Director’s Greeting 

September 2025 

SVS is home to exciting disciplines that expand students’ artistic horizons while nurturing their specific interests. Art students discover their medium through one of our emphases in Ceramics, Drawing, Fibers, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Art History students analyze works in our campus museum or intern at a gallery. In Film Studies, students delve into critical film studies or gain key skills for producing films. Digital Storytelling students explore one of three tracks in Animation, Audio/Video production, or Video art to push the boundaries of emerging media. As students prepare for life after college, whether that be in the first job in their careers or through advanced study in graduate school, options such as the Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship bolster students’ preparation with thoughtful and practical knowledge. 

Our expert faculty are practicing scholars and artists who model professional excellence and guide our majors and minors to grow in their disciplines. We encourage students’ connection with the broader community, fostering opportunities for students to investigate art, culture, and society through hands-on experiences such as internships and study abroad.   

Regardless of your major, SVS is a welcoming center where students seek new artistic ventures and stretch their imaginations. Read more about SVS’s mission to serve as a dynamic center for teaching, creating, and researching in the visual arts at Mizzou.  

SVS is an academic home where its members can feel a sense of comfort and belonging in tandem with the excitement of being at a major state university. As Director, I am committed to welcoming you to SVS. Join us to become an effective visual communicator, innovative artist, and engaged practitioner who contributes to the enrichment of society. 

We look forward to seeing you on campus!
 

Cathleen A. Fleck, Ph.D.