AUB, BA(Hons), Art and Design History

Immersed in our creative community at AUB, you’ll study the rich histories of art and design attitudes, materials and practices. We’ll introduce you to art and design from around the world, from Europe, the USA, Latin America, The Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Exploring histories and theories of visual and material culture from the 1750s to the present, you’ll learn how to analyse images and objects within their social and cultural contexts. You’ll gain the skills and knowledge needed to analyse and communicate histories and theories of art and design. You’ll explore how art and design can be narrated through art collections, exhibitions, curation and criticism.

Our course will help you become a successful communicator who is able to make historical cultures relevant in contemporary terms. Giving you both knowledge and skills, this course will be a springboard for a future career in the creative industries.

You’ll gain experience working alongside artists and designers, enabling you to develop practical and organisational skills for your future career. You’ll have the opportunity to curate exhibitions and to write about them as part of the course. You’ll also be able to make the most of your creative surroundings and try your hand at practices and processes that students are learning in practical creative subjects.

At AUB, you’ll have unique access to resources including the Museum of Design in Plastics (MODIP). You’ll also have access to TheGallery, an extensive exhibition space at AUB with a regular series of curated exhibitions of high-profile designers and artists. This course works closely with art and design practitioners in industry, as well as with curators, writers and museum archivists.