Department of Art News

Photo: University Relations

The Visions from a Bulldog Nation: Juried Exhibit will run from June 3 through July 31 in the Colvard Student Union Art Gallery.

Call to artists:
Paying homage to Mississippi State’s mascot,  artistic interpretations of Bully will be accepted – all forms, sizes and mediums. Entries will be accepted from all age groups. Artists may enter up to three works. All works must be framed and ready to hang. The gallery uses a cable hanging system that can hold up to 50 lbs per work.

The deadline to submit art is May 24.

Artwork must be delivered May 29-30.

For more information, please email Amelia Treptow at atreptow@saffairs.msstate.edu, or call 662-325-2930.

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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Wesley Ortiz’s Muted Resistance features 12 works completed during the past year. (photo from the Monroe Journal)

(from the Monroe Journal)

Wesley H. Ortiz, a 1998 MSU Department of Art graduate, recently culminated his graduate studies at The University of Mississippi with a thesis exhibition at the Southside Gallery on Oxford’s historic square.

The show, titled Muted Resistance, featured 12 works completed during the past year. The works, created with gesso, acrylic, charcoal and graphite, combine placid fields of whites and toned grays, juxtaposed with violent applications of drawing materials to create turmoil.

“My paintings are the voice of silenced negative human emotion. The works are expressions of negativity, despondency, confusion, anxiety, subjugation and the loss of identity,” said Ortiz. “They are examples of internal reactions to external tension. Each piece presents a fragile state of vulnerability and the act of fighting against or succumbing to the overwhelming distress. They represent our human psyche and physical tolerance to the many degrees of agony.”

Ortiz joined The University of Mississippi in 2010 as a graduate student in the Fine Art Department. In 2011, he won first place in the Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition. His work has been featured in the Meridian Museum of Art and the Amory Regional Museum in Mississippi, as well as the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in Brooklyn, New York; the After Sputnik exhibition in Long Island City, New York; Tennessee Valley Art Association in Tuscumbia, Alabama; and Juried Online International Art Exhibit at Upstream People Gallery.

He received his Master of Fine Arts from The University of Mississippi on May 11.

Read about Ortiz on the “Eating Oxford” blog.

April Shelby at the reception for her senior thesis work.

April Shelby’s thesis work

Last summer, April Shelby decided to start a Facebook page to post pictures of her artwork.

“That generated a lot of interest, and I was surprised to find out that people were actually interested in the work I do,” the soon-to-be ceramics graduate from the Florence said.

Since then, Shelby has stayed busy creating pieces for sale and working on her thesis body of work.

“Last semester was a really big one,” she said.

Shelby was honored when she was selected by her professors to win a pottery wheel at the 41st MSU Juried Student Art Exhibition. She also recently received a grant from the Entrepreneurship Center that provided the funds to purchase a kiln, which has been ordered and should arrive any day.

“I’m just waiting on that phone call,” she said.

The artist gives credit to her professors and the Department of Art for helping prepare her for a career in art. She said studio assistant Michelle Neumann and Professor Robert Long were always available to help her with art and even to offer advice about working as an artist in general.

“My thesis also really taught me to become a dedicated studio artist and put forth the effort and work every day on a particular goal,” said Shelby.

She also says she could have never pursued her love of art without the constant support of her family.

“They’ve always believed in me, even when I’ve doubted myself,” she said.

Shelby said her next big purchase will be a building, and she’d like to start making as much work as possible to sell in stores and more sculptural work for galleries.

“I’m just excited to have my own equipment and make what I want to make,” she said.

April Shelby, right, stands with fellow senior Sarah Kilpatrick. Shelby recently received funds from the Entrepreneurship Center to purchase a kiln to help her get her own business started.

April Shelby will be graduating next week with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. However, Shelby is already well on her way to owning her own successful business, thanks to the Entrepreneurship Center.

Shelby, a ceramics student, recently received a $2,300 grant from the Entrepreneurship Center to purchase a kiln. She also recently won a pottery wheel from the 41st MSU Juried Student Art Exhibition and has already made her first sale.

Shelby’s funds came from the Thad Cochran Endowment for Entrepreneurship (TCEE). The endowment’s funds are to be allocated to help students with start-up capital needed to launch a business – usually the biggest barrier to starting a business.

The first step in the month-long application process to receive funding is to meet with Parker Stewart, marketing research associate for the Entrepreneurship Center.

Students then must complete a one-page business plan and put together a 10-minute presentation for the Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board (ECAB).

“I help them every step of the way,” Stewart said.

ECAB consists of business faculty and entrepreneurs from the community who meet once a month, and Stewart even suggests meeting with the committee just to discuss an idea and get feedback and general thoughts.

“With that many people in a room together,” he said. “They come up with some things you wouldn’t have even thought about.”

The Entrepreneurship Center also offers other resources to help anyone interested in starting their own business and even those interested in working for a new start-up company.

“We’re not limited to the type of student or the type of idea,” said Stewart. “As long they are passionate, are dedicated and want to move forward and make an actual company out of it.”

A seminar series, GE3011 – Engineering Entrepreneurship Seminar, is a one-hour elective open to anyone in the fall and spring. The course meets from 2-3:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and brings in alumni who’ve started their own businesses, patent attorneys and insurance professionals to give an overview of what’s involved in starting a business.

The Entrepreneurship Club (eClub) started with six students just over a year ago and has grown to 40 students with 20 different startup companies. The club is open to any MSU student. Dues are $25 per semester and go toward monthly lunches before the seminar series, trips and access to the newly built Company Laboratory (Co-Lab).

“The eClub takes ‘eMbarkments’ throughout the year to tour startup companies, pick the brain of the owners and get a feel for the people who are living the entrepreneurship adventure,” said Stewart.

The group recently toured Daxko, a software firm for nonprofits in Birmingham. Stewart said the culture was similar to Google. Employees could write on the walls; they rode in on skateboards, and the CEO’s desk was right there when you got off the elevator. Stewart said the eMbarkments are also beneficial for students who want to work for a startup company and get plugged in and network.

The eClub recently received funding and raised $15,000 to build a room, the Co-Lab, located in 209 McCool Hall. The walls in the room are covered with high-quality dry erase paint, and the room is meant to serve as a creative workspace for eClub members.

“It’s meant to be a space for students to be able to sketch a building design, a logo or website layout where they are not limited to your typical whiteboard space,” said Stewart. “It’s massive.”

The Entrepreneurship Center also offers competitions with cash prizes. The center gave away almost $60,000 in prizes at a recent competition, including $15,000 in cash and $10,000 in legal services to the grand prize winner.

For those students who just want a taste of what it’s like to start a business, the center works to plug them into startup companies. They get paid to work for a certain amount of time and get experience.

“It’s cool to be able to see a student interested in entrepreneurship get plugged up with a startup company,” said Stewart. “And when they get done, they want to start their own business.”

Stewart said in his job he mainly serves as a liaison, putting students in touch with people they will need to start a business, such as attorneys, accountants, insurance representatives, people in a particular industry and faculty members. He encourages anyone with an idea or even those who are already making money and don’t know where to go from there to come talk to him.

“I’m not an expert at many things, but I know people who are.”

For more information, email Parker Stewart at jps274@msstate.edu, or call him at 601-810-2453. You can also visit the Entrepreneurship Center located in 210 McCool Hall.

Caroline Cooper, academic records assistant for the Department of Art, has been selected as a 2013 Certificate of Merit recipient by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA).

Cooper received the honor in the Primary Advising Category.

She will be recognized and honored at a special awards ceremony and reception being held at the annual NACADA Conference in Salt Lake City this fall as part of the 2013 Annual Awards Program for Academic Advising.

Riley Reid recently received a Spirit of State Award sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs at Mississippi State University. Reid, a photography major in the Department of Art from Athens, Ala., was recognized with the other recipients at a public ceremony on Friday, April 19, in the Bill R. Foster Ballroom in the Colvard Student Union.

The eighth annual Spirit of State Awards formally honored those students who have excelled in campus involvement and service to the university and have made an impact on their peers and the broader campus community. Students from all MSU campuses, freshmen to graduate, were nominated.

“The many contributions Riley has made to Mississippi State University, the Department of Art, and the photography concentration make her a very special student,” said Assistant Professor Dominic Lippillo. “Her professionalism, integrity and strong work ethic will allow her to succeed in all of her future endeavors.”

Riley has demonstrated a commitment to the integrity and values that exemplify the ‘Spirit of State’ by volunteering her time for meaningful activities on and off campus. She was the lead student volunteer for the 2012 South Central Society for Photographic Education Conference; volunteers for Help Portrait, a global movement of photographers, hairstylists and makeup artists using their time, tools and expertise to give back to those in need; and recently served as a juror for the Starkville Parent Teacher Organization Art Competition (grades K – 12).

“Riley is an exceptional person. She is extremely creative as demonstrated in her recent BFA images,” said her professor Marita Gootee. “Frankly, I do not think we could have managed the October 2012 South Central Society for Photographic Education conference without Riley. She organized the student volunteers and contacted vendors for donations. She did just an amazing job. Her love of photography is in everything she does. She is a special person, and I am proud to know her.”

For more information contact the Department of Art at 662-325-2970.

Andrew Yerger | “PAW2″

Andrew Yerger, a senior in the Department of Art, was awarded the 2013 Jefferson Clarke Wilson Memorial Award For Excellence in Photography, which carries a $100 award.

Yerger was selected for his overall portfolio of entries.

The award is sponsored by Stuart Herring in memorial to his friend Jeff Wilson, who was an accomplished photographer and woodworker in addition to being a computer programmer and an employee of Mississippi State University for 35 years.

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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