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Common Grounds Artist Lecture Series

presented by the Middle Tennessee State University Department of Art and Design

Find Past Lectures on our Common Ground YouTube Channel

This lecture series, presented by Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Art & Design, highlights specific voices from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences. MTSU instructors handpick all guest lecturers, and although topics vary, content is always art-related.


Ruben Castillo via Zoom

Artist and Educator

Castillo investigates themes of intimacy, queerness, archival history, and the body using various media, including printmaking, drawing, installation, sculpture, and video. His most recent imagery is drawn from photographs and documents, seeing the ordinary as a site for transformation.

Sonia Dixon via Zoom

MTSU Alumna, U.S. Army Major, and Cultural Heritage Preservation Specialist

Sonia Dixon is a Doctoral Candidate in Art History at Florida State University, focusing on visual culture and identity in the late antique eastern Mediterranean. An MTSU alumna, she holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Museum and Cultural Heritage Studies. Sonia is also a Major in the Army, serving as a Battalion Executive Officer and Heritage and Preservation Officer, specializing in cultural heritage preservation.

Sketch to DeStress

A Special MTSU Department of Art and Design, Todd Art Gallery Saturdays At Todd event.
Presented by the College of Liberal Arts!
For complete details and to join Zoom, visit,

Questions: Douglas.Dabbs@mtsu.edu

Biennial Symposium

Department of Art and Design Faculty
#MTSUart @MTSUart

Wednesday, February 5 – As a concluding event to the department’s Biennial 2024, faculty from the various areas of Art and Design reflected on their work from the exhibition and, more broadly, on their artistic motivations and philosophy with a strong component of Q&A for an invigorating and educational exchange between students and faculty. Among those faculty members who spoke were Paige Medlock, Art Education; Kate Kinder, Studio Art; Doug Dabbs, Graphic Design and Illustration; and Jake Wells, Foundations.

Images of Artwork Left to Right, Top to Bottom – Kim Dummons, Kelsey Duncan, Kathleen O’Connell, and Tony Rodriguez

BIENNIAL 2024: A Department of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition

#MTSUart @MTSUart

Biennial 2024 Poster, Images, top to bottom, left to right: Ambrose Prince, The Sheep Man; Joshua Lynn, Bubble; Nick Satinover, Time is a Distance 8; Sisavanh Phouthavong-Houghton, Fields of Red Anemone Blooming; Kim Dummons, A Conversation Across Time, Posthumous Collaboration with John T. Scott; Kathleen O’Connell, Character Flaw: Denial, Blissful Ignorance, Worrier; Kelsey Duncan, Roxana; Tony Rodriguez, The Andy Warhol Diaries; Background, Staff.

Biennial 2024

MTSU Art and Design proudly presents Biennial 2024: An MTSU Art and Design Faculty Exhibition. This showcase resides in the Todd Art Gallery in Todd Hall, room 224A, and is open until December 14, 2024.

John English

Join Assistant Professor Tony Rodriguez and Illustration legend, John English for 2 hours of conversation over Zoom. John English is an illustrator and the founder of Visual Arts Passage and the director of the ever-prestigious Illustration Academy, the birthplace of many of today’s modern day illustration masters.

In this Zoom session, John will walk us through his career as an illustrator and inform students of the various opportunities available for young and emerging illustrators to engage via the Illustration Academy and Visual Arts Passage.

When? Friday August 30, 2024, at 11 am. Where? Contact Tony.Rodriguez@mtsu.edu for the Zoom link.

Justin Benford

Join Assistant Prof. Tony Rodriguez and Justin Benford for a character design talk and LIVE digital painting demonstration over Zoom (or attend in-person in room 337)

When? Monday October 7, 11:30am
Where? Todd, room 337

Email Tony.Rodriguez@mtsu.edu for Zoom Link

Benford’s credentials:
– Character designer and illustrator at Ripple Effects
– Art director and artist on a short film titled ‘Lucid’
– Book cover illustrator on Chance Calloway’s ‘Pretty Dudes’

More on Instagram at MTSU Illustration

MTSU Illustration | We’ve got another cool artist on board to chat and demo for ya this semester! Join Prof. Rodriguez and Justin Benford for a character… | Instagram

MTSU Department of Art and Design Senior Symposium

Please join us this Monday – Wednesday, April 8 – 10, 15, 2024, Todd Hall, Room 204. Complete schedule and times available at MTSU Senior Symposium – Schedule (google.com)

The MTSU Department of Art and Design’s Research Practicum and Symposium are essential components of the academic evaluation process for Art & Design majors studying Studio Art, Graphic Design, and Art History. The Spring 2024 Symposium involves students presenting their research to faculty, campus, fellow students, and the public, allowing for discourse, feedback, and evaluation.

Don’t miss this opportunity to witness these promising artists and art historians as they showcase their research insights and best work of their Junior and Senior years.

For further information, visit: www.mtsuartanddesign.com.

Saturdays At Todd: Gale Stoner | Photography

Introduction to Composition

This course is designed for beginning and intermediate-level photographers; even the experienced photographer may learn a tip or two. We will look at the fundamentals of the creative elements of photography. You will be introduced to principles and techniques that will create visual interest. The discussion of composition will include the Principle of Thirds, Power of Leading Lines, Symmetry, and Balance. In addition, we will discuss the principles of negative space, depth of field, and cropping for visual flow. By understanding the guidelines of composition, you will have a clearer understanding of what draws the viewer’s eye to the subject.

Gale Stoner Bio

Gale Stoner began photographing landscapes in the mid-sixties while stationed in Duluth, MN. Gale, a self-taught photographer, has been highlighted in the international publication Photoshop User magazine and KelbyOne Insider Column, and his image of Old Faithful at sunrise was published in Outdoor Photographer magazine. One of Gale’s images was selected for the cover of the 2019 Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau guide booklet. Gale has served as the 2018-2019 Photographer Laureate for the City of Murfreesboro Cultural Arts Department. In 2020, Gale was commissioned by the Chamber Visitor’s Bureau to produce images for the Safely Travel Project. Gale enjoys sharing his skills in group and one-on-one fine art photography classes.

This Workshop is Free and Open to the Public. Registration is Required to Participate. The total number of participants will not exceed 30.

REGISTRATION at Saturdays At Todd: Gale Stoner | Photography (signupgenius.com)

Register BEFORE the session begins. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee spaces for those who are not registered.

Driving Directions: 1512 Military Memorial, Murfreesboro, TN 37132-0025.

For additional information, parking, and other questions, contact eric.snyder@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-5532.

Rachel Mindrup | Portrait Painter

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Rachel Mindrup | Portrait Painter

Noon – Friday, April 12, 2024

Via Zoom

Rachel Mindrup is an Associate Professor of Drawing and Painting at Creighton University where she is also the Richard L. Deming, MD Endowed Chair in Medical Humanities.

Hosted By Alaina Miller & Sheri Selph

Email sheri.selph@mtsu.edu by April 11 for this exclusive artist chat

Questions: alaina.miller@mtsu.edu IG-CommonGround-Image copy.png