Historians of art and architecture study visual communication. In Carleton’s Art History program, we study the great monuments of Western culture—painting, sculpture and buildings—but we also study Asian and other non-Western art, North American Indigenous art, photography, printmaking and popular culture as well as the institutions of art itself: museums, galleries and exhibitions.

Our material ranges from the prehistoric to the present day. Our students come away from the program with direct experience of collections of art here in the National Capital Region and a historical framework for understanding imagery, as well as an awareness of the multiple possibilities for interpreting art, architecture and other visual phenomena.

Specifically, we examine how representations work. We analyze the products of the human imagination and the visual expressions of different societies. Such analyses produce a historical awareness as well as an understanding of modes of expression in different cultures. This knowledge provides students with the intellectual tools that allow them to function as informed and thoughtful individuals in and increasingly visual and globalized society.

The Carleton Advantage

Art History students examine the traditions, institutions, and interpretation of art in all its richness in the global context from prehistory to the present.

You will develop skills to research, analyze, and think critically through imagery and translate insights into different presentational and experiential forms.

Studying Art History in Ottawa will give you access to rich cultural institutions including The National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Carleton University Art Gallery, and Library and Archives Canada.

Carleton’s Art History program can lead to a career in fields such as government, public or private sector, education and higher education, museums and archival work, art consultation, restoration and conservation, and arts journalism.

You will have the opportunity to complete experiential learning in a placement at one of Ottawa’s cultural institutions and the possibility to study abroad in Venice or other locations.

Career paths: Archival work; art collection management; art consultation; art restoration and conservation; arts administration and programming; arts education; arts journalism; digital humanities; freelance curating; multimedia work; museum or gallery work