6 Umass Lowell art students, posing in front of a city in a foreign country.

There are numerous international opportunities for UMass Lowell (UML) students to experience the world in their hands while getting their degree.

Art and Design students travel all over the world through many study abroad options. The UMass Lowell Study Abroad office sends our students to various countries, whether they take a traditional semester-long study abroad programs or a course that travels with fellow UMass Lowell students and professor during a summer/winter session. In addition, Art and Design students have the opportunity to study in art schools with which we have established partnerships.

Japan Trip Summer 2025: Traditional And Contemporary Arts and Culture

We had a fantastic time exploring Tokyo, Saitama and Kyoto in summer 2025 on a trip led by Professor Yuko Oda and Professor Ellen Wetmore.

In Tokyo, we visited Meiji Jingu Shrine and immersed ourselves in TeamLab's multimedia installations.

The trip's highlight was a five-day Mokuhanga woodblock printing and papermaking workshop, where UMass Lowell students learned how to carve wood, apply colors and print using Mokuhanga techniques taught by professionals in Japan.

Students also learned how to prepare plant fiber and to make their own paper using 1,000-year-old methods.

The trip's final destination was Kyoto, the cultural mecca of Japan, where students visited numerous world-renowned historical sites such as Sanjusangendo and Kiyomizu Temple, and hiked the Fushimi Inari mountain.

Students experienced Japanese culture through making art, wearing kimono, eating Japanese food and fully immersing themselves in Japan.

Back at UML, students exhibited their Mokuhanga prints in the Mahoney student gallery in fall, 2025.

Students and professor standing on a street corner in Ogawa-machi, Japan.

UML students and professors are standing by a river in Ogawa-machi, Saitama Prefecture, in Japan during the study abroad course in summer, 2025.

Annecy France Trip 2024-25

The Animation and Interactive Media (AIM) concentration has established a dynamic study abroad initiative that brings students to Annecy, France, to participate in the world-renowned Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Having attended the festival for two consecutive years in 2024 and 2025, AIM has strengthened its connection to the global animation community while expanding valuable industry relationships. 

These trips immerse students in a creative environment where they can engage directly with leading studios, independent artists, and emerging voices shaping the future of animation.

This study abroad course is designed to integrate professional development with international exposure. Throughout the semester, students focused on building a polished portfolio and demo reel tailored for careers in animation, culminating in their trip to Annecy to attend both the Festival and Marché International du Film d’Animation (MIFA), the largest marketplace dedicated to animation worldwide. 

The Annecy Festival offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience a diverse range of contemporary animated works, explore cutting-edge techniques, and engage with the Official Selection. For students and emerging artists, it serves as a powerful source of inspiration and insight into current trends and future directions in the field.

Summer 2023: An Exploration of Traditional And Contemporary Arts, Culture, and Game Design with Yuko Oda

During the spring 2023 semester, the class will meet bi-weekly to discuss readings, films, visual arts, language, food, and cultural norms of Japan. Discussions will dive into the psychology and way of life of the Japanese people, and students will gain insight into a culture where the old and new collide. Basic language and cultural etiquette lessons will prepare students to travel in Japan. The course culminates in a study abroad trip to Japan that includes stays in Tokyo and Kyoto and a day trip in Narai hiking through the Nakasendo trail.

Summer 2022: Azores Photography Documentary with Professors Pavel Romaniko and Anna Isaak-Ross

Following a semester exploring the greater Lowell Azorean community, students enjoyed 10 full days touring the islands of the Azores, experiencing local culture, nature, cuisine. The trip culminated in a student led photography exhibition at University Crossing and many images were purchased for the university student art collection.

Summer 2019: Highlights of Renaissance Italy with Professor Ellen Wetmore

In the instructor led study abroad course Highlights of Italy, students will enjoy 14 full days exploring Venice, Florence, and Rome, Italy in June 2019. Daily activities include visiting the Venice Biennial, Piazza San Marco, the Florence museums The Uffizi and the Academy, the Roman Colosseum, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, and much more. The studio component includes daily drawing or photography and exercises in local crafts. Projects included binding a custom sketchbook, presentations about current Italian exhibitions, and paper marbling.

Learn more about the 2019 Italy International Study Abroad Trip.

To read about our students’ experiences please visit their blog: See and Make Art in Italy Summer 2017 Blog.

UMass Lowell students pose in front the Victoria Memorial, in front of Buckingham Palace in London.

Summer 2017: Contemporary Art and Life Sciences in Portugal with Cultivamos Cultura, Professor Ellen Wetmore and Artist Marta De Menezes

Professor Ellen Wetmore and students traveled to Lisbon first to visit cultural attractions and then spent several days in São Luís in the Alentejo. There they stayed on a 200 years old farm, collected sea urchins, studied invertebrate reproduction, harvested and made art with local botanicals and biomes, and had tutorials on Portuguese cooking.

View the Contemporary Art and Life Sciences in Portugal Summer 2017 Blog.

Summer 2017: London by Design with Professors Regina Gardner Milan and Ingrid Hess

In the course London by Design, students enjoyed 10 full days exploring and studying in London. Daily activities comprised visiting museums, including The Design Museum, the British museum, Kew Gardens, The V&A, The Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, and many more. Students also participated in a two-day Hackathon, run by the London agencies the Big Radical and The XDs (The Experience Design Group). With this design challenge, students addressed the growing problem of depression in young adults. The event attracted a wide variety of professionals in the design and healthcare sectors from disciplines including psychology, AI, UX, pharmacology, visual and game design.

Projects included a travel brochure and poster, a way finding system, a hand-built book about London typography and daily blogs.

To read our students’ testimonies please visit their blog at: London By Design Summer 2017 Blog

Summer 2015: Florence, Venice and Rome: See Art, Make Art! with Ellen Wetmore

In one course students participated in a drawing class in which they made a portfolio of small works to take abroad and exhibit internationally. They attended the Venice Biennial, an international printmaking festival of infinitely cool graffiti art and an ancient Roman seaport that looks like an MC Escher drawing. Students experienced everything from their art history courses: the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Botticellis, The David and the rest. The second course explored Art in Political, Religious and Historic context.

More Study Abroad Experiences

Read about the 2013 students took to Israel: Art Students Get Interdisciplinary in Israel.

In the summer of 2015, 7 Sharjah University students joined UMass Lowell students in two Digital Media courses.

International Partnerships