Welcome, Friends, to your CVAD Update!

Message from Dean Hutzel

May 28, 2024

Hello, Friends,

After an exceptional spring semester filled with exhibitions, capstone projects, and dissertation defenses, we proudly celebrated joyful commencement ceremonies for about 400 students, marking their transition to our newest alumni. Much of their success in completing their degrees is thanks to the scholarships and financial support provided by CVAD’s endowments. Last year, we awarded our students $304,340 in scholarship funds, all made possible by the generosity of donors and friends like you. This year, we also marked a successful second annual UNT Day of Giving, coordinated by Senior Associate Dean Eric Ligon, which increased the gifts to CVAD by 215%. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude for your support. Read on for more details about this year's achievements.

Among the many student exhibitions this semester, the "We DID That" exhibition remains on view through the summer. We hope to see you in the Art Building for this outstanding show, created and installed by graduating seniors from the Communication Design programs in Graphic Design and User-Experience Design. It's open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Paul Voertman Gallery. Many of our graduating seniors have their exhibits online, showcasing work from the Design and Studio Art departments; you're invited to see them on our CVAD Senior Shows and M.F.A. Catalogues web pages. We were thrilled this spring that Graphic Design USA recognized UNT CVAD Communication Design: Graphic Design program as one of the top design schools in the nation — read more.

We also celebrated other good news this spring, including the election of four faculty members to the College Art Association of America Board — with Art History Professor Denise Amy Baxter as president! We honored CVAD faculty and staff members for their combined 190 years of service to UNT. Additionally, we hosted a fun watch party for the solar eclipse — as the photo shows, CVAD was well-prepared for the spectacle with proper eye protection.

As our calendars tend to fill up quickly, I encourage you to save two special dates: Sept. 21, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, for our annual Scholarship Awards Presentation, and Oct. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., for our annual CVAD Celebrates event and open house. 

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our community. Wishing you a cool and creative summer.

Warm regards,

Karen Hutzel, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor

College of Visual Arts and Design
#UNTCVAD Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

 

The Spring 2024 edition of UNT's "North Texan" magazine celebrates CVAD’s 130th anniversary with an article by Lisa Sciortino, a senior communications specialist in the Division of University Brand Strategy and Communications, titled "Marking A Milestone: Reflections on the 130-year history of UNT's College of Visual Arts and Design."

The online version features a banner photo of CVAD alumna Naomi Peterson, 2021, M.F.A., Studio Art: Ceramics. The article highlights the long-standing presence of art and design education at UNT. Art classes began in 1893, just three years after the university's founding. A century later, the program separated from the College of Arts and Sciences to become the School of Visual Arts, and in 2007, it evolved into UNT's College of Visual Arts and Design.

Read the article to explore historical photos and comments by Karen Hutzel, dean; Dornith Doherty, professor; Letitia Huckaby, alum and visiting assistant professor; and Johnnie Stark, alum and associate professor, and others!

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Celebrating the future with our newest grads: Spring Commencement 2024!

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Share with your favorite rising junior or senior high schooler: Creative U details and application!

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Catch up with a few alums in the spotlight here, see more on our Alumni Profiles page. Let us hear from you on the Alumni Update Form. To view the senior shows of our newest alums, please visit the 2024 Senior Shows.

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Graphic Design USA recognizes UNT as a Top Design School for 2024 and two of our newest alums as Students to Watch

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The College Art Association of America elects Denise Amy Baxter as board president

The CAA membership recently announced its election of Denise Amy Baxter, pictured upper left, professor of Art History and associate dean of the UNT Toulouse Graduate School, as president of the CAA Board of Directors for two years. Charged with the CAA’s long-term financial stability and strategic direction, the board is the association’s governing body. It sets policy regarding all CAA activities, including publishing, the annual conference, awards and fellowships, advocacy, and committee procedures.

Brian Scott Campbell, pictured upper right, co-chair of the Committee on Research and Scholarship; Carey Gibbons, lower left, assistant professor of Art History; and Su Yang, lower right, assistant professor of Foundations, who are members of the Committee on Women in the Arts, are also doing important work for the association. Art History Professor Nada Shabout recently completed her board term. Read more. 

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By Eric Ligon

Senior Associate Dean, Administrative Affairs
Distinguished University Professor, Communication Design: Graphic Design

If you're reading this, you probably received a request from me for a donation, so thank you for accepting my emails — and big thanks to our donors!

Thanks to our 92 donors — alums, faculty, staff, students and friends, the total for CVAD during the UNT Day of Giving is $13,532 and counting! I hope you received a thank you note from the university, too!

UNT Day of Giving 2024 represents an increase in the number of donors to CVAD by a remarkable 249% and a 215% increase in the total amount given. Our total includes a $2,000 Challenge Grant from the CVAD Advancement Board and a $4,400 Challenge Grant from the CVAD deans, chairs and Foundations director!

Donating to CVAD is open all year — especially when you win the Lottery! Please keep us in mind by visiting the CVAD Giving web page or contact me, Eric Ligon, Eric.Ligon@unt.edu, at your convenience.

Thank you once again for your generosity toward CVAD students!

2024 D. Jack Davis Lecture Series: Occupying Space: Critical Coalitions in Art Education

The CVAD Department of Art Education, the Jo Ann (Jody) and Dr. Charles O. Onstead Institute for Education in the Visual Arts and Design and CVAD hosted the annual D. Jack Davis Lecture Series within the Art Building in April. The event was the 14th in the series, established in 2008 to honor founding CVAD Dean and Professor of Art Education D. Jack Davis, whose leadership, teaching, and scholarly contributions helped shape the trajectory of the college’s success over many years.

Because of his broad impact on art education, Davis recently received the Eisner Lifetime Achievement Award, overseen by the National Art Education Association. The NAEA is the world's largest professional art education association and the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts, design, and media arts education professionals.

For this year’s iteration of the series, the CVAD Art Education faculty and the Onstead Institute joined forces, showcasing the power of collaboration in the field. They expanded the format, presenting a daylong symposium that featured a diverse range of notable scholars, teachers, arts writers, administrators, and museum professionals. Among them were gloria j. wilson and Jorge Lucero, both esteemed figures in the field who traveled across the country to participate, and other panelists from local communities and those from across the state. 

Thematically, the symposium considered how educators and professionals can respond to the shifting social and economic justice definitions that have ignited socio-political discourse across art and education. More than forty guests attended, including teachers, leadership, program directors from area school districts, museums, arts organizations, and CVAD graduate students.

The symposium demonstrated the tremendous collaborative potential within the college while extending the legacy of excellence initiated by Davis.

Davis is an emeritus professor of art at the University of North Texas and a former co-director, 1990-2005, and director, 2005-2011, of the North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts. Davis holds a B.A. in art and education, an M.A. in education from Baylor University, Waco, Texas, and a Ph.D. in art education from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota. From 1971 to 2011, Davis taught at UNT for 40 years. He served in various administrative capacities, including department chair, 1976-1983, vice provost of the university, 1983-1993, and founding dean of the College of Visual Arts and Design, 1993-2004. Davis was also the co-director and director of the North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts from 1990-2011. Before coming to UNT, he taught at Texas Tech University, the University of Minnesota, Wayland College, Baylor University, and the Waco, Texas Public Schools.

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This summer, we will build our Community Art and Design Supply Shelves in preparation for the fall semester. Please let us know if you would like to donate art supplies or share books related to art, art education, art history, or design. To drop off supplies or books, please contact CVAD Facilities Manager Jeff McClung at Jeffrey.McClung@unt.edu or 940-369-7237. For donations to the supply fund, please contact Senior Associate Dean Eric Ligon at Eric.Ligon@unt.edu.

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"The Art of Mary Linwood: Embroidery, Installation, and Entrepreneurship in Britain, 1787–1845" by Heidi A. Strobel, Ph.D., professor of Art History and associate dean for Student and Academic Affairs.

"Success on the Spectrum: Practical Strategies for Engaging Neurodiverse Audiences in Arts and Cultural Organizations" by alums Emily Wiskera, 2014, Graduate Academic Certificate in Art Museum Education, and Lynda Wilbur, 2013, M.A., Art Education

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CVAD Upcoming Events | UNT Alumni Calendar | UNT Events Calendar | Gallery Exhibitions
May 27: Memorial Day — campus closed
June 1–Aug. 4: Exhibition "Floral in Fashion." Hosted by the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, organized by the Texas Fashion Collection, exploring the history of floral fashion at the DeGolyer House, Dallas.
June 3–21: Creative U Summer Arts Program for rising high school juniors and seniors
June 19: Juneteenth, Emancipation Day — campus closed
June 19, 6–8 p.m.: TFC presents "Botanical Couture: From Garden to Garment," Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, A Tasteful Place; Adult member $10, Adult guest $15
July 4: Independence Day — campus closed
July 9, 5:30–6:30 p.m.: Moving the Needle: Stitches and Stories by Annette Becker, director, Texas Fashion Collection, Robson Ranch Clubhouse. Reservations are required through UNT OLLI. 
July 20 or 23, 2:45–4:15 p.m., "Chanel in Detail," by Annette Becker, director, Texas Fashion Collection, Art Building, Room 259. Limited to 20, reservations are required through UNT OLLI. 
Sept. 2: Labor Day — campus closed
Sept. 21, 9:30 a.m. to noon: Annual Scholarship Awards Presentation, Art Building

Gif courtesy of alumna Megan Lockhart, Class of 2010