As artists and designers following in the footsteps of Christ, we want to encourage and create positive change in the lives of those we encounter each day.
OUR VISION
As Christian artists and designers, we fully believe that God has gifted and prepared everyone for His purpose. The Division of Art + Design is a creative body of believers that is here to encourage and aid you in that purpose, helping to expose your greater calling. We believe that students already possess creative gifts and potential within them. Through your experience here, we want to help you uncover these gifts while strengthening your relationship with God. We want to encourage you to come here to become a Christian because you are already an artist or designer.
OUR HISTORY
Ardelia became a full-time art faculty at Indiana Wesleyan University in 1967 after graduating 16 years prior. In her first six years as professor, she was instrumental in reviving the IWU art department from 1 student to 40 students.
Over her time spent with the art faculty, she grew the program out of its “Little Red Schoolhouse” into the basement of Teter Hall, then to its newest addition, Beard Arts Center in 1992. She would continue to invest her heart and soul into the Division of Art on the Indiana Wesleyan University campus for an entirety of 35 years.
OUR MISSION
The Division of Art + Design is a flourishing Christ-centered community of artists, designers, students, and scholars dedicated to serving others. Our art professors are devoted to working alongside students, helping them successfully develop as artists, designers, and followers of Christ.
OUR COMMUNITY
We are a place where students find significance and success in a space of synergy knowing the sky is the limit and that selfless individuals surrounding them help them create spiritual connections for use in world of sizable impact.
The Indiana Wesleyan University Division of Art + Design is a unique creative community. We strive to offer more than a traditional college experience. Eager to enliven cultures, we move to co-create with an authenticity that offers a compelling love for all people. Our students, staff and faculty gather to strengthen each other in gallery openings, worship, studios and critique. Our educators and students continually cultivate their skills through one-on-one mentorship and collaboration. The integration of faith and learning for the division of Art + Design simply means faith-full learning: faithful to the standards of excellence in our discipline, faithful to the needs of those we serve in our creative practice, and ultimately faithful to the story and character of Christ whose image we reflect. With this commitment at our core, students are consistently challenged to develop their analytical, creative, and visual skills in order to effectively engage culture and breathe new life into the world.
