Mindful of
the past, We contemplate
and create a better future
We inspire rigorous paths of study through individual expression and collaboration across many disciplines of art, art history, and design. Through education and encouragement of broad dialogue within arts, we promote positive and sustainable change in our global community.
Art and Design at MSU
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Master of Fine Arts
Our MFA program seeks to expand our empathic understanding, cultivate the voices of underserved populations and ideas, and mitigate and critique damage done to ecologies, marginalized cultures, and the environment brought about by several centuries of colonialist pursuits.
new program studies race through art
We have established a Critical Race Studies Residency Program that will bring an Artist-in-Residence and a Designer-in-Residence to campus to enrich the life of student experiences and the greater community by facilitating practices of inclusion through art and design as part of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design.
SPARTAN'S JOURNEY OF DETERMINATION
Born with no hands and missing her big toe along with the supporting bones on each foot, Kathryn Bailey, a 24-year-old Studio Art graduating senior hasn’t allowed her quadrilateral limb deficiency to keep her from living a “normal” life and now is about to graduate with a degree in Studio Art and a concentration in Painting and Graphic Design.
MFA in Art, Art History, and Design
The Master of Fine Art program seeks highly motivated students who have the artistic and scholarly vision to guide us into equitable, sustainable, and creative futures. We encourage new and rigorous forms of artistic expression and design innovation that transcend typical constraints to make meaningful contributions to the world. A 100% funded program, your able to customize your student experience at one of the leading research institutions in the world.
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Rebecca dekuiper
Apparel and Textile Design Alumna
Lead Designer, American Girl
featured News
New Chapter: College Integration Strengthens Arts and Humanities at MSU
A new chapter at Michigan State University begins July 1, 2026, as the College of Arts & Letters and Residential College in the Arts and Humanities (RCAH) officially integrate, creating new opportunities for students, faculty, and the campus community while strengthening the arts and humanities at MSU. The integration brings together the broad academic programs and creative resources of the College of Arts & Letters with RCAH’s distinctive community-engaged residential education model.
Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition
June 11-July 23 | Reception: June 12 from 5-7pm (SCENE) Metrospace | 110 Charles St. East Lansing, MI The Michigan Pride Juried Exhibition celebrates the creativity, diversity, and resilience of LGBTQ+ artists across Michigan. Bringing together a wide range of voices, perspectives, and visual practices, the exhibition creates space for artists to share work rooted in identity, memory, community, resistance, joy, and self-expression. The works presented reflect both personal and collective experiences, highlighting the complexity of queer life while honoring the histories and futures of LGBTQ+ communities. Through various disciplines, the exhibition embraces the many ways artists explore visibility,
Award-Winning Art and Interdisciplinary Research Earn Scholars Varg-Sullivan Awards
This year’s Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award winners are Niloufar Fallahfar, a Spring 2026 MFA in Studio Art graduate, who is the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Jonah Branding, a graduate student pursuing a dual Ph.D. in Philosophy and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, was named the 2026 Outstanding Achievement in Letters recipient. The Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards, presented by Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters, were established in honor of Paul Varg and Richard Sullivan, former Deans of the College of Arts & Letters who dedicated their professional lives to excellence in the college. Recipients