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Department of Art College of Arts & Letters

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Events in the Art Department

The Department of Art sponsors a full array of free public events at Sacramento State each year including art exhibitions by faculty, students and visiting artists, visiting scholar lectures, the Annual Student Awards Show, the Art History Symposium and the end of year Art Ball.

All of the artistic media taught in the Department of Art are represented in the Robert Else Gallery and R.W. & Joyce Witt Gallery in Kadema Hall. Most of the shows are designed and installed by Art students. Students and faculty are frequently involved in the University Union Gallery and University Library Gallery exhibitions.

Admission to events sponsored by the Department of Art is free and open to the public.

Annual Student Awards Show

The Department of Art holds their annual Student Awards Show each spring, which features award, certificate, and scholarship winners. There are various scholarship & award categories, in addition to certificate of merit awards. The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as all matriculated and Open University students, enrolled at Sac State during the current academic year.

The application period has passed. The drop-off period for artwork is Feb 27, 28, and 29 from 12-4pm in the Robert Else Gallery. Thank you for our students who applied! The 2024 scholarship recipients will be announced at the Student Awards Show on March 28.

R.W. & Joyce Witt Gallery proposals are accepted by the Gallery & Events Committee each spring for consideration for the following academic year. Please refer to the Witt Gallery Exhibition Guide and to the Witt Gallery Application for details and deadlines. Witt Gallery exhibitors are responsible for funding, publicizing, installing and staffing the exhibitions.

The application for the 2024-2025 academic year is now available! Please read the application and Exhibition Guide thoroughly before submitting your proposal.

The deadline to submit an application is on April 8, 2024.

2024-25 Witt Gallery Exhibition Application

Read the Witt Gallery Exhibition Guide

Annual Art History Symposium

The twentieth annual Art History Symposium Towards a Multiple Worldview: Remapping Paradigms of Modern and Contemporary Art, hosted by the California State University, Sacramento Art Department, will be on April 19th, 2-4:30pm in Mariposa 1000.

Featuring Keynote Speakers Dr. Zamansele Nsele, Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley; Dr. Henry Skerritt, Assistant Professor, University of Virginia; and Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza, Associate Professor, Pasadena City College.

The event is co-sponsored by the Art Department, the College of Arts and Letters, and the Center for Teaching & Learning.

Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza, ism, paper and colored pencil, 2018 – 2020

Festival of the Arts

Each spring, the College of Arts & Letters presents a showcase of all A&L programs through a week-long celebration. The Art Department participates through workshops, visiting artists and lectures, and the Art History Symposium. This year's events will take place between April 16-21, 2024. Stay tuned for more details!

Find Out More About the Festival of the Arts

Art Ball

At the end of every Spring semester, we hold a huge celebration that spans across all areas of the Art Department and all galleries on campus called Art Ball. This is a chance to honor the hard work of all our Art students at once before we leave for summer break.

This year, Art Ball will be on Friday, May 10, 2024. Look forward to more information coming soon!

Watch the 2021 Art Ball on YouTube!

Faculty-Led Study Abroad

The Department of Art is pleased to announce that the Art History program will be offering an Italy study abroad course again in January 2025. Experience art in person in Italy and use the cities of Rome and Florence as your classroom. This nine-day program will focus on art of the Italian peninsula from the ancient period to the year 1800. Visits to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, and the Uffizi are some of the many highlights of this program! (January 8-17, 2025)


If you're interested, please attend an upcoming informational session:

  • Tuesday, March 26, 11am – 12pm (Kadema Hall 184)
  • Monday, April 8, 10 – 11 am (Kadema Hall 184)
  • Friday, April 26, 4 – 5pm (Zoom)

Read the informational flier about studying abroad!