About Faculty

The Faculty of Art, Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce is the youngest unit, dynamically developing didactic, artistic and scientific activities in the disciplines of fine arts and conservation of art, as well as musical arts. The Faculty consists of the Institute of Visual Arts and the Institute of Music. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Poland has awarded the Faculty of Art of UJK in Kielce high grades for the quality of artistic and research activities – A categories in both art disciplines in 2023. A special area of the unit’s activity is an international artistic, cultural and didactic exchange. Several years of experience in the dynamic exchange of students and teaching staff under the Erasmus+ programe with universities from Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Italy, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine contributed to the opening of the English-language studies in the field of Visual Arts, both 3-year Bachelor’s and 2-year Masters’ degrees.

Studios of graphic design

The Faculty has an appropriate infrastructure to conduct education and artistic and project activities, including the area of digital technologies, distance learning. All classes in the field of theory, art history, art and design, visual communication are held in an intimate building of the Institute of Visual Arts, adapted to these needs. The modern infrastructure of the University allows students to use the well-equipped University Library with Gallery of Art, the Centre of Polish Culture and Language as well as the University Sports Centre. Excellent institutional environment, strong cooperation with the National Museum in Kielce, Kielce’s contemporary art galleries, the Institute of Design, Polish universities providing art education, creative sector companies allows to expand study programs, gain experience necessary for independent artistic and professional design work.

Fragment of the Final Students’ Exposition at the end of the 2021/2022 academic year

Students’ performance workshops in the studio of intermedia activity

Institute of Visual Art is authorized to confer a doctoral degree as well as habilitation degree of art in discipline of visual arts and conservation of art (the Jan Kochanowski University of Kielce opens the possibility of training in the Art Section of the Doctoral School in the discipline of Visual Arts and Art Conservation in the academic year 2023/2024). Very important part of its activity is organizing of cultural and artistic life of Kielce, Świętokrzyskie region. Academic Gallery (University Center for Contemporary Arts) provides curatorial programs which based on solo and group exhibitions of Polish and international contemporary art. Institute is organizer of an international art project „Geo Transgraphic Migrations”.

Academic Galleries of Contemporary Art at the Institute of Visual Arts
(fragment of Polish printmaking exhibition, 2021)

Academic Galleries of Contemporary Art at the Institute of Visual Arts
(fragment of theater poster exhibition organised with the Stefan Żeromski Theater in Kielce, 2022)

About Kielce:

Kadzielnia geological reserve situated almost in the centre of the city

Kielce is a green city, surrounded by the oldest mountains in Europe, unique in terms of nature, history and culture. It is a city of human scale, small, safe but also providing everything necessary for the development, leisure, entertainment of the student. Located almost in the center of the city, the geological reserves are listed as UNESCO Global Geoparks. The close proximity of Kraków, Warsaw, Łódź and a well-developed network of rail and bus connections gives the opportunity to get to know and visit the most important places, monuments of Polish history, culture and art.

Italian Garden on the Castle Hill in Kielce (view from the window of the Cracow Bishops’ Palace in Kielce)

Henryka Sienkiewicza Street in Kielce

Among the nationally recognized and unique Kielce cultural and art institutions are: National Museum in Kielce, Institute of Design in Kielce, BWA Kielce Gallery, Gallery of Contemporary Art Winda (Kielce Municipal Cultural Center), Toy and Play Museum in Kielce, Kielce Teather of Contemporary Dance and Stefan Żeromski Theater in Kielce. Kielce is a venue for important artistic events of recognized repute: International Triennial of Lithography, Kielce International Theater Festival, NURT Festival of Documentary Forms, Memorial to Miles Jazz Festival, or place for the formation of important ideas, including in the field of museotherapy. At the moment, Kielce is a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture 2029.

Why choose to study Visual Arts at Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce?

1. High level of education, research, and artistic activity at the Faculty of Arts, recognized by the 6-year positive program evaluation of the Visual Arts major by the Polish Accreditation Committee and the scientific category A given by the Minister of Education and Science of the Polish Government.
2. Intimate and pleasant atmosphere in the independent building of the Institute of Visual Arts, whose studios are conducive to artistic and design education. Modern premises of the University’s units.
3. National and international successes of students and staff of the Faculty of Arts in exhibitions, art reviews, and competitions.
4. Intensive international exchange within the framework of the Erasmus+ program and separate bilateral agreements with universities of Europe, Asia, and North America.
5. Program of complementary cultural and artistic events, including excursions to learn about Poland’s rich traditions, culture, and art.
6. City of Kielce, which is the center of the Świętokrzyskie region, an important scientific, cultural, and economic center of Poland, provides comfortable, safe conditions for study but also many attractions, entertainment, and recreation in nature. Kielce is a friendly to live in and compact.

Painting Studio at the Faculty of Art