
History of Art & Visual Culture
Welcome
The study of visual culture encompasses the production, use, form, and reception of visual products and cultural manifestations past and present. It incorporates the painting, sculpture, and architecture traditionally defined as art history and extends throughout the field of visual imagery beyond the conventional boundaries formerly drawn by the academy.
Featured

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Preamble
The History of Art and Visual Culture faculty affirms its commitment to recognizing, addressing, and combatting all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, and ability. The department collectively seeks to empower students, colleagues, and our campus community toward the goal of creating an inclusive, respectful, and equitable environment.
We recognize that the above types of discrimination and resulting oppression are not limited to the U.S. These are global challenges that impact a broad range of constituencies. Therefore, as a department, we share an ethical obligation to create an environment that addresses the unique forms of bias that affect our diverse community.
News
Performance, Play & Design
The African American Theater Troupe Featured on KAZU/NPR
For more than 20 years, the African American Theater Arts Troupe at UC Santa Cruz has provided a place for students of color to find community in the performing arts. The actors visit local high schools to speak with younger students — some of whom have never considered attending college — about their experience at a university.

Sir Isaac Julien, Distinguished Arts Professor, Featured in UC Santa Cruz Magazine
Sir Isaac Julien, acclaimed filmmaker and artist, is having a blockbuster summer—he received a knighthood, opened a new exhibition, and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, highlighting the importance of the arts in a current climate of social transformation.

SocDoc Alum Melanie Ho Selected as Part of HBO Documentary Development Initiative
The Gotham Film and Media Institute and HBO Documentary Films have set the inaugural cohort and mentors for their Documentary Development Initiative, first announced in June.

Dean Celine Quoted in The Nation Cover Article
Sex, Death, and Empire: The Roots of Violence Against Asian Women The line from America’s earliest empire in the Philippines to Japan, Korea, Vietnam—and anti-Asian violence at home—is straight, clear, and written in blood.

Joseph Erb Honored by the First Americans Museum
The First Americans Museum is celebrating its first anniversary Friday by hosting the inaugural
Tribal Nations Gala.