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
Join a club for print enthusiasts, letterpress champs, screen print wizards, binders of books, and the print media curious! Tulip Poplar Press Printing Club announces their first meeting. Come and join the fun: Thursday, September 5th @ 6PM in Todd Hall, room 354.
The Department of Art and Design implements a new Announcement Materials Policy beginning Fall 2019 with the addition of the new digital sign and various bulletin boards around Todd Hall. Digital and traditional announcements must be approved and stamped through the Gallery Office in 212.
Digital Promotions
Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to use digital promotional options such as the Department website and the Todd Hall Lobby TV. For more information on these advertising options, please contact Eric Snyder eric.snyder@mtsu.edu. To see the full poilcy on digital promotions for the Todd Hall Lobby TV click here.
Flyer Postings
All promotional materials (flyers/posters, etc. relating exhibitions, performances, calls, and opportunities relevant to Art and Design) are welcome on the 1st and 2nd floors of Todd Hall in the designated areas. No reservation is required, but each posting must be approved and stamped by the Art and Design department. Approval may be acquired at the Todd Hall Gallery Office in 212 when an attendant is on duty. The department of Art and Design reserves the right to decline any posting that is deemed inappropriate. For the full Announcement Materials Policy click here.
Illustrator Joe Anderson comes to the MTSU campus thanks to Professor Tony Rodriguez, 3–5 p.m., Wednesday, November 6, 2019. His lecture and drawing demonstration will be in Todd Hall’s, room 342.
Joe is a gifted and accomplished Illustrator from the state of Washington. His works incorporate hand-made textures that create playful and colorful finishes. He’s worked with such clients as Tufts University, The Guardian, Financial Times, Kiplinger’s, The Holborn Magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Beer Advocate, The Progressive, Teaching Tolerance, and the Boston Globe.
For more about Joe Anderson visit: https://www.sullivanmmre.com
Hosted by Professor Joe Rodriguez, Candice Messado is coming to Todd Hall 3–5 p.m., Wednesday, September 18, 2019, and demonstrate Digital Painting in room 337, where she will perform an in-depth PhotoShop painting tutorial. As the number 1 background Illustrator for the ‘001 Collaborative Project,’ Candice draws on her nearly 10 years of experience as an active Illustrator. She’s also received recognition from New York’s 3 x 3, Magazinehttps://3x3mag.com/
For more about Candice Messado visit: https://www.candicemessado.com
Fall Semester New Student Orientation Friday, September 6, 2019, 11:30 a.m., Todd Hall, Room 204
Register at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a4eaba62fa4fe3-foundations
The 2019 MTSU Department of Art and Design Scholarship Recipients, L to R: Chelsea Gardiner, Foundations Outstanding Student Award; Kerri Anne Burke-White, James S. Gibson Sculpture Scholarship; Brigette Adkins, Service Award and Hester Rogers Ray Scholarship; Margaret Shivers, Endowed Scholarship; Jacob Yandle, David G. LeDoux Scholarship; Jonathan Bentley, Charles W. and Ola Belle Massey Memorial Scholarship; Cara Robinson, Hester Rogers Ray Memorial Scholarship; Katie Carroll, Dr. Charles M. Brandon Scholarship in Art; Justin Culberson, Jerry’s Artarama: Nashville Gift Certificate; Olivia Jackson, Jerry’s Artarama: Nashville Gift Certificate; Madison Pitts, Charles W. and Ola Belle Massey Memorial Scholarship; and Morgan Westerbeck, Arrowmont Scholarship. (not available: Violet Stubbs, Arrowmont Scholarship; and Will Wood, Outstanding Student Award).
It’s not to late to register for summer classes! One option is Nicole Foran’s Drawing lll course ART 3650-001 this June 3–July 5, 2019. The class will meet TWR from 9:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The CRN number is 52818.
Print Media – Intermediate Printmaking—ART 4120–Fall 2019
Print Media is… Screenprint, Lithography, Etching, Relief, Letterpress, Book Arts, Monoprint, Digital Print, Mixed Media, Pop-ups, Box Making, Papermaking, Collaboration, Installation, Multiples, Zine, and More!
To enroll or for a pre-req. override contact Kathleen O’Connell at kathleen.oconnell@mtsu.edu.
Artist-in-Residence Events:
Public Workshop:
For this free and open to all ages workshop Ms. Carleton willl demonstrate simple textile block printing using Speedball’s Fabric Block Printing inks and a soft linoleum. Participants will learn how to draw and carve their own designs which they will then print on a t-shirt (provided) or other items which they may bring.
Younger students will need assistance from a parent/guardian/workshop assistant to use the provided carving gouges.
The workshop will also include the creation of a large community textile that is worked up over theduration of the class with everyone’s unique design. The goal of this communal print is to share, explore, and participate in a spirit of sharing which is unique to printmaking. To register: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a4eaba62fa4fe3-middle
Christa Carleton Bio:
I have lived in Montana since 2008 and moved to Missoula, Montana in the summer of 2018. I have my BFA and MFA in Printmaking and have been creating prints for over a decade. As a self-proclaimed analog artist, my practice relies heavily on physicality and the ability to work without an electronic interface. The majority of my work focuses thematically on the agency of women and my feelings of unrest due to a gender’s expected social norms. The content of my work is pulled from my private memories, experiences, mantras, unspoken thoughts, and weak moments. Turning my vulnerabilities into publicly consumable images brings fellowship, rapport, and insights intimate conversations. While being a printmaker is a huge part of my identity it isn’t the only thing I love. I enjoy cooking vegetarian dishes, fly fishing, gardening, hiking, listening to podcasts, knitting, and pursuing the perfect cocktail.
At the recent Artfields, an art competition and festival held each year in Lake City, South Carolina https://www.artfieldssc.org. MTSU Art and Design instructors enjoy success! Associate Professor Sisavanh Houghton’s Clustered Debris: Secret War On Laos was named the 2019 Painting category winner. Lecturer Thomas H. Sturgill’s Basketball Collection, was selected as the Mixed Media category winner. And, former instructor Charles Clary’s Memento Morididdle was selected as the (2D) People’s Choice winner and as a Merit winner.