Develop your talents into a career as an arts professional.

Department of Art & Art History

We know what it takes to thrive as creative arts professionals. We do it every day. Through individualized mentoring, real-world experience, and a commitment to local and global engagement, you will discover your purpose and make an impact in the world.

  • Art B.A.: Prepares you for competency in art and art –related careers while offering the flexibility of studying across a broad area of interests. It offers the opportunity to pursue a second major or minor to complement your artistic interests.
  • Art B.F.A.: A professional degree that prepares you for graduate study and careers in art and design through in-depth studio experience and research in Visual Arts​.
  • Art History & Visual Culture B.A. : Focus on study of art and cultural heritage from a global perspective.
  • Master’s in Art Therapy Graduate Pathway: Offered through the Coalition for the Common Good, this program prepares to empower your therapy clients to express themselves verbally and through visual art to treat a multitude of developmental, emotional, psychological, and medical problems or disorders.
Ceramics Studio

Concentration

Ceramics

Explore the ceramic form from both sculptural and vessel perspectives to develop your personal style and hone your technical abilities.

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Drawing Studio

Concentration

Drawing

Learn contemporary, innovative drawing practices and traditional genres including still-life, life drawing, and nature-based drawing.

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Graphic Design

Concentration

Graphic Design

Use typography, images, shapes, textures, colors, and words as tools to create artworks that are in service to ideas and action.

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Art Painting

Concentration

Painting

Painting is for students with a passion for color and for working in oil paints. It is also for those with an interest in process-based art who embrace change.

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Photography

Concentration

Photography

Learn how and why to make images, and understand the social, aesthetic, and historical importance of photographs.

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Videoart Studiolights

Concentration

Video Art

Use moving image and sound to push boundaries, experiment, and tell dynamic stories from diverse perspectives.

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Student, Faculty, and Alumni Spotlights

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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I knew Otterbein was going to be an environment where I would be pushed to my full creative potential and given all the help and support I would need.

Megan Walsh ’22

B.F.A. in Art (Painting) with an Educational Studies Minor, Teacher Licensure, Visual Art ​

Learn more about Megan’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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There are so many amazing galleries and art museums in Columbus. There are always new and exciting visual and performing art advancements.

Luke Patel ’24

B.F.A. in Art (Ceramics) with minors in Art History & Visual Culture and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Learn more about Luke’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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Historical dress is my passion. Using fashion and costume as a tool to help teach people about the past, particularly when it comes to women, will play a big part in my life.

Addie Richmond ’22​

B.A. in Art History & Visual Culture and B.A. in Theatre

Learn more about Addie’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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I enjoy the freedom that comes with being an art/art history student the most. Self-expression is always very important within the assigned studio course projects.

Madison Popovich ’24

B.F.A. in Art (Photography & Graphic Design) and a minor in Art History & Visual Culture

Learn more about Madison’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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All the art professors at Otterbein are wonderful and supportive and really are looking out for you and your future.

Michael Hunkins ’23

B.A. in Art History & Visual Culture and B.A. in History & Political Science with an Art Minor​

Learn more about Michael’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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I have learned so much about myself, others, and what art really means to me and society as a whole.

Nevaeh Ellis ’24​

B.F.A. in Art (Graphic Design) and B.A. in Art History & Visual Culture

Learn more about Nevaeh’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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My favorite part of being an art student is everything! I am genuinely excited to go to class.

Tara Jones ’24​

B.A. in Art (Graphic Design) with minor in Art History & Visual Culture

Learn more about Tara’s story >

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

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I feel that after becoming an art student in my second year, I matured. I learned to like my art; I’ve won multiple awards for it and I’ve been in three exhibitions.

Zeph Harris ’22​

B.A. in Art (Graphic Design) with a Psychology Minor

Learn more about Zeph’s story >

Otterbein Museums and Galleries
Otterbein’s museum and galleries bring the best of visual arts to Central Ohio. We feature the art of internationally renowned creatives and give public access to our permanent art collection.

See the exhibition schedule >

Art students at Otterbein have the opportunity to work directly with visiting artists from around the globe, like Cadine Navarro (pictured center).​​

Cadine Navarro

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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Otterbein was a fantastic program to learn a broad range of artistic practices to springboard into another program of artistic practice.

Jack Koppert ’21

B.F.A. in Art (Painting) with an Art History Minor

Learn more about Jack’s story >

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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The experiences I had as a student, an alumni, a staff member, and a faculty member at Otterbein have benefited my studio practice and my professional career.

Chaz O’Neil ’06​

B.A. in Art (Printmaking, Painting, and Drawing)

Learn more about Chaz’s story >

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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The Art and Art History Department helped build my confidence to network and step into new positions within my community.

Jennifer Overhosler ’17​

B.A. in Art (Painting and Graphic Design)

Learn more about Jennifer’s story >

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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My Otterbein education certainly set me up for success at my current position!

Lindsay Lisanti ’21

B.A. in Art and B.A. in Theatre​ (seen here at left)

Learn more about Lindsay’s story >

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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Otterbein helped me to find new passions, new ways to express myself, and meet professors that would become great mentors and professional references – a few of which actually helped get me my job!

Megan Miller ’21

B.A. in Art (Photography Concentration) and a B.A. in Journalism & Media Communications

Learn more about Megan’s story >

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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The faculty treated you as a peer, intently cared about your personal growth, and helped you learn to express that growth through your craft.

Paul Davis ’06​

B.A. in Art (Graphic Design, Drawing, Computer Art) with minors in Art History and Music

Learn more about Paul’s story >

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

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The first wedding I got to shoot was because one of my classmates at Otterbein already was a wedding photographer, and she had asked me to help her.

Polly Sellers ’18

B.A. in Art (Photography, Graphic Design)​

Learn more about Polly’s story >

The point
At The Point, students have access to a woodshop, metal shop, and maker space with 3D printers, laser etching machines, large format printers, virtual reality equipment, and more to take their art to the next level.

Our Annual Juried High School Student Art Exhibition supports young artists in Ohio, who gain experience in preparing and submitting their artwork for blind review by qualified arts professionals and may receive cash awards.

Juried Student Exhibition

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Professor Amanda Kline is working on a short film that showcases the experiences, memories, and knowledge of women employees of the National Park Service. The film blends oral histories told by women with images of park landscapes and natural features. So far, she has traveled to Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts and Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. She looks forward to visiting Haleakalā National Park in Hawaii next.​

Amanda Kline

Associate Professor, Art & Art History​

Learn more about Professor Kline >

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

This project is a scratch-built aircraft designed by George Pereira (WW2 veteran fighter and heavy bomber pilot). The materials are primarily sitka spruce and mahogany plywood. It took 13 years of work to get it to its first flight, and an additional 15 years to work out bugs and make modifications and updates. Its cruise speed is 240 miles per hour.​

Don Austin

Professor, Art & Art History

Learn more about Professor Austin >

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

As part of her fall 2022 sabbatical, Louise Captein will travel to the Netherlands, where she will draw and paint nature from direct observation to explore a mindfulness approach to rendering a variety of native plants, bushes, and trees. Her method of “slow art” and mindful seeing and working representationally, contrasts with her longstanding practice of working abstractly, in a fast, direct manner. The artist will work alongside Dutch nature painter Els de Does at different locations in and near Amsterdam and in rural West-Friesland at the organic farm Pluktuin van Geesje.​

Louise Captein

Associate Professor​, Art & Art History

Learn more about Professor Captein >

Department Features and Student Opportunities

Juried Student Exhibition

Scholarships

We show interest in the whole person-life experiences, potential for success in academic setting, and enthusiasm for the arts-by offering up to $8,000 in talent award scholarships.

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Study Abroad

Travel the world in short- and long-term study abroad experiences, including May Term trips led by Art & Art History faculty to locations such as Spain, Italy, Greece, and the United Kingdom.

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Art history Student

Internships

Students gain valuable professional experience through internships and short-term positions with a wide variety of businesses and organizations within the arts community.​

Learn more >

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Artist-In-Residence Program

One of the only such programs of its kind in Ohio, our artist-in-residence program lets two graduating studio art majors work as arts professionals with support in the form of studio space, materials, and a professional exhibition.​

Entrance to the Miller Gallery

Museum Internships

Art students at Otterbein have the opportunity to receive hands-on experience in preparation, installation, and striking of art exhibitions in the Frank Museum of Art and other galleries on campus.

Art And Art History Student Organizations

Student organizations

Kappa Pi is a national honor society for Art & Art History majors who have greatly excelled in the arts. Starving Artists is a student-run organization that promotes the appreciation and education of art in the Otterbein community.​

Hocking College Transfer Student Finds Creativity And Connection At Otterbein

Hocking College Transfer Student Finds Creativity and Connection at Otterbein


News - January 18, 2024
By Maggie Nicol ’25 Art feels and looks different to everyone; it allows for connection and creation and for an individual to thrive. That’s the experience of Sarah Farmer, a senior earning her bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in painting, along with minors in art history and photography. Sarah Farmer “I have always felt highly compelled to create and be creative. I have been doing art religiously since middle school and pursuing an art degree felt like…

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Otterbein Marching Band

Fast Track Innovation Fund Lets Community Shape Otterbein’s Growth


News - July 31, 2023
Otterbein University is using an innovative approach to grow enrollment and revenue by “crowd sourcing” ideas from its own community and investing in the best ideas with $1 million approved by the Board of Trustees. Under the Fast Track Innovation Fund initiative, seven projects proposed by Otterbein faculty and staff in May have been funded and are already being implemented on campus. “This investment in Otterbein’s future demonstrates our trustees’ commitment to allowing every member of our community to be heard…

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Young Alumnus Drafts his Future as Designer for Local Brewing Company


News - May 11, 2023
Kailey Mishler ’24  After graduating from Otterbein as a Graphic Design major in 2020, the pandemic made it hard for Stephen Kanicki to find a consistent job. However, in 2021, a design internship he found on LinkedIn led him to his current position as a digital designer for Columbus Brewing Company.   “I applied and went through the interview process, but wasn't confident that I would get the role since I had already graduated, assuming they would be looking for current…

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Programs of Study in Art

Art History Visual Culture

B.A.

Art History & Visual Culture

Woman standing in front of art exhibit

Minor

Art

Art History Visual Culture Minor Feature

Minor

Art History & Virtual Culture

Photography Minor Student

Minor

Photography

Contact Us

Department of Art & Art History​
33 Collegeview Road​
Westerville, OH 43081

Department Chair

Jonathan Johnson​​
614-823-1166
jjohnson@otterbein.edu

“Creativity takes courage.”

Henri Matisse