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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.

  • Narrative Illustrative – Fall ’21

    Narrative Illustrative – Fall ’21

    Art 4001 | Narrative Illustration Fall Semester 2021 – Associate Professor Douglas Dabbs Learn How to Conceptualize and Draw Illustrations for Narrative Media such as Comics, Storyboards, and Children’s Books. Register: Detailed Class Information (mtsu.edu) 

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  • Summer ’21 Course in Color Theory

    Summer ’21 Course in Color Theory

    Summer Class June 28-July 16, 2021, Todd Hall 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Class Days In-Class – Monday and Wednesday Online Class – Tuesday and Thursday Section: Art-4001-005 | Crn: 52910 | Email Sisavanh.Houghton@mtsu.edu to get Permission of Instructor (P.O.I.) Counts towards an Upper Division (***Good for Minors) No…

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  • Meet Tripwire Creative Director, Bryan Wynia

    Meet Tripwire Creative Director, Bryan Wynia

    Don’t miss this opportunity to hangout with Tripwire Creative Director Bryan Wynia as he talks about his career as a creature and concept artist for the film and video game industries! -Bryan’s credits include: Godzilla vs. Kong, The Nun, Ghostbusters, IT, Men in Black International, Killing Floor, Maleficent, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and many…

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  • The Art of Collaboration: A Conversation with Felix Harlan

    The Art of Collaboration: A Conversation with Felix Harlan

    A Conversation with Felix Harlan of Harlan and Weaver (NYC) was held Tuesday, March 30, 2021 via Zoom. Harlan is a master printer who has worked with some incredibly significant artists.  In the conversation he covered collaboration, starting/running an arts-related business, and what it’s like living and working in New York City.  This talk…

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  • MTSU Spring Showcase Medallions: Metal Pour

    MTSU Spring Showcase Medallions: Metal Pour

    Alumni and Sculpture Medallions: 2.5 to 3 Hours of Metal Pour An event of the MTSU Spring Showcase Date/Time: Saturday, April 17, 2021. The workshop begins at 1 pm, with the metal pour beginning approximately at 2:15 pm. Venue: Middle Tennessee State University, Todd Art Bldg., Sculpture Foundry, Todd Hall, Room 107.…

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  • Life Mapping Workshop with Kara Kemp

    Life Mapping Workshop with Kara Kemp

    Saturdays At Todd The MTSU Department of Art and Design is pleased to announce a Saturdays At Todd (S@T) Workshop led by local favorite Kara Kemp this April 17, 2021. Organized by Rutherford Arts Alliance (RAA), Kara’s Workshop is scheduled in Todd Hall, Room 236. Everyone possesses the ability to design a meaningful life, but not everyone knows…

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  • Package Design Student Exhibit

    210 Student Gallery opening exhibit of spring 2021!

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  • Illustrating the Comic Book Page

    Illustrating the Comic Book Page

    ILLUSTRATING THE COMIC BOOK PAGE! with Douglas Dabbs, Associate Professor, MTSU Art and Design More than 25 MTSU and Community persons signed up to join Douglas Dabbs for his recent Saturdays at Todd Workshop via Zoom. During the three-hour workshop each participant was taught how to use thumbnails, page design, word balloons, ink, and…

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  • From Impulse to Impact Poetry Workshop: Writing What Matters to You in a Way That Speaks to Others

    From Impulse to Impact Poetry Workshop: Writing What Matters to You in a Way That Speaks to Others

    The MTSU Department of Art and Design is pleased to announce a poetry-writing Saturdays at Todd Workshop with recent Murfreesboro Poet Laureate and Author, Kory Wells! From Impulse to Impact Poetry Workshop: Writing What matters to You in a Way That Speaks to Others More Information and Signup at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A4EABA62FA4FE3-from1 Whether you…

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  • Letterpress poster from Kathleen O’Connell’s Design and Print Saturdays at Todd Workshop

    Letterpress poster from Kathleen O’Connell’s Design and Print Saturdays at Todd Workshop

    Saturdays at Todd Workshop, Design and Print a Letterpress Poster, was held on September 26, 2020, and conducted by Professor Kathleen O’Connell. The resulting poster features a quote in memory of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Fight for the Things that you care about, but do it in a way that…

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Communicated Commemorabilia: A Creative Project Exploring Christian Recovery

Eli Ward

October 28 – November 8, 2023
Closing Reception: November 7, 4:30-6:00 pm
Todd Art Building, 210 Student Gallery

This immersive exhibit reflects on the experiences of individuals in Christian recovery groups. As they heal, they tell stories of radical new identities,
intimate community, gradual change, empowering
practices, and novel perceptions of God. Communicated Commemorabilia depicts the
sacred symbols in these stories of healing.

———————————————
Eli Ward is a Religious Studies and Nursing student who loves art. He studies the intersections of health and religion and plans to pursue medical mission work. His art has been published and received local and national awards.

 

Celebrating Art Educators and Art Education Alumni

5 p.m., Thursday, November 16, 2023, at Todd Art Gallery, Todd Hall, Room 224A. 

Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts and the MTSU Department of Art and Design cordially invite you to Celebrate Art Educators and MTSU Art Education Alumni for their invaluable contributions to students. Also available on exhibition will be Job Skills of Tomorrow, a collaboration of king-size puzzle pieces from Middle Tennessee State University, its Colleges of Liberal Arts and Basic and Applied Sciences, and the Art Education program of the MTSU Department of Art and Design

Entitled Job Skills for Tomorrow, it includes the artistry of many hands from across campus and the broader community while showcasing essential skills through accompanying text that speaks to the gain students receive by studying the arts, humanities, and sciences. The text is from a list constructed from the World Economic Forum’s identification of the Top Ten Job Skills for 2020 in its Future of Jobs Report, with four additional pieces added from the 2025 list.

Enjoy the contributions made by local art educators with their exhibition of Job Skills of Tomorrow and MTSU Art Educator Debrah Sickler-Voigt’s new book STEAM: Teaching and Learning through the Arts and Design.

Fall Picnic

Fall Picnic

All students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the MTSU Department of Art and Design are welcome and invited to join us 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Saturday, November 11, 2023, on the Todd Hall patio adjacent to Peck Hall.

Free Food 

BYOB (Beverage)

Please RSVP to Noel.Lorson@mtsu.edu to confirm your participation.

Image: Noel Lorson

Chat with Kate Moore

KATE MOORE

ART PRODUCER ILLUSTRATION AGENT

http://www.k-moore.com/about

Join Professor Rodriguez to chat with art producer and illustration agent Kate Moore. Kate will educate us on her experiences as an agent and art producer in the advertising, editorial, and book illustration realms. Kate will also provide helpful information on how aspiring illustrators can procure illustration agents.

Notable Clientele:

As an art producer, Kate has worked with clients like Hasbro, Crown Royal, Royal Caribbean, Wright Watchers, Smartwater, Panera, Budweiser, the History Channel, HBO, Apple, and more!

When? October 31, 3 p.m. CDT

Where? Todd Hall, 3rd floor, Room 333

Hosted by Assistant Professor of Art and Design Tony Rodriguez

For Questions, contact Tony.Rodriguez@mtsu.edu 

MTSU FALL ART EXHIBIT

MTSU FALL ART EXHIBIT featuring Claudia V. Caldarola

7–9 p.m., Friday, October 27, 2023

Todd Hall, Room 210

Food and Refreshments

Guests who dress in costume (for Halloween) can participate in a raffle to win a canvas print of the artist’s work.

Everyone is invited to attend | Free parking after 4:30 p.m. in the Jones Hall parking lot

Art and Design Open Advising

Art Open Advising

Join faculty from the MTSU Department of Art and Design along with CLA Advising for this open scheduling two-day event.

Todd Hall, Room 354, Wednesday and Thursday, October 25 and 26, 2023

1–3 p.m. Wednesday and

11 a.m.–1 p.m. Thursday

No Appointment Needed

Avoid Priority Registration Rush

Sponsored by the MTSU Department of Art and Design with CLA Advising

Questions: Jennifer.Tweedie@mtsu.edu 

 

 

Common Ground Lecture Series with Elise Hathaway

Join Art and Design Assistant Professor of Illustration Tony Rodriguez as he guides Zoom attendees through the next Common Ground Artist Lecture Series with Illustrator and Visual Development Artist Elise Hatheway.

With over a decade of experience in the animation industry, Hatheway currently resides in Dallas, TX, and recently concluded movie work with Netflix on “Thelma the Unicorn.” Her other film credits include “Maya and the Three,” “Lego Movie 2”, “Book of Life,” “Free Birds,” and “Rock Dog.” Additionally, she has worked with several award-winning studios, including Disney, Warner Bros, Animal Logic, Reel FX, Gaumont Animation, and Tangent Studios. Currently, you can find her working at Paramount Animation on Spongebob Squarepants.

If you’d like to participate in this call with Elise, contact tony.rodriguez@mtsu.edu by Thursday, April 13, 2023, for meeting links.

Common Ground is an ongoing series that highlights exciting and inspiring success stories from artists with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences.

Elise-Hathaway-ArtImage.jpg

Still from Netflix’s Maya and the Three by Elise Hathaway

UCDA Design Award Student Winners!

Congratulations to our UCDA Design Award student Silver and Excellence winners!

From the University & College Designers Association (UCDA): A wide range of talent was represented among the entries, and the judges evaluated 775 print and digital entries, awarding 151 awards—13 Gold Awards, 27 Silver Awards, and 111 Awards of ExcellenceThese annual awards honor the best work in educational design—in print, digital, illustration, photography, and student competitions. These coveted awards are judged by a hand-picked panel of peer jurors composed of designersdesign educators, photographers, and illustrators working in or doing a significant portion of their work for educational institutions—they understand the environments you create. https://www.ucda.com/awards/

Award: Silver

Ben Moss
Vital Frontline

Award: Excellence

Ellen Everett

Poetry People Campaign

(Senior Capstone Project)

Award: Excellence

Maggie Strahle
Facing Home – Book Design and Book Promo

Award: Excellence

Cassidy Bidwell

The Hallow Social Exhibit

The judges also selected additional pieces to receive an Honorable Mention. Congratulations to these students as well!

Although not part of the UCDA Design Awards Show, the judges felt several of our entries should receive recognition:

Award: Honorable Mention

Cassidy Bidwell
ARTEMISIA / french cuisine + absinthe lounge

Award: Honorable Mention

Jania Boddie
DEFIANT: How the Black Skateboarding Community
has Influenced Fashion and Culture

Award: Honorable Mention
Evangelina Stephens
Better Bean: Cocoa for Change

Award: Honorable Mention
Evangelina Stephens
Into the Wilderverse – Campaign to bring new visitors to the National Parks

Winners will have their work displayed and recognized at the UCDA’s conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, in October and receive a certificate after the conference. If you see these students around, please congratulate them. And thank you for all you have done to contribute to their successes.