Herron's commitment to quality education continues to flourish as is evidenced with nearly 900 students majoring in one of its 10 degree programs. Course offerings to the community continue to expand, offering creative educational experiences through the Youth Art Camp, Honors Art, Saturday School and Weekend Workshop programs. IUPUI students and community members take advantage of a variety of elective art courses and frequent the Herron galleries, the sculpture gardens and lectures by renowned visiting artists, designers and scholars.

Throughout its history, Herron has been the training ground for many accomplished artists and designers.

Bill Peet’s 27 years with Disney included the animation and screenplay for 101 Dalmatians and Sword and the Stone.

Norman Bridwell created the childhood favorite Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Ken Tyler was once America’s most influential fine art printer and publisher.

Vija Celmins, a painter and printmaker, was a 1997 MacArthur Fellow and a 2002 Whitney Biennial Artist. Her work is displayed in the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Casey Eskridge was one of four sculptors selected among 150 proposals who received commissions for the recently built Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Internationally known sculptor Rinaldo Paluzzi has exhibited his art around the world, and his Totem sculpture rests in Indianapolis’s White River State Park.

Indianapolis artist James Wille Faust achieved national recognition for his award-winning "Absolut Statehood" ad campaign and created “Arch,” the 20-foot, vibrantly colored sculpture on Herron’s front lawn.

Rob Day’s illustrations have graced the pages of Rolling Stone, Business Week, Smithsonian, and Sports Illustrated.

Leading designers include Jim and Jon Sholly of Commercial Artisan and Vaughn Hickman, founder and principal of Hickman & Associates.

Graduates of Herron go on to make an impact in the art world, and just as important, many also become resources for businesses that need design expertise and leadership to strategically communicate messages to constituents and client groups. This is where Herron's Visual Communication design department excels. Preparing students to develop solutions and to think strategically prepares graduates to effectively support communications for businesses, non-profits and public agencies.

Herron School of Art and Design has tremendous opportunity as a leader in art and design education in the 21st century with its outstanding new facilities and location in the heart of a mid-sized city that is flourishing in cultural development.

Valerie Eickmeier
Dean