Art History
Buffalo State is home to the most extensive visual-arts program of study in all of SUNY. Located in the museum district of Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo State has three major museums within walking distance which makes SUNY Buffalo State an excellent place to study art. Buffalo has many smaller museums and galleries as well, which provide a variety of stimulating art experiences, and valuable internship opportunities with hands-on experience working in the art world.
Why Study Art History?
Art historians analyze the art of past and present in order to understand the relationship of a monument, image or work to individual, social, cultural and historical forces. This field is one of the few that trains students to look at and analyze images systematically. In our global world, which is increasingly dominated by images, training of this sort becomes increasingly relevant.
By studying art history, students prepare themselves to live in and understand the material world around them. An art history degree represents a good intellectual foundation for many potential careers, whether working in an art gallery or museum, in historical preservation, in archives and libraries, in art and antique dealing, in television or film, in education, in publishing or advertising.
Buffalo: America's Best Designed City
Buffalo as a Campus for Art History
Art history students are engaged in hands-on learning experiences from the moment they arrive on campus. Many students have internships at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, the Albright Knox Art Gallery, the Buffalo History Museum, or Hallwalls, and other regional arts institutions. Our classes regularly meet in these galleries to experience art directly, and to tour the facilities. The Burchfield Penney also offers a student program- ACE- which engages students in the daily operations of the museum.
Buffalo is also home to some of the best architecture in the United States. Named the "best planned city" by the major American architect Frederick Law Olmstead, Buffalo hosts many monuments and buildings for the student of architecture and city planning. Our location is enhanced by our proximity to magnificent buildings designed by some of the greatest American architects, including H.H. Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright.