Art & Art History Study Abroad
Study Abroad
International study provides our students with a competitive advantage in an increasingly globalized world. The Department of Art & Art History strongly encourages its students to participate in study programs across the globe. Visit UNC Charlotte’s Office of Education Abroad for in depth information on applying to programs, the many scholarship opportunities available to students, and using financial aid to help pay for your study abroad experience. Learn about the Department’s upcoming Faculty-Led Spring Break and Summer programs focused on art, design, history, and culture below, and start planning for your future abroad!
France: Exploration of Historical and Contemporary Ceramic Art in Limoges and Paris (Spring Break 2025)
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.
Interested? Sign up to receive informational emails. Faculty leaders: Lydia Thompson and Angela Rajagopalan.
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.
Ireland: Creative Pilgrimage to Ireland (Summer 2025)
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 the Aran Islands. At the end of our time in the Burren, we will travel to the bustling city of Galway. 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.
Interested? Sign up to receive informational emails. Faculty leaders: Jane Dalton and Aspen Hochhalter.
FRANCE: MEDIEVAL PILGRIMAGE SITES AND THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE (SPRING BREAK 2026)
On this trip we will visit pilgrimage sites of Burgundy and Occitaine, including major monastic monuments such as at Conques, Vézelay, Moissac, Sénanque, Autun, Fontenay, and Dijon. The trip will include lectures in medieval art history and medieval pilgrimage practice to recreate the medieval pilgrimage experience. It will also involve non-religious contemplative practices, consisting of walking meditation and object-focused meditation. Course content will cover major monuments of Romanesque and Gothic art history, and will count as a three-credit medieval art history class.
Interested? Contact faculty leaders: Bonnie Noble and Jane Dalton.
ITALY: EXPLORING CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE VENICE BIENNALE (SUMMER 2026)
We will travel to Venice where we will experience one of the most important and vibrant international art events in the world, the Venice Biennale. The Biennale features premiere artworks from the entire globe, and its affiliated events throughout the region offer endless opportunities to investigate contemporary global culture.
In addition, we will explore the many galleries and museums in Vicenza, visit the University of Padova (founded in 1222) where Galileo Galilei taught and the world-renowned Scrovegni Chapel to see Giotto’s frescoes in Padova, experience architectural works by Carlo Scarpa and visit Juliet’s Balcony in Verona, visit San Marco Square and travel on the canals of Venice and much more.
Interested? Sign up here to receive informational emails. Faculty leaders: Jim Frakes, Daniela Dal Pra, Erik Waterkotte, Anna Kenar, and Aspen Hochhalter
GERMANY & THE CZECH REPUBLIC: EXPLORING COLD WAR ERA ART & ARCHITECTURE IN BERLIN & PRAGUE (SPRING BREAK 2027)
Berlin and Prague, two cities along the “iron curtain” in the history of the Cold War, have a rich history of art and architecture for us to explore. As the politically divided capital between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc, Berlin offers a unique context to examine the history and culture of the period. Guided visits to major art museums, monuments, and other public works will illuminate the roles of art as agents of protest, ideology, and cultural diplomacy. Prague has its own unique history in the context of the Cold War: visits to major institutions will illustrate the extent to which political repression and dissent informed Czech art during the late twentieth century. This trip will offer students the exciting opportunity to experience intersections of art, history, and politics in the global arena.
Interested? Contact faculty leaders: Mallory Nanny and Andrew Leventis.
Italy: Exploring Art & Culture in Rome (Summer 2028)
Ancient Roman and Contemporary Art History + Experimental 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, 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.
Through our course work, students will explore 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: Gen Ed, University Honors, Arts + Architecture Honors, Italian Language, Film Studies, Art History, and Studio Art.
Interested? Contact faculty leaders: Dr. Jim Frakes, Dr. Daniela Dal Pra, Erik Waterkotte, Anna Kenar, and Aspen Hochhalter
Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning.
-Giotto di Bondone, Renaissance painter
KOREA: EXPLORING DESIGN IN SEOUL (SUMMER 2029)
Seoul, South Korea is designated as a UNESCO City of Design. The UNC Charlotte Graphic Design program invites students to explore the rich design culture of Seoul. Students will gain intercultural skills, observe and investigate a plethora of design styles and fields, and experience daily life in the culturally and historically-rich capital of South Korea. The city is packed with cultural heritage sites and traditions, art and design museums, great food, entertainment, and intentionally-designed public spaces and products. Students will also be exposed to basic principles of hangul and hangul typography, one of the most scientific writing systems in the world. Hangul was designed by King Sejong in the 15th century in order to increase literacy rates around South Korea. Join us on this epic learning adventure!
Interested? Contact faculty leader: Crissy Singer