MTSU’s fall faculty exhibit brings art back to life — and to the public

Works created by MTSU art professors Sisavanh Phouthavong-Houghton, top; Tony Rodriguez, center; and Nick Satinover, below; are included in a free public exhibit,

Remember visiting an art exhibit, standing quietly in a large space with a handful of other aficionados, appreciating the work of creative people?

MTSU‘s Department of Art and Design is bringing a bit of normalcy back to the community through Saturday, Oct. 17, with the “Biennial 2020: A Faculty Exhibition of Art and Design” exhibit in the university’s spacious Todd Art Gallery.

Dr. Paige M. Medlock, lecturer, Department of Art and Design

Dr. Paige Medlock

The free public exhibit, which includes MTSU’s mask and social distancing requirements for all guests, features work by more than 20 faculty members representing many of the department’s core courses: Art Education, Foundations, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Studio Art.

“It creates a space where viewers can pause, reflect and shift the way they see themselves, their context, the artwork, the artist’s context, and potentially allow a new perspective to shed light on thinking and being in the world,” says art education professor Paige Medlock, one of the faculty members included in the exhibit.

“This exhibit intends to engage its viewers, whether they be university students or lifelong learners, in what we see as visual art’s cultural significance.”

The gallery is in Room 224A of Todd Hall, located in the heart of the MTSU campus at 542 Old Main Circle. A campus map is available here, and directions and guest parking permit information are available here.

Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday and 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday.

The “Biennial 2020” exhibit will introduce new students to different art forms and interpretations and to their new professors and give returning students a glimpse into their professors’ ideas and talents, too.

“More broadly, it serves as an update to the ever-evolving artistry of the department’s more senior professors so that art students, the campus community and the public alike have the opportunity to witness an exceptional and expressive statement of contemporary visual art at MTSU,” said Eric Snyder, the longtime coordinator and director of the Todd Gallery as well as a veteran artist.

Professor Sisavanh Phouthavong-Houghton

Along with Medlock, a partial list of this year’s participants includes professors Erin Anfinson, Michael Baggarly, Stefanie Cobb, Douglas Dabbs, Kimberly Dummons, Kelsey Duncan, Nicole Foran, Jarrod Houghton, Noël Lorson, Mark Mcleod, Jean Nagy, Kathleen O’Connell, Sisavanh Phouthavong-Houghton, Tony Rodriguez, Nicholas Satinover, Sheri Selph, Stephanie Simkin and Tanya Tewell.

For parking, directions and other questions about the exhibit, contact Snyder at 615-898-5532 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu.

Nick Satinover, associate professor of print media, Department of Art and Design

Professor Nick Satinover

Professor Antony “Tony” Rodriguez, Department of Art and Design

Professor Tony Rodriguez

MTSU’s Department of Art and Design, which is part of the university’s College of Liberal Arts, offers undergraduate degree programs in art education, art history, visual arts, studio art and graphic design.

It also regularly invites artists ranging from local to international fame to exhibit in the Todd Art Gallery, conduct workshops and lecture in classes.

MTSU began its 109th academic year on Aug. 24 with its fall 2020 semester.

For more information about MTSU’s Department of Art and Design, visit www.mtsu.edu/art. MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts website is www.mtsu.edu/liberalarts.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)

“Moving Mountains,” a painting created by MTSU art professor Sisavanh Phouthavong-Houghton with Laotian fabric, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, is part of a faculty art exhibit set Aug. 24-Oct. 17 in the university’s Todd Art Gallery. Phouthavong-Houghton is one of more than 20 faculty members whose work will be showcased in the free public exhibit, “Biennial 2020: A Faculty Exhibition of Art and Design.” (Image courtesy of the artist)

“Ghostbusters Ghost Cluster,” a digital image created by MTSU art professor Tony Rodriguez with a Wacom tablet and Photoshop software for the Printed In Blood “Ghostbusters: Artbook,” is part of a faculty art exhibit open Aug. 24-Oct. 17 in the university’s Todd Art Gallery. (Image courtesy of the artist)

"Sediment Sentiment," a lithograph created by MTSU art professor Nick Satinover, is part of a faculty art exhibit set to open Aug. 24 in the university's Todd Art Gallery. Satinover is one of more than 20 faculty members whose work will be showcased in the free public exhibit, "Biennial 2020: A Faculty Exhibition of Art and Design." (Image courtesy of the artist)

“Sediment Sentiment,” a lithograph created by MTSU art professor Nick Satinover, is part of a faculty art exhibit open Aug. 24-Oct. 17 in the university’s Todd Art Gallery. (Image courtesy of the artist)