Art Practice History

Since the founding of the University of California in 1869, courses in painting, sculpture and drawing were part of the curricula of the Architecture Department, Drawing and Decorative Arts Department, the Department of Domestic Art and the Department of Drawing and Mapping.

In 1915, Assistant Professor of Decorative Design in the Department of Domestic Art, Eugene Neuhaus, lectured on art at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. His lectures at the Exposition and during the years following the Exposition generated so much statewide interest in contemporary fine art that by 1923 the Department of Art Practice was established on the Berkeley campus under the Chairmanship of Professor Eugene Neuhaus. In the 1930's and 1940's, Oliver Washburn, Stephen Pepper and Worth Ryder also served as department Chairs.

During the department's 1930 and 1931 summer sessions, Hans Hoffmann electrified students and the Bay Area community with his concepts on modern art and subsequently donated 45 of his paintings to UC Berkeley. These paintings became the basis for the Berkeley Art Museum's permanent Hans Hoffmann collection. Internationally recognized artist, Chiura Obata, was a member of the Art Practice faculty from 1932 - 1954. In addition to Hoffmann and Obata, the department's faculty has historically included national and internationally acclaimed artists such as Joan Brown, Jay de Feo, David Hockney, Sylvia Lark, and Peter Voulkos.

More recent distinguished artists on our faculty include visiting lecturers Richard Diebenkorn, Enrique Chagoya, Vincent Fecteau, Monica Majoli, Helen Mirra, Kota Ezawa and Marianne Weems.

The department's alumni have used their UC Berkeley training in the visual fine arts as a preparation for careers in advertising, fashion design, gallery entrepreneurship, film editing, film production, museum and gallery curating, graphics, publishing and theater/film set design and construction. Our alumni have gone on to teach at the Academy of Art College, Alfred University, Bennington College, California College of Arts and Crafts, California State University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Chicago Art Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Memphis State University, Notre Dame University, Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, Rutgers University, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco School of Art, San Francisco State University, Stanford University, University of California, University of Minnesota and Yale University.

Former Outstanding Speakers Include:
Former Ladder Faculty Include:		Former Visiting Lecturers Include:
Boyd Allen Jerry Ballaine Elmer Bischoff Christopher Brown Sid Gordon John Haley Karl Kasten Michelle Lopez Erle Loran Jim McCray James Melchert George Miyasaki Mary Lovelace O'Neal Harold Paris David Park Margaret Peterson Felix Ruvolo Jacques Schnier David Simpson Bryan Wall Glen Wessels		Pat Adams Larry Allen Rich Arnitz John Beech Larry Bell Jedediah Caesar Shirley Carter Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Pauletta Chanco Robert Colescott Claire Falkenstein Rene de Guzman Veronica de Jesus Miriam Dym Sam Francis Nancy Genn Mary Heilmann R.B. Kitaj Marilyn Levin Anna von Mertens Robert Morris Shirin Neshat Geoff Oppenheimer Deborah Oropallo Edauardo Paolozzi Emmy Lou Packard Joel Perlmann Arnoldo Pomodoro Janis Provisor Merl Ross Rudy Serra Rick Soss Katherine Spence Mark Thompson Nato Thompson Tree Williams Helen Wills Andrew Young
Hans Haacke Louise Nevelson Martin Puryear Lawrence Wiener
Outstanding Alumni Include:
Sarah Cain Steve DeStaebler Mark DiSevero Mark Grotjahn Tom Holland Shirin Neshat Emily Prince Alicia McCarthy Will Rogan