Fashion
Whether you’re passionate about painting and philosophy, sculpture and sustainability, or drawing and data science, BASA empowers you to explore bold connections between disciplines. Ideal for students who see art as a way to ask big questions and make meaningful change, the BASA prepares graduates to think critically, communicate visually, and thrive across creative, academic, and professional fields.
Sculpture
Sculpture at Illinois invites students to reimagine how we shape the world around us. From intimate objects to immersive installations, this concentration encourages bold experimentation with materials, space, and meaning. Students work with everything from wood, metal, and clay to found objects, textiles, and digital fabrication, learning to think across dimensions and challenge traditional boundaries. Whether you’re drawn to public art, performance, social practice, or speculative design, Sculpture provides the tools to build a practice that is as physical as it is conceptual, and as personal as it is political.
Printmaking
Printmaking at Illinois empowers students to combine technical skill with radical imagination. This concentration explores both traditional and experimental approaches (from screenprinting, intaglio, and letterpress to zines, comics, and digital processes) all within a dynamic, hands-on studio culture. Students use print to amplify voices, remix culture, and tell stories that matter. Whether you’re drawn to the precision of craft, the immediacy of multiples, or the rebellious energy of DIY publishing, Printmaking offers tools to make your mark in today’s visual landscape.
Illustration
Illustration at Illinois blends the power of storytelling with the precision of visual design. In this concentration, students develop strong foundations in drawing, painting, and digital image-making while exploring how illustrators shape culture—from publishing and animation to games, editorial, and emerging media. With an emphasis on narrative, innovation, and professional practice, the program prepares students to become versatile creators who bring ideas to life across industries and platforms.
New Media
New Media at Illinois invites students to explore how art, technology, and culture intersect. The concentration emphasizes experimental, time-based, and code-driven practices. Students work with digital imaging, video, animation, performance, and interactive systems. They also engage with emerging tools such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and social media platforms. This path prepares students to shape the future of art, communication, and digital experience.
Interdisciplinary Practice
This concentration is designed for students who want to break boundaries and forge their own path. Interdisciplinary Practice encourages creative experimentation across fields like fashion, digital media, painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, and illustration. Students build unique toolkits, develop hybrid practices, and explore new ways of making that reflect their individual interests and the complexities of contemporary culture.
Photography
Photography at Illinois is more than taking pictures. It’s about shaping how we see the world. This concentration prepares students to become image-makers, storytellers, and cultural critics who challenge conventions and reframe narratives. Through hands-on studio practice and critical seminars, students explore everything from analog darkroom techniques to digital imaging, installation, and lens-based media. Whether working with documentary, experimental, or conceptual approaches, Photography students gain the tools to navigate and influence a visually saturated world.
Fashion
Fashion at Illinois is a vibrant, forward-thinking program where creativity meets innovation and cultural insight. Students explore the full spectrum of fashion, from the history and social dynamics of style to cutting-edge sustainable practices and emerging technologies like wearable tech. Our interdisciplinary approach combines hands-on studio work with critical inquiry, preparing students to lead in design, production, and brand development within a rapidly evolving global industry. Whether imagining the future of fashion or rethinking its role in society, students gain the skills and vision to make meaningful impact through what we wear.
Painting
Painting at Illinois is where tradition meets transformation. Students begin with foundational skills in drawing, color, and technique, then push the boundaries of what painting can be across surfaces, spaces, and disciplines. This concentration invites students to develop a distinct visual language, exploring both personal expression and critical engagement with today’s social, cultural, and visual landscapes. From classical methods to experimental media, students are empowered to create bold, meaningful work that connects the past to the future.
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