Dr. Kerry Freedman, professor of art and design education in the NIU School of Art and Design is the 2026 recipient of...
Art and Design Archives
Huskie Spotlight – Lane Staffeldt, Art and Design Education
Lane Staffeldt, is a senior art and design education major who graduated from Glenbard East High School in Lombard,...
Stanley Schultz, ’04: Designing the Digital Backbone
Behind every click, stream and swipe lies a vast network of data centers — the backbone of our daily lives. “From 911...
Art and Design’s Frank Trankina named 2024 Illinois Arts Council Fellow
Frank Trankina, professor of art in the NIU School of Art and Design has been selected as one of the Illinois Arts Council Fellows for 2024. The Illinois Artist Fellowship provides a limited number of monetary awards annually to accomplished Illinois artists who have...
Michael Leeson ’24, shoots and scores for NIU Soccer and School of Art and Design
At any university the performing arts students and intercollegiate athletes are some of the most visible students on campus. Not only is that true at NIU, but Paul Kassel, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Sean Frazier, vice president/director of...
Kevin Cole, M.F.A. ’85: From childhood art therapy to the Smithsonian
Artist Kevin Cole, M.F.A. ‘85, has created more than 47 public art works, including a 15-story Coca-Cola Centennial Olympic mural he was commissioned to create for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. A challenge he completed without even touching the wall....
Art History presents the lecture “The Largest Mystery: A Buddhist Shrine in the Art Institute of Chicago”
The Elizabeth Allen Visiting Scholars in Art History Lecture Series, the NIU School of Art and Design and the NIU Visual Studies division present, "The Largest Mystery: A Buddhist Shrine in the Art Institute of Chicago," as a free lecture, open to the public,...
School of Art and Design hosts Artifical Intellingence in Visual Arts Symposium, April 12
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. How do artists and art history scholars understand and anticipate the impact this technology has on creativity and artistic creation? The NIU School of Art and Design is hosting a symposium, which can be attended free of...
Meet the new director for the Center for Burma Studies, Feb. 7
An open house is being held, Wednesday, February 7 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to welcome Aurore Candier, Ph.D. as the new director of NIU's Center for Burma Studies. Drop in at the center (located in Pottenger House, 520 College View Ct. across the street from Anderson...
Art and Design Education’s Kerry Freedman earns Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award
Kerry Freedman, Ph.D., professor and head of art education, has earned the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award from Northern Illinois University. In more than 20 years on the faculty of the NIU School of Art and Design, Professor Freedman has continued her work as a...
Sinclair Bell earns Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from Archaeological Institute of America
Sinclair Bell, professor of art history in the NIU School of Art and Design is the 2024 recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Archaeological Institute of America. The award is given annually to those who have demonstrated excellence in...
Art and Design students take top prizes in annual Holiday Card contest
NIU School of Art and Design students took home the top two prizes in the annual NIU Holiday Card Contest. Designers of the top three cards receive scholarship awards, and the first prize entry is sent out as the official holiday card from the Office of NIU President...