The department of Fine and Industrial Arts, University of Uyo has witnesses a chequered history.

The structure that houses the Department is where Kenneth Murray started teaching art at the very ground in 1927 to the likes of A. P. Umana Ben Enwonwu among Murray boys. It continued its march as the institution was transformed into a Teacher Training College (TTC), retaining the Art Department. This further metamorphosed into the Cross RIVER State College of Education in 1977 spearheaded by Mr. Michael Etuk yet the Department of Fine Arts was to stand in the same sport like a great colossus.

Little wonder then, that when the University of Cross River State was born in 1983, the Department of Fine and Industrial Arts became a Unit in the Creative Arts Department, under the Faculty of Arts in 1984 maintaining its status quo the very group on which it stood. The Department from 1985 till 1987 was headed by Dr. (Mrs.) Deborah Ekwo. By 1987/1988, Ben Ekanem was drafted into the Department as a Sabbatical Lecturer.

He fought hard to rescue it from the previous arrangement where it was only a Unit. In 1988, Dr. Enoidem Udoh held on forte till 1989. With Ben Ekanem (1989-94) again on the saddle, the Department become autonomous, with five (5) Units of specialization. Viz: Ceramics, Graphics, and Painting, Sculpture and Textiles respectively, each with a unit head.

The Department remained under the Faculty of Arts until the establishment of the Faculty of Environmental Studies in 1997.

In 1998, the Department of Fine and Industrial Arts moved to the Faculty of Environmental Studies as the oldest existing Department before the creation of the Faculty. The headship passed on to Prof. (Mrs.) Stella O. Idiiong in 1994 through 1998 and 2001 through 2003.
Other heads of the Department were Dr. Enoidem N. A. Udoh (1998-1999), and Prof. Best Ochigbo, (2003/-2005), Dr. Soni Ekwere (2008-2010). Dr. Johnson Ekanem (2011-2012), Dr. Anthony Okonofua (2013-2016). Currently, the Department has grown from strength to strength in both human resources and academics.

Dr. Enoidem Udoh, again, is currently the Acting Head of the Department.
In order to improve students’ performance, the Certificate and Diploma programmes (Certificate and Diploma in Fine Arts respectively) were introduced in 1996 and 2009. These programmes have become feeder programmes for the Bachelor of Arts Degree Programme.

Besides the Bachelor degree Programme, the Deparment boasts of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Master of Arts, Art Education (MA Art Edu.) and Ph.D Degree Programme respectively.
The MFA programme started in the 1997/1998 academic session, while the MA. Ed. was mounted in the Department in 2004/2005 with a view to striving and enhancing the quality of education and life of individuals by emphasizing the need for visual order and self reliability in the society. Students are to be developed in the field of inventiveness, innovativeness, aesthetics, capacity utilization, economics productivity and empowerment as well as intellectual growth. It is a department that hopes to lay a solid foundation aimed at human sustainable development. It is hoped that this will be achieved through qualitative design-oriented (conscious) art programme with a focus on research and learning.

With the crop of lecturers in the Department, the Doctoral Degree Programme was approved in 2009 and the Department is now running a PhD in the five areas of specialization namely Painting & Painting Technology, Graphic Design & Technology, Ceramic design & Technology, Textile Design & Technology and Sculpture.