Major or Minor in Art History

“My undergrad experience at WKU has been invaluable to me and my career as an art museum professional. Taking a combination of art history and studio art courses, I gained a rich understanding of art historical movements and methodologies as well as a practical knowledge of artistic media and technical processes. This knowledge has served me in various roles related to art collections and exhibitions over the years, including my current position as Assistant Registrar at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. The faculty at WKU are enthusiastic and devoted educators, whom I think of often and fondly. The Department of Art at WKU offered me a hospitable and inspiring environment to explore my interest in art history and fostered in me a love for my field.”

“While at WKU, I double-majored in Art History and Sociology. Majoring in Art History gave me visual context of the world around me that has been incredibly important for my life and career thus far. Dr. Jordan and Dr. Cartwright's classes, both online and in person, were incredibly engaging and insightful, where we developed skills in visual and historical analysis, and critical writing experience. My favorite courses were Greek and Roman with Dr. Jordan and Graphic Design Survey with Dr. Cartwright. Through Dr. Jordan's mentorship of my honors thesis, I was competitive to apply for and was awarded a US-UK Fulbright fellowship to earn my taught Master's in the History of Art at the University of East Anglia, an experience I am incredibly grateful for! In the past ten years, I found my way to a career in data analytics working in Institutional Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio. My experiences at WKU and abroad informed my passion to explore higher education research as a field. Along with coding and statistical analysis, every day I use design-minded thinking, explanation and interpretation of complex concepts and findings, and a bit of history to work with data. I design dashboards and visualizations to communicate complex findings in well-designed and accessible ways using data storytelling. Knowledge of the history of graphic design has definitely been foundational in my work in that area, and even getting to take foundational studio classes has informed my use of color theory and aesthetics in my reports. Art history isn't always paired with social science, but for me it helped set the stage for a career that uses historical analysis, data storytelling, and design to inform critical decision-making. If you think you might have plans for working with data visualizations in the future, an understanding of art history and design is a huge level up!”