News + Events in Art & Design

Thank you for visiting! Use the navigation menu above or the collapsed menu icon to access all information relating to the Department, Academic Programs, Student Resources, and the Todd Art Galleries.

Stay up-to-date on exhibitions and events.

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Exhibitions · Education · Engagement · Community

Connecting People, Programs, and What’s Happening Now.

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Express Your Interest

Curious about studying art and design at MTSU? Every creative path starts somewhere. Take the first step and share your interests.

A short survey for prospective Art and Design majors

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For applications and information for other scholarships available through Middle Tennessee State University, visit:

• MTSU College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Scholarships
• MTSU Undergraduate Scholarships

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Hours and Parking

Todd Art Gallery is located in the Todd Art Building, Room 224A, on the MTSU campus at 1301 E. Main St. in Murfreesboro. For GPS directions to the nearby Jones Lot, the recommended visitor parking area for the gallery, use 1512 Military Memorial, Murfreesboro, TN 37132.

During regular weekday hours, campus visitors must obtain a visitor parking permit or use an available pay-by-plate area. Permit information and pay-by-plate options are available through MTSU Parking and Transportation Services. Parking questions may be directed to parking@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2850.

Free Parking

Free parking for gallery visitors is available in the Jones Lot weekdays after 4:30 p.m. and throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors must park in a valid, unrestricted space. ADA-accessible, reserved, metered, and other specifically designated spaces remain restricted as posted.

Gallery Hours

Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

The gallery is closed on federal, state, and university holidays; on home football game Saturdays; and on other dates designated for exhibition installation and preparation.

Fall 2026 Home-Game Closings: September 5, September 19, November 7, and November 28.

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Featured News & Events

Melissa Newman Builds Statewide Artistic Momentum

September 10, 2026

MTSU Art and Design instructor earns regional recognition while expanding her work across Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga

Melissa Newman, an instructor in the Middle Tennessee State University Department of Art and Design’s Foundations area, is extending her creative practice across Tennessee through a series of recent honors, exhibitions, and professional opportunities.

Her works on paper have also been selected for COOP Gallery’s 2026–27 Flat File Program in Nashville. The program gives audiences an opportunity to encounter original works on paper in a more direct and intimate format, while extending the visibility of participating artists beyond a conventional, limited-run exhibition.

Newman’s work is currently reaching another public audience through CHA Art Space at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. Established in 2021 by artist and curator Carrie Pendergrass in collaboration with the airport, the public-art initiative presents rotating exhibitions in the baggage-claim area. The current installation, REMIND ME, features 12 local and regional artists whose works respond to memory, sentiment, and nostalgia. The exhibition runs from early August through early November 2026.

The Chattanooga presentation carries an added personal connection for Newman, who is originally from the city. It also closely aligns with the recurring interests in memory and nostalgia that shape her studio practice.

Perhaps the most expansive of Newman’s recent opportunities is her selection as one of 12 artists in the Arcade Arts 2026–27 Artist in Residence cohort in downtown Nashville. Located upstairs in the historic Nashville Arcade, the juried residency provides each artist with a rent-free working studio for 10 months. Its programming combines sustained studio access with exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, demonstrations, and professional-development opportunities.

The resident artists also participate in the Second Saturday Art Crawl, held from 6 to 9 p.m. each month. Visitors can move from studio to studio, meet the artists, view works in progress and completed pieces, and experience exhibitions and other arts programming throughout the Arcade and the surrounding downtown arts district. By bringing together students, emerging and established artists, Arcade Arts cultivates both public engagement and exchange among members of each residency cohort.

MTSU Art and Design is especially well represented in that continuing creative community. Newman is joined in the 2026–27 cohort by Isaac Snyder, who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from MTSU in spring 2026. Charles Elwell, another MTSU Studio Art B.F.A. graduate, participated in the 2025–26 residency cohort. Their selections reflect a growing line of connection between the department and one of Nashville’s most visible artist-centered initiatives.

An artist and educator, Newman holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in painting from the University of Iowa. She completed a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in 2006 and has taught Foundations and Painting courses at MTSU since 2008.

Together, Newman’s recent activities demonstrate the range of paths through which a sustained studio practice can meet the public: through competitive recognition, gallery-based access to works on paper, art presented in a busy civic space, and the long-form creative development made possible by an artist’s residency. They also bring the work of an MTSU educator into conversation with artists and audiences across the state.

Learn more about Melissa Newman and her work, Arcade Arts, and CHA Art Space.

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Art and Design Mural at MTSU

| August 25, 2025

This June, Art & Design students brought new life to campus during a three-week mural-making session led by Assistant Professor Kate Kinder. After pitching their designs, the class selected a concept by Rae Medlock, who reimagined historic hands from classical paintings within bold abstract shapes and vibrant colors. The result: a mural that connects past and present while energizing the Todd Building central stairwell space.

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Looking for more News & Events

There’s the Sketchbook—Part updates and part inspiration — are all in progress. The space where announcements mix with behind-the-scenes, and the creative process stays in the spotlight.

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Selected student art and design work from The Department of Art & Design. Website icon design by Graphic Design students.