As a vital component of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture since the 1940s, the Art History Department has valued and maintained a strong commitment to the integration of the study of the history of art with both studio arts practices and the liberal arts.

Our faculty are committed to continual revision of the curriculum and course offerings, from General Education to graduate courses. While maintaining a focus on materials, processes, and technologies of art production, we promote the study of global art and cultures from antiquity to the present. The department stresses the use of cross-regional, transnational, and transcultural modes of analysis while exploring the intersection of art history with race, gender, and decoloniality – remaining mindful of Tyler’s values of inclusion and equity.

Pedagogy and training on diversity and inclusion 
The department has a longstanding committed to anti-bias training with The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership (IDEAL), holding seminars to discuss challenging experiences in the classroom, read texts on anti-racism and decolonization in art history, and hosting guest scholars committed to this work. These seminars provide space for greater transparency between faculty and students and for the community to continue learning how to decolonize the field.

To build and nurture inter-departmental, cross-departmental, and university-wide relationships, we encourage all members of the Art History Department to attend programming and classes in other university programs committed to addressing racial justice, including departments such as Africology and African-American Studies, American Studies, History, Religious Studies, and Spanish and Portuguese.