The Art Department encourages students to bring the whole of their spiritual, creative, and intellectual experience to the learning process. Gonzaga's Art Department allows students to investigate a variety of visual experiences through a study of both the studio arts and art history. In studio art courses students explore the creative processes involved in producing original works of art. These courses include the areas of ceramics, design, photography, creative film making, drawing, painting, and printmaking. They are designed to encourage creativity and innovation and emphasize developing the fundamentals of each artistic medium. Art appreciation and art history courses emphasize the role of the artist in society and help students develop a greater sense of the importance of art's cultural context.