School of Art

School of Art Collection and Galleries
Artwork for the biennial faculty show in 2021. Yellow print, ceramics sculpture and woven textile pieces.

January 26 - March 4, 2021

The School of Art Collection and Galleries presents the Biennial Faculty Show in the Center for the Visual Arts Gallery. All full-time, part-time, and emeritus faculty at Kent State University’s School of Art at all campuses are invited to participate in the show.  Artwork of all media is on display, including sculpture, photography, textiles, metals, digital media, ceramics, painting, printmaking, and drawing. The exhibition is free and open to the public. 

Lauren Luna in her studio and her painting

Lauren Luna (B.F.A. ’00, Painting) has let nothing get in her way of her goal of making a living as an artist. Born in Columbus, Ohio, she moved to New York City shortly after graduating Kent State University with her B.F.A. and then ultimately to the city of Houston, Texas in 2011 to realize her dream.

Shawn Powell, Beach Towel, Scarf, Tooth, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 66 inches. A long rectangular painting with blue and white stripes.

Kent State University Assistant Professor of Painting Shawn Powell is being featured in a two-person show at Cleveland’s new Abattoir Gallery now through Sept. 5. One of Powell's paintings was featured in Vanity Fair this August.

Left image is a sketch for Robert Smithson's "Partially Buried Woodshed," and right image is a photo of one of the students who helped with the project.

The School of Art Collection and Galleries at Kent State University presents “Acquiring History: The 50-Year Legacy of Robert Smithson’s Partially Buried Woodshed at Kent State University” from Aug. 4 through Sept. 26, 2020, at the Kent State Downtown Gallery.

Dan Alexander in front of his glass artwork, images of glass art by Dan, a blue vase and a tall cup with lid

In his professional career as a glassblower, Kent State University alumnus Dan Alexander has done a lot in the decade since graduating with a B.F.A. in Craft in 2010.

button created by Jerry Casale - Kent Students Medical Fund

“I had always been making art and music but the events of May 4th and beyond galvanized my creativity, infusing it with an existential anger and urgency that would otherwise not have happened. In short Devo and the idea of De-evolution as a manifesto would not exist without that defining historic trauma I experienced.” - Jerry Casale

Painting graduate student in her studio

Kent State University School of Art is proud to announce that our M.F.A. program has again been ranked among the top in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Kent State climbed four spots to #110 in 2020 from the 2016 ranking of #114.