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Here, we blend the bold and the in-between — milestones, insights, and sparks of what’s next. It’s the creative space where ideas unfold in real-time.

  • Studio Art Alum Lecture Series featuring ’08 B.F.A. Alum, Ellen Dempsey

    Studio Art Alum Lecture Series featuring ’08 B.F.A. Alum, Ellen Dempsey

    Join MTSU’s Department of Art and Design in welcoming 2008 BFA Alumna Ellen Dempsey. This lecture series seeks to connect current students to artists, designers and art-professionals who have received degrees from our department. This talk is open to the public, but is most relevant for students seeking information about building a life and career…

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  • Design and Print a Letterpress Poster via Zoom

    Design and Print a Letterpress Poster via Zoom

    Saturdays at Todd – Design and Print a Letterpress Poster via Zoom Watch as Associate Professor, Kathleen O’Connell, designs and prints a letterpress poster. This event will be live broadcast over Zoom, with opportunities to ask questions throughout the process. 10 a.m.–1 p.m.—Saturday, September 26, 2020 Open to the public. Participants limited…

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  • Saturdays at Todd (S@T) Watercolor Portraiture Workshop via Zoom

    Saturdays at Todd (S@T) Watercolor Portraiture Workshop via Zoom

    MTSU Art and Design welcomes the return of Saturdays at Todd via Zoom with Professor Sisavanh Houghton guides you through a virtual workshop about Watercolor Portraiture. Watercolor Portraiture Workshop Saturday, September 19, 2020, 12 p.m.-3 p.m. via Zoom Signups will open at 2 p.m., Thursday, September 17, 2020. To participate: Watercolor…

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  • Pop Up Mural Event

    Pop Up Mural Event

    We are excited to announce the Pop Up Mural Event, an event for all students that has been planned with COVID precautions in mind! The Pop Up Mural Event is September 22 & 23 from 10 am – 3 pm on the sidewalk between Todd Hall and Davis Science Building. You will be painting…

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  • Seeing Your Creative Practice through an Entrepreneurial Lens

    Seeing Your Creative Practice through an Entrepreneurial Lens

    Seeing Your Creative Practice through an Entrepreneurial Lens Presented by the College of Liberal Arts, and the Department of Art and Design 1–2 p.m.—Wednesday, September 23, 2020 https://mtsu.zoom.us/j/95628172683?pwd=ck5jL1A4LzcwZGRMU2ljdVZhYzJnUT09 Meeting ID: 956 2817 2683Passcode: 465523 Artistry and entrepreneurship might not seem to go together, but historically, a large portion of artists…

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  • Saturdays at Todd Workshops Update

    Saturdays at Todd Workshops Update

    Covid-19 and Art and Design Activities and Events Todd Art Gallery, 210 Gallery, and Glass Gallery are open for your viewing per in-place campus precautions. Exhibit receptions and other group events are canceled until further notice.   Saturdays at Todd are going virtual for the semester. Watch for a variety of opportunities. Materials…

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  • Patrick Foley Lecture

    Patrick Foley Lecture

    MTSU Department of Art and Design Patrick Foley Lecture Via Zoom, 11 a.m.—Friday, November 6, 2020 Patrick Foley (AKA Patrick4D) is a 3D Generalist based in Atlanta, GA, working primarily in the AD field. Coming from a background in Film as a Director of Photography, he swapped over his knowledge of lighting and composition…

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  • Bob Rissetto Lecture

    Bob Rissetto Lecture

    MTSU Department of Art and Design Bob Rissetto Lecture Via Zoom, 1 p.m.—Friday, September 18, 2020 Bob Risetto is a veteran 2D artist, illustrator, and animator with over 20 years of experience in the field, and he’ll be popping into the MTSU College of Liberal Arts this fall 2020. Professor Tony Rodriguez, leader of…

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  • Biennial 2020 MTSU Art and Design Faculty Exhibition

    Biennial 2020 MTSU Art and Design Faculty Exhibition

    Biennial 2020 MTSU Art and Design Faculty ExhibitionThe MTSU Department of Art and Design announces an exhibition of selected works by faculty members entitled Biennial 2020: A Faculty Exhibition of Art and Design. Scheduled in the Todd Art Gallery, Todd Hall, Room 224A, the exhibit opens the department’s upcoming fall exhibit calendar and will be…

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  • MTSU Professors Art Show at Murfreesboro City Hall Celebrates Women’s Suffrage

    MTSU Professors Art Show at Murfreesboro City Hall Celebrates Women’s Suffrage

    A Special Thank You to the City of Murfreesboro and the Murfreesboro Pulse! By Murfreesboro Pulse Staff MTSU Art professors Erin Anfinson, Kathleen O’Connell, Kimberly Dummons, Nicole Foran, and Sisavanh Phouthavong will be featured at the Rotunda of Murfreesboro City Hall from July 28 through Sept. 10.   Aug. 18, 2020,…

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Graphic Design Senior Show

The Town of Lexicon Lane Welcomes You

@mtsuseniorshow | April 10, 2025

MTSU Graphic Design Capstone, the town of Lexicon Lane, welcomes you!

April 19–26 | MTSU Todd Art Gallery, Todd Hall, Room 224A

Opening April 19, 2025, 1–4 p.m.

See the artwork of Quinn Allen • Bri Anderson • Joy Blohm • Luke Byrum • Zach Byrum • Chloe Carter • Jamie Cruz • Linden DeGira • Madison Eddins • Blue Gallegos • Maricella Guerrero • Savanah Harden • Sarah Kestila • Chalandra Livingston • Mo Marler • Kim Ortiz • Ella Putnal • Chris Reynolds • Kiera Riordan • Hailee Seng • Laney Smith • Lane Stephens • Tonyara Wilson • Anna Wright

Capstone instructors: Associate Professor Sheri Selph and Lecturer Stephanie Simkin

Student Scholarship Roundup

A spirit of giving that defines an initiative.

@MTSUArt | April 9, 2025

Join the MTSU Department of Art and Design for our bi-annual event each fall and spring semester. Explore a collection of donated artwork at Todd Hall, perfect for personal use or gifting. Contributions are encouraged with suggested donation amounts for each piece. Proceeds support the Art and Design Student Scholarship Program and participating student artists.

Scholarship Roundup – !0 a.m.–4 p.m., Tuesday – Friday, April 22–25, 2025. Todd Hall, Second Floor adjacent to the main stairwell.

Foundations Juried Art Show

Here’s a glimpse of the exceptional work on view!

Special Recognition for MTSU Department of Art and Design and TODDartgallery

2025 Tennessee Association of Museums Certificate of Commendation for Perceptions of Relity
2025 Tennessee Association of Museums Certificate of Commendation for Perceptions of Relity

At the 2025 Tennessee Association of Museums Annual Conference in Knoxville, MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery was honored with a Certificate of Commendation during the March Awards Dinner. This special recognition celebrates Perceptions of Reality, the Department of Art and Design’s most recent annual collaborative exhibition, curated by Dr. Barbara and Mr. Leroy Hodges. The exhibition uplifts the voices and visions of artists of color through powerful visual narratives and lived experiences across cultures and disciplines. Todd Art Gallery is grateful to the Tennessee Association of Museums for acknowledging the importance of this work and its role in fostering dialogue, representation, and community through the arts.

Special Recognition for MTSU Department of Art and Design and TODDartgallery 

2024 Award of Excellence Recipient

During the Tuesday, March 19, Awards Dinner of the Tennessee Association of Museums, the MTSU Department of Art and Design’s Todd Art Gallery was awarded a 2024 Award of Excellence for the collaborative effort involving the traveling exhibition, Crafting Blackness: Black Bodies Making Form. As a cooperative, East Tennessee State University’s Curators Karlota Contreas-Koterbay and Karen Sullivan and the Tipton and Slocumb Galleries share this award with Tennessee Craft, Tennessee State University’s Hiram Van Gordon Gallery, and MTSU. We are most grateful for this special recognition to our Curators, fellow exhibition spaces, the artists of Black Bodies Making Form, and the Tennessee Association of Museums!

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.