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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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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

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 collaborative, East Tennessee State University’s Curators Karlota Contreas-Koterbay, 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!

Stained Glass Mosaics with Dr. Paige Medlock

  • November 4, 2023,  10 a.m.–1 p.m.
  • Todd 205
  • Ages 10+ (students under 18, please register with an adult)
  • Max 12 participants

GLASS MOSAICS with Dr. Paige Medlock

Images: Left, a young student working in Glass Mosaics; Center, left, Dr. Paige Medlock; Center, right, Art Educators showing off their skills; Right, Glass Mosaics process.

The MTSU Department of Art and Design invites you to a Glass Mosaics Saturdays At Todd workshop guided by Art Educator Dr. Paige Medlock.

10 a.m.–1 p.m., Saturday, November 4, 2023, MTSU Todd Hall, Room 205

Participants will be provided with all materials.

This is FREE and Open to the Public Workshop geared toward Art Educators, General Educators, High School Students, MTSU Students, Alums, and Artists. Everyone interested is encouraged to participate.

Professional Development Certificates are available to all participating teachers.

REGISTRATION

Register BEFORE the session begins. Unfortunately, due to spacing, anyone not registered before the workshop will not be permitted to participate.

Register Here

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

FREE PARKING is available in the Jones Hall lot adjacent to Todd Hall. DRIVING DIRECTIONS: 1512 Military Memorial, Murfreesboro, TN 37132-0025.