Welcome to the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division!
The UCSC Arts Division offers students a unique combination of visionary creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a deep commitment to social and environmental justice. Here, students don’t just learn techniques—they learn to think critically and creatively in multiple dimensions, surrounded by beautiful redwood forests overlooking the stunning Pacific Ocean.
The Arts Division is also known for its supportive atmosphere. Students from diverse backgrounds find a creative home where collaboration is emphasized over competition, and where individual voices are nurtured and celebrated. Instruction in the arts inspires and develops the skills needed for singular and collective thought and action within and beyond the university.
Our outstanding Arts Division faculty consists of renowned artists, performers, historians, critics, makers, and theorists working across the arts in a global context and addressing some of the most pressing issues of our day. They bring real-world experience, global networks, and a passion for mentoring.
The Arts Division fosters a culture where students explore art as a tool for equity, inclusion, activism, and change—reflecting the university’s long history of broad-minded values. From the Digital Arts Research Center (DARC) to the Foundry (the only working one in the UC system) and studios, the UC Santa Cruz Arts Division offers world-class facilities. And the campus itself—nestled in a redwood forest overlooking the stunning Monterey Bay—inspires bold, site-specific, and ecologically mindful work.The UC Santa Cruz Arts Division is not just a place to study art—it’s a place to live your art.