The Newcomb Art Department is devoted to the study and production of visual art within the context of Tulane University's strong tradition in the liberal arts. It fosters an environment of independent and collective exploration that promotes original thought, creative inquiry, and visual literacy. The studio art program develops students’ skills of rendering and fabrication as well as perception, composition and execution. Exposure to historical and contemporary art, vigorous analysis and comparative examination provide substantial grounding of practice in theory. The art history program educates students in the visual and historical analysis of art from antiquity to the present. Its faculty exposes students to an array of methodological approaches to interpret art across different regions and periods, fostering rigorous thinking and effective verbal expression. The department enriches the university and community, serving as an advocate for the visual arts by presenting exhibitions, lectures, and other programs. The department contributes to the creation and analysis of visual art by supporting original scholarship and creativity among its faculty on regional, national, and international levels.