The University of Chicago has announced the Division of the Humanities and UChicago Arts have been unified into the new Division of the Arts & Humanities.

In a message to the UChicago community on April 9, President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Katherine Baicker called the announcement “an important milestone in the University’s academic evolution.”

“This announcement marks an important step in bringing together these closely connected disciplines in new and meaningful ways,” they wrote. “This transformation is already strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration, more closely aligning arts initiatives with academic departments, and reinforcing the University’s leadership in research, creative practice, and graduate education in the arts and humanities.”

All academic departments that were previously part of the Division of the Humanities are now joined by multiple arts units within the new Division of the Arts & Humanities. As University-wide, public-facing cultural institutions, the Court Theatre and the Smart Museum of Art will continue to report to the Office of the Provost.

“The arts and humanities have always had a symbiotic and dynamic relationship in illuminating powerful truths about our human conditions. This is especially true at UChicago,” said Deborah L. Nelson, Dean of the Division of the Arts & Humanities. “The re-naming of our division formally articulates the longstanding relationships among our scholars and artists, whose research and arts practice create life-changing examinations of who we have been, who we are, and who we might become—both individually and collectively.”

For generations, the humanities have fostered critical engagement with history, language, philosophy and culture at the University. In the College, students explore these traditions through the Core curriculum—studying ancient and modern languages, analyzing global cultures, and synthesizing texts, music, and art to form new connections and ideas. Faculty produce knowledge that illuminates the complexities of the human experience—perspectives that are essential in navigating the challenges of the 21st century. 

At the same time, the emergence of UChicago Arts has made the University and the South Side of Chicago a national and global destination for the arts. In 2012, the University celebrated the opening of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, which has grown into a renowned, dynamic arts hub. Additionally, arts programming, performances, exhibits and workshops at the Court Theatre, Smart Museum of Art, UChicago Presents, Arts + Public Life, the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, and the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society represent a steadfast demonstration of the University’s commitment to community engagement.   

Visit artshumanities.uchicago.edu for more information and updates.