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.
Lecture Presentation by Sara Abdoh
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…
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…
Here’s a glimpse of the exceptional work on view!
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…
Graphic Design BFA Seniors complete a Capstone Thesis Project
Graphic Design students meet creative industry professionals at The Department of Art & Design’s Portfolio Review. (above) Students work independently in studio space and collaboratively in a variety of methods and media to gain career-building skills and experience. (below)
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…
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,…
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
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)
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.)
Register: Detailed Class Information (mtsu.edu)
Sisavanh Houghton, Todd Hall, Room 234
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 more!
-Contact Professor Dabbs for Zoom Info:
douglas.dabbs@mtsu.edu
-When: Friday, April 16th, 2021 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: Via Zoom
Bryan Wynia: https://www.artstation.com/bryanwynia
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 was facilitated by Art and Design alum Jane Kim, who is currently working with Harlan after finishing grad school in Philadelphia.
For additional information and questions: Nicholas.Satinover@mtsu.edu
Website: http://www.harlanandweaver.com
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.
Cost: $10.00 materials fee payable at the door by cash or check
Associate Professor Michael Baggarly will lead an aluminum casting workshop allowing participants to create commemorative alumni or sculptural art medallions celebrating their S@T participation and the 2021 MTSU Spring Showcase presented by the MTSU Alumni Association.
Each attendee will have the opportunity to watch the castings and participate in finishing an aluminum medallion. No prior casting experience is required, and the event is safe and open to all ages. Space is limited to twelve spots. An RSVP is required through this sign-up form.
Per MTSU requirements Social Distancing and the wearing of Facemasks are required.
Your signup is your commitment to attend. If you are registering for yourself and others, list each name individually in an open slot. Thank you!
The medallions will be cast in molten aluminum at the end of the workshop and will be a visual treat for all attendees.
Medallions are free to take home immediately following the event.
Saturdays at Todd workshops are supported in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) https://tnartscommission.org/. Your purchase of a Specialty License Plate, an Arts Plate, supports the commission’s outreach to arts organizations, schools, and communities across Tennessee. https://tnspecialtyplates.org/.
For additional information, parking, and other questions, contact eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.
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 how. In this interactive Life Mapping Workshop, Kara Kemp will guide you through the life mapping process to gain the insight needed to live an authentic life and tackle your most ambitious goals. Utilizing Qnity’s revolutionary methodology and proven principles of success, the interactive and inspiring approaches to mind mapping will help you make dynamic and enduring connections between your head and your heart, allowing you to reach your full potential, achieve your goals and live a more intentional life. Participants will be encouraged to share reflections with the group.
Biography
Speaker and storytelling coach for visionary leaders who wish to leverage the power of their personal narrative. For over two decades, she facilitated off-the-shelf approaches for strengthening work cultures and creative leaders. Kara has crafted systems for companies and individuals in non-profit and for-profit sectors. She works with organizations and leadership teams on how to harness the power of storytelling to maintain momentum in their field. Kara is a firm believer that communication and collaboration are the keystones to effective work cultures and to encourage bold choices that expedite success.
Prior Workshops:
All are welcome to participate. Attendance is free for RAA members. A $25.00 fee, paid the day of the event, is required of non-members and provides membership for 2021 to attend other free to members RAA events. Payments by cash, check, or PayPal is accepted.
Per MTSU requirements Social Distancing and the wearing of Facemasks are required.
Your signup is your commitment to attend. If you are registering for yourself and others, list each name individually in an open slot. Thank you!
For more information about RAA:
Rutherford Arts Alliance | 115 Front Street (Mailing Address Only) | Smyrna, TN 37167
rucoarts@gmail.com | www.rutherfordartsalliance.org
Social Media: @rucoartstn
Saturdays at Todd workshops are supported in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) https://tnartscommission.org/. Your purchase of a Specialty License Plate, an Arts Plate supports the commission’s outreach to arts organizations, schools, and communities across Tennessee. https://tnspecialtyplates.org/.
For additional information, parking, and other questions contact eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.
210 Student Gallery opening exhibit of spring 2021!
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 much more to tell their stories visually! Visit Douglas at https://www.mtsu.edu/art/DouglasDabbs.php
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 compose poems on your phone or scribble lines in a notebook, when you follow the urge to write, you’re heeding the call of something important. But how can you best follow that impulse and turn it into a written or spoken word piece that commands attention? In this workshop, we’ll explore some ways to get at our most meaningful material and consider numerous specific strategies for revising our work to maximize its impact on the reader or listener.
Audience: All levels welcome; while we’ll focus on poetry and spoken word, much of what we discuss will apply to the writing of all genres
Bring with you: Your favorite writing tools. We’ll take some time to generate new work, but feel free to bring a poem you’ve already started and would like to improve.
Class limit: Free and open to the public, registration required, 15 participants total. More Information and Signup at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A4EABA62FA4FE3-from1
Sponsored in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission: https://tnartscommission.org/ Support the Commission’s efforts across Tennessee through the purchase of a specialty license plate: https://tnspecialtyplates.org/
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 will lead others to join you.”