{"id":4774,"date":"2020-04-09T15:19:29","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T15:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svad.cah.ucf.edu\/?page_id=4774"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:45:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T15:45:24","slug":"directors-welcome","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/svad\/about\/directors-welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"SVAD Director\u2019s Welcome"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I am delighted to welcome you to the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) at the University of Central Florida. At SVAD, we believe that the visual arts and design are essential to understanding ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. Our mission is to cultivate creativity, critical thinking, innovation, and professional excellence while preparing students to become artists, designers, historians, educators, architects, and creative leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Our programs immerse students in an environment where traditional artistic practices and emerging technologies intersect. Whether your interests lie in studio art, graphic design, animation, immersive experience design, photography, art history, or architecture, you will find opportunities to develop technical expertise, expand your creative vision, and engage deeply with the ideas shaping contemporary culture.<\/p>\n<p>SVAD offers a comprehensive range of programs that support diverse creative paths. Students in our studio arts disciplines\u2014including drawing, ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture\u2014develop strong foundations while exploring new approaches to artistic expression. Our nationally recognized programs in graphic design, digital media, animation, illustration, and immersive experience design prepare students to thrive in rapidly evolving creative industries and emerging forms of visual communication, storytelling, and interactive technology.<\/p>\n<p>We are equally proud of our art history curriculum, which examines art and architecture across cultures and time periods, fostering critical inquiry and an understanding of the ways visual culture shapes society. Through our innovative 2+2+2 architecture partnership with Valencia College and the University of Florida, students benefit from a flexible and collaborative pathway that prepares them for professional practice and leadership in the built environment.<\/p>\n<p>At the heart of our mission is a commitment to transformative education. We encourage students to look closely, think critically, and engage creatively with complex ideas. We believe that artistic practice and historical understanding are powerful tools for exploring the human experience, preserving cultural memory, and imagining new possibilities for the future.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond developing artistic and scholarly excellence, we prepare students for meaningful and sustainable careers. Our curriculum emphasizes professional practice, communication, collaboration, and entrepreneurial thinking, equipping graduates with the skills needed to navigate a dynamic and interconnected creative economy.<\/p>\n<p>Community engagement and collaboration are central to who we are. Through partnerships with local, national, and international organizations, our students gain hands-on experience while contributing to projects that make a tangible impact. These opportunities connect classroom learning with real-world challenges and demonstrate the important role artists and designers play in civic life.<\/p>\n<p>As a school, we are committed to serving Central Florida and beyond. We recognize the arts as a catalyst for innovation, economic growth, cultural vitality, and public engagement. Art has the power to connect people, enrich communities, preserve history, inspire new ideas, and shape the future. Through creative practice, scholarship, and design, we prepare students to make meaningful contributions to their professions and to society.<\/p>\n<p>I invite you to join us at the School of Visual Arts and Design and become part of a vibrant community of makers, thinkers, scholars, and creators. Together, we will explore the power of art, design, and visual culture to shape a more creative, informed, and imaginative world.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-flex align-items-center\">\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"189\" height=\"40\" class=\" img-fluid alignnone wp-image-11318 size-full mb-2\" src=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/svad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2026\/08\/signature-kw.jpg\" alt=\"Signature\" \/><br \/>\nKeri Watson, Ph.D.<br \/>\nDirector, School of Visual Arts and Design<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"img-fluid ml-3 alignnone wp-image-11319\" style=\"max-width:250px;\" src=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/svad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2026\/08\/watson-headshot-circle.jpg\" alt=\"Keri Watson Headshot\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/svad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2026\/08\/watson-headshot-circle.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/svad\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2026\/08\/watson-headshot-circle-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I am delighted to welcome you to the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) at the University of Central Florida. At SVAD, we believe that the visual arts and design are essential to understanding ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. 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