The Department of Art & Design at the University of Missouri - St. Louis is dedicated to building and sustaining distinctive programs that are innovative, rigorous, synergistic, and significant to the University’s mission as a Missouri metropolitan public research university. The Department strives to develop analytical abilities and a critical consciousness in the visual arts among its students. It is dedicated to recruiting, retaining, and supporting a faculty engaged in research and creative activity, while encouraging partnerships and collaborative ventures with area arts institutions.