Innovative Programs

Many students are intimidated by the transition from school to the real world and this is magnified by the uncertainties of and lack of a clear path towards becoming an artist. We want to encourage you to pursue your creative ideas, but also to have some practical experience and mentors to guide you.

For artists, this is a unique opportunity for paid studio assistants and to mentor undergraduate students as they gain experience in the studio.

Current Students: visit us on Redhawk Hub to learn more

The Frye Art Museum Gallery Guide Internship is a 5-credit, year-long program that trains students to lead tours of the nearby Frye Museum for school groups and for the general public. Art and Art History majors gain confidence speaking and leading discussions. They also learn what goes on behind the scenes in a museum. The internship involves a one-week intensive training session in the early fall of the internship year, before classes begin at SU. Students learn tour techniques, the history of the Frye Art Museum, Visual Thinking Strategies, and approaches to exploring special exhibitions with museum visitors.

Throughout the internship year, students give approximately two public tours each month, attend training sessions for new special exhibits and participate in monthly gallery guide trainings. Students write reflection papers about their experiences each quarter overseen by the faculty sponsor for the Gallery Guide Internship.

The Frye Museum Gallery Guide Internship is open to all students at SU.

Current Students: Visit us on Redhawk Landing to learn more.

The unique collaboration between Photographic Center Northwest (PCNW) and Seattle University began in 2001. A leader in the education and promotion of art photography, Photographic Center Northwest strives to enrich photographic artistry and appreciation through its quality courses and workshops, a gallery exhibiting internationally renowned artists, and outreach programs, which serve photographers throughout the region.

Seattle University students take classes both within the SU art department and at the Photographic Center Northwest (located across 12th Avenue from campus). On average, photography majors complete 30 to 35 credits towards their degree at PCNW.

The Pigott Family Endowment for the Arts is dedicated to deepening the education experience of students by bringing internationally renowned artists to campus. The endowment provides educational and artistic experiences for students and faculty as well as for the general public.

Each year the endowment sponsors major programming in one area of the fine arts (theatre, music, art and art history) on a rotating basis, while also supporting smaller on-going programming in other areas. Students benefit from direct interaction with the visiting artists and participation in programs and events.

The Seattle University Artist in Residence program was formed to facilitate research and support for artists in their creative process. This program, funded by the Pigott Family Endowment for the Arts, is designed to foster a unique environment for artists and students from which new ideas emerge that can change the way we see the world.

The residency provides artists with the valuable resources of time and space for open-ended investigation, experimentation and collaboration. The program gives artists the opportunity to push the boundaries of their own practice. This freedom we hope will foster collaborations that promote new approaches to arts education, foster community building, and provide a catalyst for social change. The SUVAIR creates a forum for dialogue between the public and the artist in residence through artist talks, a projects studio, open studio time, and other forms of public programming and materials.

Past Artists in residence: Dawn Cerny, Jeffry Mitchell, Jason Hirata, Mary Ann Peters, Matt Sellars, Carolina Silva, Matt Browning, Joey Veltkamp.