School of Visual Art and Design at the University of South Carolina

School of Visual Art and Design at the University of South Carolina Our superb faculty, supported by an excellent professional staff, works closely and individually with our students, as educators and mentors.

The School of Visual Art and Design offers the most comprehensive Visual Arts program in South Carolina with undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Art Education, Art History, Media Arts, and Studio Art. The School of Visual Art and Design in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina encompasses four major areas of study and research—Art Education, Art History, Me

dia Arts, and Studio Art. Our talented students draw, paint, sculpt, illustrate, and create ceramic art, comics, films, graphic designs, graphic novels, photographs, prints, videos, multi-media art, and more. They pursue research in art history and art education, and teach the next generation of creators in South Carolina’s schools, as they pursue the BA, BFA, MA, MAT, and MFA degrees, in programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. After graduation they go on to careers in film, video, graphic design, as art teachers, in museum work, as practicing artists and working professionals in many fields, or further their education in graduate programs across the country and internationally. The School of Visual Art and Design full-time faculty includes 35 members possessing terminal degrees in their fields: 22 MFAs and 12 PhDs. All are dedicated teachers and accomplished professionals with national reputations and connections in their fields. We are located in historic McMaster College, at the corner of Senate and Pickens Street, on the beautiful campus of the University of South Carolina, in the capital city of Columbia. Our building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was renovated and enlarged in the 1990s into an 85,000-square-foot facility specifically for the study and creation of the visual arts. We welcome you to visit us anytime, and thank you for your interest in our programs.

Join us TONIGHT to see artist Katy McCormack Katy McCormack showcase her love of light.Reception starts at 5:30PM @📍McMa...
04/15/2026

Join us TONIGHT to see artist Katy McCormack Katy McCormack showcase her love of light.
Reception starts at 5:30PM @📍McMaster Gallery on USC’s campus. 1st/bottom floor of McMaster College

The School of Visual Art and Design is hosting “Art, Medicine, and Visual Thinking” on March 31 and April 1, 2026. The e...
03/24/2026

The School of Visual Art and Design is hosting “Art, Medicine, and Visual Thinking” on March 31 and April 1, 2026.

The event will consist of two visual thinking strategy workshops—for two options to participate—led by visiting scholars, Drs. Christine Bentley (Art History) and Donna Johnson (Biology), from Missouri Southern State University: March 31, 1:00-2:30pm in SVAD McMaster room 334, and April 1, 10-11:30am in Gambrell 429. Paper and pencils will be provided. No artistic experience required.

There will also be a guest lecture at the School of Medicine, Building 3, Classroom M2 on April 1, 3:00-4:30pm. Dr. Joel Katz, MD, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, will discuss the importance of the visual arts, close looking, and visual thinking strategies for medical students and professionals. Dr. Bentley will start things off with a brief talk and then introduce Dr. Katz, who will join via Zoom.

This event is funded by SVAD’s Exhibition Spaces and Speaker Series Committee and organized by Andrew Graciano (Art History and Medical Humanities).
Please see the attached flyer, designed by Graphic Design major, Samantha Brennan.

03/18/2026

Re (frame)

March 18–29

*Opening Reception: Thursday, March 19, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.*

Re (frame) brings together new work from the Stormwater Collaborative Residency—artists highlighting the experiences, pushing past comfort, testing boundaries, and redefining their practices through dialogue, research, and experimentation.


“Explore perception and expand boundaries.”

📍 Stormwater Studios

413 Pendleton St, Columbia, SC 29201
**On view now**

Artists

Ava Baker (Designer) .makes

Eunicia Custis (Artist)

Josie Zhang (Artist) .akane

Anthony Garcia (Artist)






03/03/2026

Join us on March 5th for the 71st Juried Student Exhibition !

McMaster Gallery is hosting the annual juried student exhibition from February 23rd through March 27, 2026, a tradition that began in 1955. This exhibition provides an exciting opportunity to showcase the wide variety and high quality of artwork created by USC students, as selected by an external juror, and offers an opportunity for students to win awards.
The award show will be on March 5th for selected artists who have achieved Juror Dre Lopez’s choice recognition. These awards include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place undergraduate and graduate winners.

Award recipients will be announced during the Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 5th, at 5:00 pm at McMaster Gallery.
Please join us to give these students the opportunity to have their work displayed and juried.

RE(frame) presents new work by artists participating in the Stormwater Collaborative Residency (SCR). The SCR is a group...
03/03/2026

RE(frame) presents new work by artists participating in the Stormwater Collaborative Residency (SCR). The SCR is a group of participating B.F.A. students at USC. The exhibition brings together a range of media and approaches to consider how attention, context, and perspective can shift our understanding of shared spaces and everyday environments. Visitors are invited to move through the gallery as active participants—reframing their own relationship to place, process, and community.

02/27/2026

🥁

Invited artist Diane Bronstein’s embroidered photographs are on view in the McMaster Gallery until February 14, 2026. 🗓️...
01/29/2026

Invited artist Diane Bronstein’s embroidered photographs are on view in the McMaster Gallery until February 14, 2026.

🗓️ FEB. 12 (5-7): Artist Talk/Reception

📍 MCMASTER GALLERY: Located on the first floor of McMaster building on USC campus. Best entry to the gallery is from the Senate Street side of the building, (through the courtyard).

Congratulations to Graphic Design + Illustration professor Meena Khalili, a recipient of this year’s Garnet Apple Award ...
04/04/2025

Congratulations to Graphic Design + Illustration professor Meena Khalili, a recipient of this year’s Garnet Apple Award for Teaching Innovation!

The awards committee cited Prof. Khalili’s teaching strategies and her classroom use of emerging technologies to support creativity and problem solving. They commended her teaching approach for fostering “ethical AI use, hands-on design, and real-world collaboration [to] create…highly engaging and relevant learning experiences.”

Congratulations, Prof. Khalili! 👏

Media arts professor Northrop Davis was recently featured in The New York Times/The Athletic! Davis discusses how baseba...
03/27/2025

Media arts professor Northrop Davis was recently featured in The New York Times/The Athletic! Davis discusses how baseball manga engages audiences (and athletes) through dynamic storytelling. ⚾📖

Read the full story ⬇️

Manga’s roots are deep, and its influence on baseball is growing, even in the U.S.

03/26/2025

✉️ | SVAD's 2025 Stormwater Collaborative Residency Exhibition “And How Do You Remember It?” is now showing at Stormwater Studios.

Attend the reception tomorrow, March 27th, for a chance to hear the artists speak about their work starting at 6:15 PM.

Address

McMaster College, 1615 Senate Street
Columbia, SC
29208

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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