Teaching

2016 Art Major Project Opening Reception

The Art Program at USM releases all art majors, minors, and liberal studies focus students from their studio art courses for six school days in order to work on a collaborative project.  This year, they were led by local guest artist Mary Ellen Maxwell and tasked with creating assemblages that have both independent and collaborative elements.  The opening reception is this Friday, February 12th from 3-5pm in Goppert Gallery in USM's Xavier Hall.

Here's the press release for more details!

Spring 2016 Courses

The University of Saint Mary's Spring 2016 semester is officially starting on Monday, January 18th (aka tomorrow if you're reading this post on the day it's published).  I'll be teaching Painting I, II, & III; Printmaking; Typography; and Advanced Studios, Internships, & Senior Show.  That counts as a four course load, which is standard for USM.  I was scheduled for an overload of five courses - Drawing II was also on the calendar - but none of our students chose to take it this semester.  

I've taught all of these courses before, but I did adjust some of the syllabi and projects based on former student feedback and how my own media interests have developed, so I'm excited to see how the courses progress this time.  (And, obviously, each semester is already different because the students also change.)  One of the reasons I really enjoy working at USM is that I do get to teach a variety of courses instead of a number of sessions of the same course, and that's true not only within a semester but also across multiple semesters.  I find the course rotation keeps the material fresh and interesting for me.

Goppert Gallery Exhibition Reception Tomorrow

Not only are we on the eve of our biannual Student Art Exhibition, but university administration requested that we have a two-person faculty show as well!  So anyone who is in the area should stop by and check out my artwork, the work of my colleague Susan Nelson, and the work of our fabulous art students.

Opening Reception:
Friday, December 4th from 3-5pm (refreshments will be served; the exhibition is open to the public)

Exhibition Hours:
December 4-10, 10am-4pm

Location:
The University of Saint Mary
Goppert Gallery (located on the ground floor of Xavier Hall)
4100 S. 4th Street
Leavenworth, KS 66048

Press Release:
You can see the full release here, but I've included the bulk of it below.

Art Students Showcase Their Work in the Fall 2015 Student Art Exhibit

12/3/2015 12:00:00 AM
(Leavenworth, Kan.)—From whimsical drawings to captivating photography, the University of Saint Mary displays the impressive work of 41 art students in the Fall 2015 Student Art Exhibit.
 
All students enrolled in a studio-art course—including Drawing I, Ceramics I, Photography I, Computer Graphics, Digital Page Layout, and Advanced Studio in Airbrush—are given the opportunity to show their favorite pieces from the semester. The artwork of Associate Professor of Art Susan Nelson and Art Program Director Shelby Prindaville will also be on display.  
 
“Every semester, students look forward to sharing their work with the community,” said Prindaville. “It’s their chance to show what they’ve been learning and perfecting in class.”
 
She went on to explain, “Students learn how to select and mat appropriate pieces as well as get the valuable experience of having an audience view their work in the context of an exhibition. USM art majors and minors actually organize and install the show—learning gallery and museum preparator skills, too.”

Employment Options in the Arts

I have a number of students ask me what careers they can pursue in the arts.  This list is by no means exhaustive and includes some careers best served by dual majors, but here are some of the possible employers/roles in no particular order:

  • technical/medical illustration with the military, medical publishing, engineering firms
  • commercial illustration
  • graphic design/web design/user interface design
  • game development
  • animation
  • 3D animation
  • running CAD systems
  • film
  • concept artist
  • product design
  • advertising/marketing
  • printmaking studios
  • photography studios
  • ceramics studios
  • jewelry studios
  • metalsmithing
  • furniture restoration/design
  • textile studios
  • personal studio practice
  • portrait artist
  • caricature artist
  • art festival circuit
  • Etsy/Amazon Handmade/online vendor
  • tattoo parlors
  • sign companies
  • galleries/museums
  • art theory/writing
  • scene design
  • interior design
  • faux-finishing/mural work in collaboration with interior designers
  • staging store window displays
  • cake decorator
  • special effects/makeup artist
  • art teaching positions at K-12 private schools (public typically requires additional certification beyond a BA in art)
  • community arts center/camp/craft instructors
  • teaching adults at those "Painting and Pinot" type night/weekend classes
  • private art lessons

With graduate school, additional options open up like art therapy, higher education, and more.