Art & Art History Study Abroad

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International study provides our students with a competitive advantage in an increasingly globalized milieu. The Department of Art & Art History strongly encourages its students to participate in study programs across the globe. If you’re thinking about studying abroad, don’t forget to apply for or renew your passport, which you can do on campus in the Student Union! Learn about our study abroad programs, below!


Italy: Exploring Art & Culture in Rome (Summer 2024)

Filmmaking + Art History + Street Photography + Contemporary Studio Art + Italian Language & Culture

Living in this city, walking its streets to and from our classroom, shopping for dinner, becoming increasingly attuned to its rhythms – its peculiarities, its quotidian routines – students become enmeshed by the living culture of Rome, one in which art, and history, in its myriad manifestations, enjoys a central significance and ubiquitous visibility. Living within such a culture comes as something of a revelation, and can provide a lifetime’s worth of inspiration.

Five courses will be offered during the program, and students can take up to three. Students can choose to study Italian Language and Culture, Italian film and filmmaking, the dense layers of Art History, the living heart beat of the city through Street Photography, and the opportunity to explore their own art studio practice in relation to the vibrant Contemporary Art scene in Rome.

The program is designed for ALL majors, no prior art experience is necessary. Students can earn credit for: LBST, University Honors, Arts + Architecture Honors, Graduate level Architecture Studio and History, Italian Language, Film Studies, Art History, and Studio Art.

InterestedSign up here to receive informational emails starting in the Fall of 2023. Visit UNC Charlotte’s Office of Education Abroad for information on applying to the program as well as using financial aid to help pay for the program and scholarship opportunities. Faculty leaders: Dr. Jim FrakesDr. Daniela Dal PraErik WaterkotteAnna Kenar, and Aspen Hochhalter

Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning.
-Giotto di Bondone, Renaissance painter


France: Exploration of Historical and Contemporary Ceramic Art in Limoges and Paris (Spring Break 2023)

Designed for first-time international travelers and seasoned visitors alike, this 10-day journey provides an in-depth look at France’s remarkable cutting-edge research laboratories, contemporary ceramic practices, and ceramics history. We will begin in Limoges, a tranquil city in southwest-central France. From the picturesque medieval timber-frame houses of the city-center, we will examine the international and local influences that transformed French art pottery of the 18th and 19th-centuries. 

Students will be guided through historical and hands-on experiences in a world-renowned porcelain production center. Our time will include a tour of the collections of medieval enamel at the Musée des Beaux-Arts; a visit to the Musée National Adrien Dubouché to study namesake Limoges porcelain; a tour of the research laboratories of the European Ceramics Centre; and opportunities for hands-on workshops at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Art de Limoges. During free time, students may explore the nearby Roman ruins, the Gothic Cathédrale St.-Étienne de Limoges, or the botanical gardens. 

At the end of the week, a scenic train journey will take us to Paris, one of the world’s oldest and greatest cities, where participants will explore French Sèvres porcelain and other global and cultural ceramic traditions, in the extraordinary collections of the Louvre museum. We will enjoy a studio visit to a contemporary artist’s studio, encountering historical and contemporary architecture, and participants will have time to shop on the Champs Élysées, take a cruise on the Seine, visit the Palais Garnier Opera house, or simply enjoy the cafés frequented by the likes of Picasso, Sartre, and Hemingway. 

InterestedSign up here to receive informational emails. Visit UNC Charlotte’s Office of Education Abroad for information on applying to the program as well as using financial aid to help pay for the program and scholarship opportunities. Faculty leaders: Lydia Thompson and Angela Rajagopalan.


Ireland: Creative Pilgrimage to Ireland (Summer 2023)

Modern Ireland is a place where spirituality, history, mystery, and art are woven together to create a rich tapestry. Our time in Ireland will be a journey to ignite our creativity, experiencing the wild, magical landscape of the western coastline at The Burren College of Art, which will be our home base for two weeks as we focus on our course work. Throughout the two weeks, we will have various excursions to sites close by, including the Cliffs of Mohr and an overnight visit to the Aran Islands. At the end of our time in the Burren, we will travel back to the bustling, capital city of Dublin to stay in the Trinity College dorms.

Visual and verbal journaling will be taught as well as mindfulness meditation. These practices can also generate a sense of calm, reduce stress, and increase focus and awareness. Students will participate in two courses and earn 6 credits: Image and Text: Art and Journaling as Contemplative Practice and Finding the Light: Photography as Contemplative Practice. Check out Carolina Ocampo’s video discussing her experience on the 2019 trip and showcasing her Ireland journal.

InterestedSign up here to receive informational emails. Visit UNC Charlotte’s Office of Education Abroad for information on applying to the program as well as using financial aid to help pay for the program and scholarship opportunities. Faculty leaders: Jane Dalton and Aspen Hochhalter.


Poland: Semester At E. Geppert Academy Of Fine Arts & Design (Spring Semester, Ongoing)

Study Art/Design & Discover 1000 Years Of Central European History In Wroclaw. Visit the Academy’s website to see more information about the classes, programs, and opportunities available to you while there. Classes are taught in English. Interested? Contact Erik Waterkotte as well as UNC Charlotte’s Office of Education Abroad for information on applying to the program as well as using financial aid to help pay for the program and scholarship opportunities.


Ireland: Illustration, Animation, and Occulture in the Arts (Summer, Date TBD)

Faculty leaders: JB Burke and Heather Freeman