The College of Fine and Applied Arts is a community of artists, designers, performers, and scholars dedicated to teaching skills by its placing emphasis on the primacy of the creative process, on contributing to the future development of culture, and on a deep engagement with the society.

Known for the comprehensiveness of its programs, the College is in a unique position to explore what it means to be an art college in the twenty-first century.  Essential to this exploration is a new energy, a fresh dedication to crossing borders, and an eagerness to engage society in new ways. 

We will continue to investigate the essence of the various art forms and to prepare students for careers and meaningful lives in the arts, but at the same time, we insist on taking a lead in influencing the evolution of those arts.
Art not only depicts life, it makes and reforms itself, and Illinois will continue to play a leading role in interpreting the arts of the past and defining the arts of the future.