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School of Fine Arts announces name change to School of Creative Arts

06/28/2012

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With the strong endorsement of the faculty and staff and by the approval of the Board of Trustees, the School of Fine Arts will officially become the School of Creative Arts on July 1. “We are very excited about the new name and our plans for the future,” said James Lentini, dean of the School of Creative Arts. “We look forward to extending the reach of our highly successful degree programs in the departments of architecture and interior design, art, music and theatre, while at the same time expanding our footprint through collaborations with academic areas across campus that stretch the boundaries of the fine arts.”

One of the major developments in the School of Creative Arts is the upcoming addition of a new degree program in interactive media studies (IMS). Created as a transdisciplinary program through the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media studies (AIMS), the new IMS degree is a bachelor of arts housed in the School of Creative Arts that is taught by faculty representing every division on campus. IMS students will choose tracks within the major that include game design, interactive business, Web development and design and animation, among others. It is expected that the new degree will be offered for the first time in 2013.

A new minor in music theatre has also been approved, and will be initiated during the 2012-2013 academic year.

“The classic definition of the term ‘fine arts’ identifies art forms concerned primarily with the creation of objects or works for aesthetic value, and this remains key to our mission,” Lentini said. “At the same time, there has been a strong desire to find a name that centers the fine arts in a context that can also speak to the breadth of our efforts.

Through our discussions, it became clear that the word ‘creativity’ holds the power and the common thread that is shared among our varied artistic areas, and with the School of Creative Arts, we believe we have a name that is appropriately descriptive, yet open to our vision for the future.”

Creative Arts collaborations

Other programs that cross boundaries and disciplines in the School of Creative Arts include the award-winning Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine, Highwire Brand Studio, Miami Design Collaborative and the arts management minor, all of which include participation from students and faculty beyond the arts at Miami.

The School of Creative Arts is also home to the Miami University Art Museum and the Performing Arts Series, both of which contribute to academic offerings through artistic collaborations across campus, while providing diversity, cultural awareness, and access to the arts for the community and region.