The Opportunity
Art at Reed has always been an act of inquiry—driven by imagination and enriched by conversation across fields. Reed believes that students of every major should have the opportunity to experience studio art as part of a liberal arts education: learning through making, developing creative problem-solving skills, and encountering new ways of seeing and understanding the world.
That multidisciplinary spirit is already central to studio art at Reed. Faculty bring perspectives from computer engineering, oceanography, plant ecology, genetics, socially-engaged practice, and other fields into their creative practices, while students increasingly seek connections between art and disciplines across the liberal arts and sciences.
Student enthusiasm for studio art is strong, and demand for introductory courses regularly exceeds available space.
Reed envisions studio art as a dynamic hub for creative and multidisciplinary inquiry—a place where students learn through creation, faculty push the boundaries of contemporary practice, and ideas move freely between disciplines.
By investing in the people and spaces that make this work possible, Reed can open the experience of making art to more students and ensure that creative practice remains an essential part of a Reed education.
What This Investment Will Enable
Investment in studio art at Reed will
- endow a tenure-track faculty member, expanding teaching, advising, and opportunities for collaboration across disciplines;
- modernize and improve accessibility through essential building upgrades that support full participation;
- expand support for multidisciplinary, multimedia, and socially-engaged practices;
- enhance space for studio art so more students across majors can study drawing, sculpture, ceramics, print, digital media, photography, and other forms;
- strengthen multidisciplinary connections, creating an environment where art can engage with fields ranging from environmental studies and the sciences to technology and the humanities.
"The amount of attention and focus that I have received as an artist here has grown my art practice in a way that I don’t think that I would have achieved without this specific art department. It’s a very nurturing environment."
— Madden Sterrett ’27
Learn More
Explore our three core priority areas that are shaping Reed's future.
Defining moments from students and alumni that showcase the value of a Reed education.
Hear stories from donors who are meeting the moment for current and future Reedies.
