrock (2019)
Kendall Llewellyn (2018)
Camille Knudsen (2015)
Eliana Mundula (2013)
Olivia Kirby (2013)
Taylor Burton (2013)
Kayla Cavenaugh (2013)
Mary Piepmeier (2012)
Henry Hilston (2010)
Golden Chain Honor Society
Megan Chamberlain (2015)
Suzi Tisdell (2011)
Phi Beta Kappa Society (Honor Society)
Emily Leon
Camille Knudsen
Mary Piepmeier
Kathleen Hardin
Henry Hilston
Julia Alexander
I came to UNCG to pursue a BFA in studio art with a focus on new media and design; however, in summer 2018, I joined the UNCG Summer Italy trip to Florence, which sparked my interest in art history. My professors at UNCG provided valuable guidance and insight into my career and myself. When deciding whether to participate in the summer trip, a professor told me, “You should go because this trip will change your life,” and it truly did. Through the mentorship and outstanding opportunities at UNCG, I earned a BA in Art History and a BFA in studio art. Shortly after, I completed an MSc in Modern and Contemporary Art from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK). I am now a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin, working on my dissertation, currently titled “The Spirits Are Traveling: Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Albert Chong, and Khadija Saye’s Diasporic Spiritual Photographs.”
Catherine Burns
As part of the Art History and Museum Studies program at UNCG, I did an internship at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte where I became very interested in Collections Management. I decided to pursue a Master’s Certificate in Museum Collections Management and Care from George Washington University. Upon completing that program, I moved to New York to accept an internship at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Exhibition Management. Since moving to New York, I have held various jobs in Collections and Exhibition Management at the Morgan Library and Museum, the Guggenheim and the Deutsche Bank corporate art collection. I have worked in the Modern and Contemporary department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 2015. In my current role as Collections Specialist, I am primarily responsible for coordinating acquisitions and incoming loans. My job allows me to work directly with the art, which is something I really enjoy. I am very grateful to my professors and advisers at UNCG for preparing me for a career in this field.
Beth I. Campbell
My concentration in UNCG’s Art History program was Italian art, with a focus on Florentine Renaissance artists. The art history faculty encouraged me to consider art’s religious, political, and social influences and implications across multiple time periods and cultures, broadening my perspective and deepening my understanding. As a result, I was able to apply that knowledge to locales and periods beyond Renaissance Florence while further developing my primary interests. My professors’ support and guidance were invaluable to both my independent research and my decision to pursue a graduate degree. The instruction and guidance I received from the art history faculty at UNCG continue to inform my research and facilitate my transition to the Master of Art History program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Michelle Lanteri
The UNCG art history faculty encouraged me to pursue my research interests in modern and contemporary Native American art through interpretive lenses of social art history in tandem with dynamic scholarship and presentations. During the undergraduate seminars, the professors gave me academic tools to perform a number of methodologies to contextualize and analyze works of art from around the world. Moreover, they facilitated key opportunities for primary research with artists and museums. From UNCG, I continued my art historical studies in Native American art in a master’s program at New Mexico State University and an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship and doctoral program at University of Oklahoma. The depth and nuance of UNCG’s undergraduate art history program prepared me with a critical foundation for both graduate school and my curatorial work. With more than a decade of experience in the museum field, I am currently the Head Curator at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and a regular contributor to First American Art Magazine. My years in the UNCG art history degree program mark a precious turning point in my career.
Ryan Macon
After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I relocated to New York City to take a position at the Whitney Museum of American Art as a gallery assistant. In addition, I work with the World Science Festival as an office administrator. My alma mater taught me how to succeed by equipping me with the necessary tools to compete in a competitive job market. With a degree in art history, my professors continue to support me in my post-graduation endeavors by staying in contact and notifying me of career opportunities. I am thankful for my alma mater! Once a Spartan, always a Spartan!
Sidney Pettice
After graduating from UNCG, I obtained my M.A. in Curatorial Studies from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. My time at UNCG and at CCS Bard came together and shaped my curatorial practice, where I focus on art of the African Diaspora from the ancient to the contemporary. I have spent time working closely with institutions and their collections, like Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, and directly with artists, as I have also worked as a Studio Assistant for Lorraine O’Grady, who had an exhibition at the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Currently, I am the Curator of African Collections and African Diasporic Art at the Albany Museum of Art in South Georgia. Here, I continue to build my practice and have had the opportunity to engage with our Sub-Saharan African Collection and with contemporary artists worldwide. My recent exhibitions include Rootwork, featuring works by Alabama-based artist Jillian Marie Browning; Her Ladyship, Countess of Cumakala, the first U.S. Solo exhibition of South African Artist Buqaqawuli Nobakada’s artwork, and Wadsworth & Jae Jarrell: Art
Making / World Making, celebrating the art practices of Wadsworth and Jae, two founding members of AfriCOBRA.
Erin Riggins
The education and experience I received from the Art History program at UNCG provided me with the arts foundation needed to succeed outside the classroom. I was given the opportunity to pursue valuable internships at the Art Department’s Gatewood Gallery and Greenhill Gallery in downtown Greensboro, where I was offered a permanent position after finishing my BA. I learned a great deal in graduate school style seminars taught by the UNCG Art History faculty, who are all experts in their respective fields of study. I also studied abroad in Italy, attending lectures on-site in some of the most famous Renaissance structures in the world. I feel very fortunate to have benefited from the Art History program at UNCG and encourage fellow students of Art and Art History to take full advantage of the opportunities it provides.
Maya Simmons
After graduating from UNCG with a double major in Art History and African American and African Diaspora Studies, I decided to pursue a master’s in Art History from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where my graduate thesis focused on Kenyan American artist Wangechi Mutu. While at SCAD, I had the pleasure of completing several prestigious internships for art organizations such as Art21, Yale University Press, and the American Federation of Arts. These internships then led me to my first job in the arts world as a Grants Associate for the Terra Foundation for American Art. While there, I learned about grantmaking for the arts and how to support art organizations and artists through funding. Upon leaving the Terra Foundation, I began working at Virginia Tech as a Pre-Award and Funding Support Specialist for the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, where I helped faculty apply for grant funding to support their research and creative scholarship goals. I am proud to be returning to UNCG as a Research Development Officer in the Office of Strategic Initiatives and Research Development (OSIRD). My journey has allowed me to be an advocate and champion for the arts and its financial growth and success. I am grateful to my professors at UNCG for instilling in me the importance of research and the many paths that are available by majoring in such a multidisciplinary subject like Art History. Art and culture are at the root of every enterprise, and I’ve made it my personal mission to advocate for artists and arts organizations, working to ensure they receive the funding and support they need to thrive.
Suzanne Tisdell
After graduating from UNCG with a BFA in painting (2011) and a BA in Art History (2013), I earned my MA in Art History from the Florida State University in 2015. Upon graduation, I began my career as a Design Patent Examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. While it may not seem like a direct or expected progression from art history, applying a critical eye to visual imagery, engaging in rigorous research, and translating visual information into comprehensible text form the basis of my day-to-day work. This is art historical training in action. I credit UNCG as forming the foundation for my academic journey and feel fortunate to call myself an alumnus of the UNCG School of Art.
Career options for students with a B.A. in art history
- Teach (and research) at the college level
- Museum career (curator, registrar, educator)
- Work for an auction house, like Christie’s or Sotheby’s
- Work in the private art market (as a gallery manager, a collections consultant for private collectors, or in an auction house, like Christie’s or Sotheby’s)
- Arts Administration (museum administrator, theatre or gallery manager, etc.)
- Art restoration (this requires a strong background in chemistry)
- Architectural restoration
- FBI Art Theft task force
- Art therapy
- Art journalist, critic, or reviewer for news media
- Archivist
- Librarian
- Lawyer (specializing in art, intellectual property, cultural property, restitution, etc.)
- Work in the non-profit sphere (grant writer, community engagement manager, coordinator for public arts programs, etc.)
- Work in cultural policy (in federal, state, or local arts agencies; in international NGOs focused on culture; or even in foreign service)
ALL of these career paths, with the possible exception of the FBI Art Theft task force and art critic, require advanced academic work at the graduate level. Some require an M.A. and others a Ph.D. Getting into graduate school, regardless of whether it is for Museum studies, Art History, Library Science or Arts Administration is more competitive than ever, as is the job market in these fields, which is why creating the best academic record you can is important.
For students who wish to use their art history B.A. as the focus for a broad, liberal arts undergraduate education, this degree can also be a starting point for a number of graduate programs in other fields including History, Archeology, Journalism, Anthropology, Information Science, even Law.
As a general guide, UNCG students with GPAs lower than a 3.5 will have a difficult time entering graduate school without outstanding secondary criteria—like fluency in multiple languages, summer/semester or longer study abroad experiences, academic awards, publications, etc. Additionally, most schools require a minimum GRE score—consult each school’s application and acceptance process usually found online.
These are the courses required by the Art History concentration. For a suggested schedule of courses for Art History students, see the schedule at the bottom of this page. For more information on these and other available courses, see the UNCG course bulletin.
Required Core Courses
In addition to meeting the Minerva Academic Core (MAC) Requirements, the courses required by the School of Art to complete a BA in Art History consist of:
- ARH 110: Survey of Western Art: Prehistory Renaissance (MAC Global and Intercultural)
- ARH 111: Survey of Western Art: Renaissance Contemporary (MAC CritThink Hum and Fine Art)
- ARH 219: Second Year Seminar in Art History
- ARH 405: Research Topics in Art History
Minimum of 21 semester hours in Art History courses above the 300 level of above.
Minimum of 6 semester hours of Studio Art selected from the following:
- ART 120: Drawing I or
- ART 140: Foundation Design I or
- ART 150: Three Dimensional Foundations I and
- One 200-level studio art course.
Courses in Art History 200 and above:
- ARH 210 Art of Disney and Pixar
- ARH 214 History of Ceramics: Critical Perspectives
- ARH 302: Roman Art
- ARH 310: Early Medieval and Byzantine Art
- ARH 311: Medieval and Romanesque Art
- ARH 312: Gothic Art
- ARH 321: Early Italian Renaissance Art, 1300-1480
- ARH 322: Art of the Italian High Renaissance and Maniera, 1480-1600
- ARH 340: European Art in the Eighteenth Century
- ARH 341: American Art I
- ARH 345: European Art in the Nineteenth Century
- ARH 346: Art in the Global 19th Century
- ARH 347: American Art II
- ARH 348: Native Arts of North America
- ARH 350: History of Photography
- ARH 352: Early Twentieth-Century Art
- ARH 353: Late Twentieth-Century Art
- ARH 354: Art Since 2000
- ARH 356: Contemporary Art of the Americas
- ARH 359: Art and/as Social Justice
- ARH 360: Women Artists of Disney and Pixar Animation
- ARH 361: Art and Collaboration at Pixar
- ARH 370: African Art: Ancient Empires to Colonial Contact
- ARH 371: The TransAtlantic: Cross-Cultural Representations
- ARH 372: African Art: Modern and Contemporary
- ARH 390: Variable Topics in Art History
- ARH 395: Florence and the Medici
- ARH 400: Special Problems, Independent Study in Art History and Criticism
- ARH 401: Special Problems, Internship in Museums Studies
- ARH 411: Topics in the History of Art
- ARH 412: Historiography and Methodology
- ARH 413: Perspectives in Contemporary Art
- ARH 414: Salon to Biennale and Beyond
- ARH 490: Art Museums and Exhibition Spaces
- ARH 493: Honors Work (Independent Study)
- ARH 500: Traditions of Art Criticism
- ARH 501: Topics in the History of Art
Minor Requirement
Students pursuing a B.A. degree in the College of Visual and Performing Arts must also complete all requirements in a minor area of study that is different from their declared major field. Students may select minors in or outside the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and students are encouraged to seek advice from CVPA advisors when making this choice. Any B.A. student who is pursuing a double major is exempt from this requirement. See the Minor Requirement topic on the College of Visual and Performing Arts page for more information.
Suggested 4-Year Course of Study
This list outlines the schedule of courses recommended for majors in the Art History concentration. For more information on courses and requirements, see the UNCG course bulletin. For information on advising, see the School of Art page or contact the Department.
University Minimums: 120 Hours Required, 36 at or above the 300 level.
Department Minimums: 21 Hours at or above the 300 level in Art History
First Year
Semester I
- ARH 110 (MAC Global and Intercultural)
- 3 MACs
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Semester II
- ARH 111 (MAC Humanities & Fine Arts)
- 2 MACs
- Foreign Language 101 or MAC
- ART 120, 140, 150
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Second Year
Semester III
- ARH 219^
- 1 MAC
- Studio Art at 200 Level
- Foreign Language 102
- Minor Course
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Semester IV
- ARH at the 300 level
- ARH at the 300 level
- Foreign Language 203
- Minor Course
- MAC
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Third Year
Semester V
- ARH at 300 Level
- 1 MAC
- Foreign Language 204
- Minor Course
- General Elective or Art History
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Semester VI
- ARH at the 300 Level
- 1 ARH electives or other elective*
- Minor Course
- 2 General Electives
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Fourth Year
Semester VII**
- 2 ARH at 300 Level
- Minor Course
- 2 General Electives
- Recommended 15 credit hours
Semester VIII***
- ARH 405 ***
- Minor Course
- 3 General Electives
- Recommended 15 credit hours
^ ART 219 is only offered in Fall Semesters
* Suggested departments for non-Art History electives or minor study include: African American Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology, Classical Studies, English, German and Russian (including Chinese and Japanese Studies), History, Interior Architecture, Media Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Romance Languages, Women and Gender Studies.
** This plan represents the minimum within the Art History concentration. Of course, you are encouraged to select additional courses.
*** Students may elect to take ARH 405 in their third year with permission of instructor.
ARH 405 is only offered in Spring semesters.