Art History
Art History at LACC supports an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to art history of all periods and places. We are also dedicated to including intersectionality as an approach to understanding art history. By thinking across current categories and boundaries and critically examining art history itself, our students are encouraged to question the canon, to rethink the relationships between the periphery and the mainstream, and to practice a socially and politically responsible art history.
Art History Degrees at LACC
Art History AAT Degree
Art History is the study of visual and tangible objects humans make and the structures humans build. Art Historians study them to better understand our human ancestors, their worlds, and to better understand ourselves. The Art History AAT degree prepares students to analyze art inside its cultural, social, or political context while developing their analytical and critical thinking skills. Students completing the Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer Degree will have satisfied the lower division major preparation for bachelors degrees in similar majors as determined by California State University (CSU) campuses and are guaranteed admission with junior status to the California State University system, although not to a particular campus or major.
Art History Course Descriptions
This introductory and integrative course in the arts offers a thematic approach to art appreciation through art examples from Western and non-Western cultures. The student learns about art forms and media in traditional and contemporary styles, including terminology and problems of definition, meaning, and evaluation in the visual arts.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A), C-ID (ARTH 100)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
The student explores the development of art and architecture from prehistory through the medieval period, emphasizing the cultural context of the West and its major points of contact with the non-European world
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A), C-ID (ARTH 110)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
Students learn about the development of art from the time of the Renaissance to Contemporary art. Emphasis is placed on the cultural context of the West while major points of artistic contact with the non-European world are considered. This course provides an overview of art and architecture from the Renaissance to the Contemporary.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A), C-ID (ARTH 120)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
This course is an exploratory survey of selected visual cultural topics within North American Indigenous cultures from prehistory through today. This course is geographically limited to present-day United States and Canada. Regions of study may include but are not limited to cultures of the Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, California, Great Basin, Plateau, Southwest, Great Plains, Eastern Woodlands, Northeast, and Southeast. Categories may include but are not limited to: portable arts, architecture, pottery, clothing, beadwork, embroidery, and weaponry.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A)
The student learns about the development of Asian art from prehistoric times through the 20th Century including the artistic traditions and histories of China, India, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The student considers how cultural, political, and religious forces influenced the arts and explore how the various regions of Asia formed and influenced one another.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A), C-ID (ARTH 130)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
The student examines the global historical development of Islamic visual art (including painting, sculpture, architecture, and other forms) and its historical and cultural context.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
Students learn about the visual culture within select regions in Africa, Oceania, and indigenous North America.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A), C-ID (ARTH 140)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
Students examine the art and architecture of Latin America, beginning with the Pre-Columbian period, but focused primarily on the 19th to 21st centuries. Students explore major historical periods of Latin American history and visual culture, which include an introduction to pre-Hispanic civilizations, colonial rule and independence, the emergence of Modernism and the avant-garde, and contemporary art and architecture in Latin America. They gain an understanding of underlying social, economic, political, and religious context of the production and use of the works of art considered.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A)
Advisory: ENGLC1000
Students learn about thematic and historical developments of Contemporary visual art (including painting, sculpture, architecture, new media, and other forms) produced by the global community.
3.00 Units (Lec 3 Hrs)
Transfer Credit: CSU, UC(CalGETC Area 3A)
Advisory: ENGLC1000 AND ARTHIST103 OR ARTHIST120
Meet Our Art History Faculty
Angela Lessing
Assistant Professor of Art History
Email: lessinac@lacitycollege.edu
Office: DH103B
M.A., University of California, Riverside
B.A., California State University, Fullerton
Subjects: ARTHIST 103, 110, 120, 122, 139, 151, and 171
Angela Lessing, Assistant Professor of Art History, joined the VAMA department in 2023. She has a B.A. in Modern & Contemporary Art History from Cal State Fullerton, and an M.A. in Modern & Contemporary Art History from U.C. Riverside. She has been teaching since 2019.
She is what is called a "generalist," though her research emphasizes Latin American art and visual culture. Her teaching interests include decolonizing the Western canon and building students’ visual literacy. She brings an interdisciplinary approach to her teaching, encouraging students to connect art and history with broader cultural, social, and creative contexts.
Prof. Lessing is a Southern California native. She loves to travel and explore, is an avid reader, hiker, collects stereographs, and dabbles in film photography as a hobby. She loves to teach and share her passion of history with her students.
Wendy Stockstill
Adjunct Lecturer
Email: stocksw@lacitycollege.edu
M.A., California State University, Long Beach
B.A., University of California Los Angeles
Subjects: ARTHIST 103, 110, 120, and 140
Wendy Stockstill joined the department in Fall 2015 as a part-time lecturer. She earned her B.A. in Art History from University of California Los Angeles and her M.A. from California State University, Long Beach.
She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in Museum Studies at the University of Oklahoma, while also studying Museum Studies at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Her teaching philosophy centers on decolonizing her own Western education by integrating Indigenous voices and perspectives into the study of art history. Since she primarily teaches non-Western courses, she emphasizes presenting both Western and Indigenous perspectives, deepening students’ understanding of cultural diversity and the complexities of art history.
Contact Us
The Art Office is located on the 2nd floor of Da Vinci Hall, Room DH202. Please let us know via email or voicemail how we can help with your questions!
