Department of Art News

Paige McDonnell, a recent graduate, was the second recipient of the Del Rendon Scholarship.

To Del Rendon, art was a full-time job. At least, that’s how his former art professor and thesis committee advisor Brent Funderburk described him.

“Del was one of those persons with indistinct edges in terms of his love of music, visual art and creative vision,” said Funderburk. “He would create art about musicians and music; he would write songs about his art. He would go into his evening critique and then perform later in a band. It was a full-time, never-clock-out artistic life, even as a student. Del believed that art should be a full-time, lifetime job – not just go to class, and do the work – which made him a role model.”

So, when Rendon passed away in September 2005, his family and friends decided to honor and remember him by establishing an endowment in the MSU Art Department, which helps make it a little easier for MSU students who possess similar passions for art fulfill their dreams.

The MSU Department of Art Del Rendon Scholarship is given to a freshman or sophomore art student who exhibits a strong and creative portfolio. The student must also have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA in their emphasis area and an overall GPA of 2.5 or better.

“The premise is to find a student that’s multi-disciplinary,” said Lydia Thompson, head of the Department of Art.

Thompson said the application process for the scholarship is a good way to build students’ knowledge of what a practicing artist does, as they will likely have to apply for grants and other funding to support their art in the future.

“It teaches them the process of how to put together an application and go through the process,” she said.

Each year, family and friends organize the Del Rendon Music Festival (also known as the DelFest) to raise funds for the Del Rendon Foundation that supports the scholarship.

Dave Hood, DelFest organizer and proprietor of Dave’s Darkhorse Tavern, characterized this year’s eighth-annual event, held on Feb. 23, as the most successful one to date.

“DelFest has evolved from a way for family and friends to find some meaning in his passing into an extremely special way to celebrate his art and music,” said Hood.

So far, two students have received the scholarship, which is renewable each year of study.

Aj Meadows was the first recipient of the Del Rendon Scholarship. Meadows received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2009 with a sculpture emphasis from Mississippi State and went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts from The Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

“Receiving the Del Rendon Scholarship acted as a sort of stamp-of- approval or ‘green light’ to continue with the arts, music in particular,” said Meadows. “The Rendon family has always shown support for my music, from playing amazing open mic nights at Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern to performing for sold-out crowds in Glasgow.”

Meadows is currently working in Scotland with his band, belle in the meadows, to record their first full-length album.

“I couldn’t have gotten here without the Rendons’ support,” he said.

Paige McDonnell just graduated with an emphasis in graphic design and has received the Del Rendon Scholarship for three years now.

“This scholarship was a fantastic opportunity that helped me afford a great education and was really encouraging as an artist to receive,” said McDonnell.

McDonnell is planning to spend eight weeks in London, England, for an internship this summer and looks forward to applying for a professional internship with Disney.

“We are excited to see the impact the scholarship has already had on students and want to continue to grow the endowment with the hopes that one day it can provide a full-ride to a deserving student,” said Andrew Rendon, Del’s brother and foundation board member. “We are also very grateful for Lydia Thompson’s leadership and passion and look forward to continuing to work with Lydia on growing this scholarship.”

Applications for the scholarship will be available in the fall, and the next Del Rendon Scholarship recipient should be awarded in early spring.

“The recipients of this scholarship are passionate, young artist who show great promise in making their mark in the art world,” said Thompson. “Del Rendon’s legacy lives on through the music and visual arts of our students and alumni.”

If you are interested in supporting the Del Rendon Scholarship, visit www.msufoundation.com. Please specify that you would like the gift to go toward the Del Rendon Art Scholarship in the College of Architecture, Art, and Design. You can also contact Nathan Moore at 662-325-8227, or email him at nmoore@foundation.msstate.edu.

The Department of Art faculty have an exhibit open through June in the Cullis Wade Depot Gallery: It’s What I Do.

Read more on MSU’s website.

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The graphic design senior show was held on April 23.  The night started in the Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall and ended with a reception in the Visual Arts Center.

Check out some of the students’ work at www.msudesignstew.com.

Read the story in The Reflector by Daniel Hart – Feast your eyes: Senior graphic design students serve ‘design stew.’

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Professor Peter Bain contributed an original asterisk to a collaborative typeface for Hurricane Sandy Relief.

Peter Bain, Assistant Professor in the Department of Art, contributed an original asterisk to a collaborative typeface for Hurricane Sandy relief.

The Society of Typographic Aficionados organized “Font Aid VI: Aster Affects” — a project uniting the typographic and design communities to raise funds for Red Cross relief efforts after the events of Hurricane Sandy.

More than 250 designers from 41 countries contributed glyphs to the project.

The project theme was represented in a typeface consisting entirely of asterisks and other star-inspired symbols.

For more information and to purchase the Aster Affects font as a Red Cross donation, visit http://www.typesociety.org/fontaid/vi/

Twenty-one graduating Graphic Design students will host their BFA senior show, celebrating their final days as Mississippi State students. Come get a taste of what these designers have been “cookin’ up” this semester!

The public is invited to a reception honoring these talented students on Tuesday, April 23rd. The reception will begin in the Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall at 5:30 p.m. and will then proceed to the Visual Arts Center at 808 University Drive for the rest of the evening.

The Graphic Design exhibition will be open to the public the week of April 23–30.

Exhibited work includes posters, illustrations, packaging, editorial, typeface design, advertising, identity, website, self-promotional design and more. Students’ final portfolio books will also be on display the night of the reception.

To get a glimpse of what will be at the BFA Graphic Design senior show, go to www.msudesignstew.com or like their Facebook page COME SEE WHAT’S COOKIN’.

For more information, please contact Professor Jamie Mixon at jmixon@caad.msstate.edu.

Professor Jeffrey Haupt

The Department of Art is proud to showcase works by its very own faculty members from May through June. Works will include samples of paintings, ceramics, sculpture, drawings, photography and printmaking all made by professors at Mississippi State University.

The Department of Art Faculty Exhibition will be in the Cullis Wade Depot Gallery (second floor of the MSU Welcome Center, next to Barnes and Noble and the Stadium). Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public.

For more information, or to set up a guided tour please contact:
Lori Neuenfeldt, Coordinator for the Visual Arts Center Gallery and Outreach Programs
662-325-2973, lneuenfeldt@caad.msstate.edu

Photo by Russ Houston | MSU University Relations

By Leah Barbour | MSU University Relations

Taking the path she said she believes God means for her to walk, Piper Reaves is passionate about pursuing her studies in graphic design, her own hand-painted cowbells business and her future as a Mississippi State graduate.

“I might not get much sleep, but it’s worth it,” she said. “I love Mississippi State. It’s changed my life. I love the community, I love the people, I love the programs. It’s just influenced me so much.”

Piper, a senior art major from Hernando, always knew she would attend Mississippi State. Her father was a proud alumnus, and she grew up knowing she would one day be a Bulldog, she said. She began at the university as an engineering major, but said God steered her in a different direction.

“I’d thought, graphic design is always a good fallback, and slowly, I just saw that I had different opportunities outside of engineering,” she said. “God started to show me the ways that I could glorify him, and the graphic design program here at Mississippi State is the best around.”

Not only does she get to provide graphic art for the Center for Distance Education as a student worker, Piper has also been chief designer for The Reflector, Mississippi State’s student newspaper.

Piper also loves painting with watercolors. She participates in DeSoto Arts Council and competes in art competitions regularly. Using her talent to inspire others has so blossomed that Piper began painting cowbells for friends.

“I just see the cowbells as a blank canvas,” she said. “I don’t copy logos; I do paintings or different scenes. I’ve done requests, and I have a few basic patterns, like bulldogs, the Chapel of Memories and the stadium.”

The natural next step was to open her own business and allow people to buy personalized, hand-painted cowbells. Her work is available through http://www.reavesringers.com.

After graduation, Piper said she plans to continue glorifying God through her talents. Through her work with Don’t Miss the Mark, Piper has been selling prints of original watercolors of Christian bookmarks. The proceeds support Christian missions, and Piper plans to continue supporting international missions after she graduates.

“I’d like to reach out, as a long-term goal, to raise money to help send people out. We need to find out what people’s needs are and work toward getting them what they need,” she said.

Journey Concert Poster | Jamie Mixon

A concert poster created by Professor Jamie Burwell Mixon for Verizon Arena won second place in the Pollstar LIVE! Poster of the Year competition at the 2013 Pollstar Concert Industry Awards and Conference. Her poster for a performance by the band Journey was on exhibit at the CIC 2013 in Los Angeles in February along with 30 other posters selected as finalists for the award. Over 200 concert poster entries were received from around the country this year.

The 24th Annual Pollstar Awards were held Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles and hosted by Michael McDonald. Presenters included singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, producer and musician Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), performer Deadmau5 and Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville.

Artist Richard A. Lou, one of the jurors for the exhibit, congratulates all the students and tells them the quality of their work made his job tough.

A reception for the 41st MSU Student Juried Exhibition was held on March 7 in the Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall. The presentation of awards honored winners in the Fine Art and Graphic Design competitions.

This year, 105 works were selected consisting of sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, mixed media, graphic design, typography and package designs. Over $2000 dollars in prize and purchase awards were given out.

The work was selected for the exhibit by two jurors outside of the university. Richard A. Lou is a photography professor and chair of the Department of Art at the University of Memphis, and Doug Barrett is an assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The show will remain up until March 28. Gallery hours in the Department of Art Gallery in McComas Hall are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All galleries are closed during school holidays.

Congratulations to the following winners:
• 1^st Place in Fine Arts category – Shelby Nichols for Scanography: Ecuadorian Tropics
• 2nd Place in Fine Arts category – Trey Hardin for Clarence
• 3^rd Place in Fine Arts category – Dominique Belcher for Colorful Soul
• Honorable Mention in Fine Art – Angela Latham for Nestled Tea Pot
• Starkville Area Arts Council Award ($100) – Nicole Beck for Fantasy and Reality
• 1^st place in Graphic Design – Sweta Desai for “We Click – Self Promotion”
• 2^nd Place in Graphic Design – Ashley Bennett for “Stay Foxy, Self Promo”
• 3^rd Place in Graphic Design – Margaret La Foe for “Cured! Pork Products Packaging”
• Graphic Design Juror’s Award ($100) – Bethany Johnson for “Letter Press Business card”
• RGH Paint Award to Regan Watts
• Mount Vision Pastel Award to Anthony Lowe for “Plugs”
• Potter’s Wheel Award to April Shelby
• Bill Dunlap Purchase Prize – Angela Latham for Nestled Tea Pot
• Bill Dunlap Purchase Prize – Jacob Craig for Untitled
• Bill Dunlap Purchase Prize – Sarah Kilpatrick for Tea Bowl

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The Department of Art, College of Architecture, Art and Design and Mississippi State University is proud to host a series of presentations, “A Life in the Arts,” that will explore what it means to have a life in the arts. Guest speakers will discuss aspects of their careers in fine arts, publishing, design, television media and creative writing.

March 25
4:30pm
Giles Hall, Robert and Freda Harrison Auditorium
William Dunlap – Artist
W. Ralph Eubanks – Author
Sam Haskell III – Television producer and author

More about the presenters:
William Dunlap:
William Dunlap is a nationally recognized artist born in Mississippi. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1967 from Mississippi College in Clinton, worked as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Mississippi from 1967 to 1969, and earned a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Mississippi in 1969. In 1985 he won the Mississippi Arts and Letters, Visual Arts Award and since has had numerous exhibits of his work around the state. His paintings, sculpture and constructions are included in prestigious collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Lauren Rogers Museum, Mississippi Museum of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, IBM Corporation, Federal Express, Arkansas Art Center, and United State Embassies throughout the world.

W. Ralph Eubanks:
W. Ralph Eubanks is the author of Ever Is a Long Time: A Journey Into Mississippi’s Dark Past (Basic Books), which Washington Post book critic Jonathan Yardley named as one of the best nonfiction books of 2003. He has contributed articles to the Washington Post Outlook and Style sections, the Chicago Tribune, Preservation and National Public Radio. A graduate of the University of Mississippi (B.A.) and the University of Michigan (M.A., English Language and Literature), he is a recipient of a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and has been a fellow at the New America Foundation. Ralph lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and three children and is director of publishing at the Library of Congress.

Ralph’s most recent book, The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South, was released May 19, 2009, by the Harper imprint at HarperCollins.

Sam Haskell III:
In 2007 Television Week Magazine named Sam Haskell III “One of the 25 Most Innovative and Influential People in Television of the Last 25 Years.” Haskell earned his ranking among the industry’s best through his 26-year career at the renowned William Morris Agency where he was one of the most powerful agents and dealmakers in the business.

Originally from Amory, Haskell graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1977. Haskell worked in Los Angeles for William Morris Agency first as an agent in the TV Variety Department then as senior vice president, after which he was promoted to West Coast Head of Television. In 1997 he was named executive vice president and a member of the WMA Board of Directors, and, in 1999, he was appointed to the position of Worldwide Head of Television.

Prior to Haskell’s retirement from WMA in late 2004, his clients included: Bill Cosby, Kathie Lee Gifford, Ray Romano, Whoopi Goldberg, Dolly Parton, George Clooney, Sela Ward, Martin Short, Kirstie Alley, Tony Danza, Sean Hayes, Michael Feinstein, Lily Tomlin, Lucie Arnaz and His Royal Highness The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.

Haskell is also known for his role as executive producer of “Mississippi Rising,” a three-hour, MSNBC special hosted by Morgan Freeman, which raised over $30 million for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As Chairman of the Mary Kirkpatrick Haskell Scholarship Foundation, Mr. Haskell’s biennial “Stars Over Mississippi” benefit concerts in Amory have raised millions of dollars in college scholarship funds for Mississippi youngsters in need of financial assistance to further their education. In addition, Mr. Haskell serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Organization and Executive Producer of the Miss America Pageant telecasts.

Haskell’s discusses is journey from a small town Mississippi boy through his days in Hollywood in his nationally-bestselling memoir, Promises I Made My Mother, in which he attributes his success to the lessons he learned from his mother at an early age – lessons such as faith, hope and character.

Check out the story by Margaret Kovar with MSU University Relations!