Art is for exploration—of oneself, the space around you, and what’s possible. Our commitment to the arts enriches University of Minnesota communities. Whether through direct participation or appreciation, opportunities run abundant, transforming what higher education can do for those it serves. 

At a February meeting, Rachel Croson, executive vice president and provost; Julie Delliquanti, director of the Tweed Museum of Art on the Duluth campus; Alejandra Peña Gutiérrez, director of the Weisman Art Museum on the Twin Cities campus; and Kari Schloner, executive director of Northrop on the Twin Cities campus, highlighted to the Board of Regents how the arts are integral to the University’s mission and valuable to the student experience.

“Research shows consistently that engaging with the arts boosts educational outcomes, including test scores, GPA, attendance, and graduation rate,” said Schloner.

The University’s interdisciplinary education methods offer new ways to discover the power and importance of the arts—foundational to enhancing creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. From undergraduate minors to graduate degrees, programs led by award-winning faculty and instructors are showing students how art lives beyond the classroom. 

Delliquanti shared how in Duluth Associate Professor John O’Neill’s graphic design class, students create an accessible multisensory pop-up exhibition for individuals with low vision and blindness through a multi-year partnership with Lighthouse Center for Vital Living. Through this research, O’Neill created a tactile book where text and images may be experienced by those with low vision and blindness.

At Rochester, Assistant Professor Yuko Taniguchi and Twin Cities Professor Kathryn Cullen—and her team from the Research in Adolescent Depression Lab—led a creativity and wellbeing study for the Oromo youth. The artwork created from this study encouraged open conversations about identity and mental health and culminated in an exhibition at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain. 

Taniguchi was also a lead exhibitor of Counterspaces, a collective healing project at the Rochester Art Center for community members who have been impacted by existing and increasing acts of racialized violence. In collaboration with Assistant Professor Angie Mejia, Counterspaces offered “a place of possibility for empowerment and transformation” among dialogue about oppression in exclusionary spaces. 

“These are great assets to the University and the communities they reside in,” said Regent Tadd Johnson.

Exposure to the arts encourages innovative problem-solving and multicultural connection-building that is valued not just by employers, but across our diverse national landscape. Other examples where the University’s comprehensive education helps students make those connections include:

• Incorporating the performing arts into the curriculum through Northrop Across Campus, a Twin Cities program for educators to tie thematic connections and discoveries to classroom learning through performance and guided discussion.
• Hands-on studios and labs like Fashion Trashion at Morris that foster a commitment to sustainability by designing wearable garments from recycled materials (over traditional fabric) for a runway show on campus.
   

“When we participate in the arts, whether as spectators or creators, we activate different parts of our brains. We make connections that we would not otherwise make. And we think differently and more holistically,” said Croson.

Engagement with the arts is one of the most transformative elements of the University experience. From traditional fine arts to science and technology, they have the power to influence all academic disciplines. As the University continues to evolve as a leader in higher education, the arts remain fundamental in that vision to create well-rounded graduates prepared for the complex, interconnected world outside our doors. 

For more

Watch the full presentation to the Board of Regents

View a comprehensive list of examples shared at the meeting (beginning on page 13)