Aesthetics Newsletter- Apr 2026

  • Art Matters Here.

    Current Exhibitions, Programs, and Opportunities

  • April 2026

    In This Issue:

    1. In the Gallery
    2. 210, Glass, and Murfree Gallery
    3. Last Month at Todd
    4. Workshops & Hands-On Programs
    5. Artist Talks & Presentations
    6. Student Opportunities
    7. What's Happening in Our Community
    8. From the Walls of Todd
    9. Stay Connected with MTSU Art and Design
    10. Todd Bulletin Board
    11. Contribute

  • 1. In the Gallery

  • Todd Art Gallery Logo listing galleries 210, Glass, Clay Commons, and Murfree

  • Studio Art BFA
    April 2 - April 8, 2026
    Todd Hall, Room 224A | MTSU

    Opening Ceremony
    Thursday, April 2 | 6:00-8:00 P.M.
    Todd Hall, Room 224A | MTSU

  • Promotional graphic for the Senior BFA Art Exhibition, Spring 2026. The design features a warm red and cream grid layout with halftone-style portraits of participating students. Text reads “Senior BFA Art Exhibition,” “Todd Main Gallery,” and “Spring ’26.” Additional text includes “Opening Ceremony 4/2, 6 pm–8 pm” and “April 2–8.” Student names are listed along the bottom: Morgan Penny, Rowane Sylvester, Jordan Williams, Faith Rodriguez, Isaac Snyder, Lina Chapman, Rae Medlock, and Mily Rogers.

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    The Spring 2026 Senior BFA Art Exhibition features work by graduating studio art students Morgan Penny, Rowane Sylvester, Jordan Williams, Faith Rodriguez, Isaac Snyder, Lina Chapman, Rae Medlock, and Mily Rogers. Showcasing a range of ideas, materials, and approaches, the exhibition offers a look at each artist’s individual practice as they complete their studies.

  • Graphic Design BFA
    April 23 - April 29, 2026
    Todd Hall, Room 224A | MTSU

  • The upcoming Graphic Design exhibition features work by students in the graphic design program, highlighting a range of creative approaches and individual perspectives. The exhibition offers an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the work of participating student designers.

    Featuring work by students: Yafah Ahmad, Summer-Simone Bell, Donquatus Bolden, Nolan Burrell, Harleigh Butler, Desere Carlson, Bryn Childers, Breanna Cornell, Jude Cox, Kayla Crosby, Patrick Egeruoh, Michelle Esparza, Chloe Foster, Lila Gordon, Jonathan Gross, Margaret Hamby, Diamond Harris, Anna Henderson, Chantal Jackson, Kylie Jones, Hailey Jones, Julia Kanotz, Katelyn LaFon, Macy Leonard, Taylor Lowrance, Chloe Metzgar, Tania Nava Corona, Ryan Parkin, Miranda Pedigo, Kelcey Price, Brianna Ramko, Kelsey Reynolds, Chloe Salvatore, Brooke Smithson, Kayleigh Snyder, Lynn Solomon, Amarii Stratton, Brian Tannahill, and Katherine Wirey

  • 2. 210 Gallery, Glass Gallery, and Murfree Gallery
    MTSU Art and Design's campus and satellite exhibition spaces for invited artists, students, and the public

  • Gallery Practicum Presents
    Happiness, Too
    April 1 - April 9, 2026
    Todd Hall, Room 210 | MTSU

    Closing Exhibition Panel
    Wednesday, April 8 | 2:30 P.M.
    Todd Hall, Room 210 | MTSU

  • Flyer for a Gallery Practicum exhibition titled “Happiness, Too.” The design features a beige background with the title at the top and three artworks: a grayscale drawing of a mother holding a child, a mounted deer head sculpture, and a blue-toned illustration of a girl with button eyes. Text reads “Opens April 1st at 2:30 PM, Todd 210” and “Event Dates: April 1st – April 9th.”

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    The upcoming Gallery Practicum exhibition explores the idea of happiness as a meaningful and even radical form of expression. Centered on positive emotion as an artistic outlet, the exhibition challenges the tendency to focus on negativity by highlighting joy, connection, and moments of lightness. Through a range of works, the show invites viewers to consider happiness as both a personal and collective experience.

    Featuring work by students: Abigail Arias, Alexi Baltz, Lina Chapman, Dox Degan, Kasey Janke, Opal Lundin, Rae Medlock, Ruquia Riek, Faith Rodriguez, Kat Sterry, Isaac Snyder, and Rowane Sylvester

    👉 Learn more here: GALLERY PRACTICUM PRESENTS: HAPPINESS, TOO

  • Oakland High School Senior Exhibition
    Saturday, April 11, 2026

    Todd Hall, Clay Commons (Adjacent to 224A) | MTSU

  • Charcoal drawing of a figure sitting in tall grass, softly illuminated and partially obscured by textured marks, creating a glowing, dreamlike effect against a darker background.
  • Charcoal drawing of a quiet landscape featuring a curved path leading into the distance, with a small animal standing near the path and a large tree on the right, rendered with soft shading and atmospheric depth.

  • Images: Charcoal Drawings from Oakland High School Student Sebastian Portillo Wilches

    Oakland High School International Baccalaureate department proudly presents the senior exhibition of Olivia Arriola, Zoey Gammon, Serenity Harris, Emily Johnson, Sayuri Moreno Mora, Sebastian Portillo Wilches, Audrey Prescott, Laia Pugh, Luis Quijada Campos, Jaida Stevens, and Ashley Zavala. These students will each present a body of work that shows their unique development of concepts and media experimentation over the last two years under the direction of MTSU Art and Design alum Frank Baugh. Pieces range from charcoal drawings and acrylic paintings to small sculptural works. 

  • Senior Illustration Exhibit
    April 25 - April 30, 2026

    Todd Hall, Room 210 | MTSU

  • Senior Illustration Exhibit 2026 promotional graphic featuring bold, playful typography over abstract shapes in teal, coral, and blue. Text reads “Senior Illustration Exhibit 2026,” with event details “April 25–30” and “Todd Art Gallery 210.” Smaller text states that the exhibition showcases selected works by the Department of Art and Design’s current senior class.

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    This year’s Best of the Best illustration exhibition features standout work by graduating seniors in the illustration program. Selected through a juried review of senior portfolios, the exhibition highlights a range of contemporary approaches, including animation, sequential art, editorial illustration, children’s book illustration, advertising, and poster design.

  • 3. Last Month at Todd

  • RESET
    By Dan Hernandez

  • Dan Hernandez gives an artist talk in the gallery, standing beside a projected image of his work while audience members sit and listen.
  • Two visitors stand in the gallery viewing works from Dan Hernandez’s exhibition Reset, with a large colorful painting in the foreground and additional framed works on the wall beyond.
  • A visitor stands in the gallery looking at works from Dan Hernandez’s exhibition Reset, with several colorful paintings installed along a white wall.
  • Visitors gather in the gallery to view a large painting from Dan Hernandez’s exhibition Reset, while others move through the surrounding exhibition space.

  • Dan Hernandez’s exhibition Reset was on view in Todd Art Gallery last month. Hernandez also joined us for an artist talk, offering students and visitors further insight into the work and the ideas behind the exhibition.

    👉 Learn more about Reset here: RESET BY DAN HERNANDEZ

  • Saturdays At Todd
    True Blue Chemistry: From Lab to Canvas
    Led by Sarah Pierce and Dr. Laura Cochrane

  • Examples of indigo-dyed cloth with striped, folded, and resist-dyed patterns are spread out on a counter beside a bucket in the Science Building lab.
  • Participants work at lab stations during the Saturdays At Todd experience “True Blue Chemistry: From Lab to Canvas,” using blue painter’s tape and canvas boards in the Science Building.
  • Saturdays At Todd participants create blue-and-white compositions on canvas boards while workshop leaders offer guidance during “True Blue Chemistry: From Lab to Canvas” in the Science Building.
  • A wide view of the Science Building lab shows participants seated at stations with canvas boards, tape, and workshop materials during the Saturdays At Todd experience “True Blue Chemistry: From Lab to Canvas.”

  • Participants joined us for True Blue Chemistry: From Lab to Canvas, a Saturdays At Todd experience held in the MTSU Science Building. Led by Sarah Pierce, PhD, Instructor in MTSU Chemistry, and Dr. Laura Cochrane, Professor of Art History in MTSU Art & Design, the workshop invited participants to explore the chemistry and history of the color blue through paint-making, indigo dye, and hands-on experimentation.

  • Saturdays At Todd
    Weaving with Reclaimed Materials
    Led by Catie Beth Thomas

  • Assorted yarn, ribbon, fabric strips, and textured fibers are spread across a table as reclaimed materials for the Saturdays At Todd workshop "Weaving with Reclaimed Materials".
  • Saturdays At Todd participants gather around a table selecting yarn, fabric, and reclaimed materials during "Weaving with Reclaimed Materials" led by local textile artist Catie Beth Thomas.
  • A wide view of the workshop shows participants weaving and sorting colorful reclaimed materials at tables during the Saturdays At Todd experience "Weaving with Reclaimed Materials".
  • Participants work together at weaving looms while local textile artist Catie Beth Thomas offers guidance during the Saturdays At Todd experience "Weaving with Reclaimed Materials".

  • Participants joined us for Weaving with Reclaimed Materials, a Saturdays At Todd experience led by local textile artist Catie Beth Thomas. Through a hands-on afternoon of weaving, participants explored texture, color, and process using reclaimed materials in a creative and experimental workshop.

  • 4. Workshops & Hands-On Programs

  • Saturdays At Todd
    Pamphlets and Printing Workshop
    Saturday, April 18 | 12:00-3:00 P.M.

    Todd Hall, Room 236 | MTSU

  • Open handmade pamphlet-style book resting on a wooden surface, featuring blue-gray marbled paper covers. The inside pages show printed text reading “Meditation XVII, John Donne, 1624,” along with a decorative bookplate label on the front cover.

  • Image Courtesy of Art History Staff

    This hands-on workshop, led by Susan Hanson, curator in the Special Collections Department of Walker Library, and Dr. Laura Cochrane, Professor of Art History in the Department of Art and Design, introduces participants to pamphlet-sewing techniques and decorative processes such as marbled paper and image transfer.

    Attendees will create their own hand-bound pamphlets and custom bookplates while exploring connections to the exhibition The Art, Technology, and Craft of the Book, currently on view in Special Collections.

    You can also learn more about early printed books at Dr. Cochrane’s gallery talk, “Crafting the Early Modern Book” on April 9 at 4 PM in Special Collections.

    • Free and open to the public
    • Registration is required
    • Ages 14 and above

    👉 Register here: SATURDAYS AT TODD: PAMPHLETS AND PRINTING
    Registration closes April 15, 2026 (or earlier if capacity is reached)

  • 5. Artist Talks & Presentations

  • Art & Design Senior Symposium
    April 15 - April 17, 2026
    Todd Hall, Room 204 | MTSU

  • A student presents at the front of a classroom with a projected slide showing colorful abstract artwork and color studies. Audience members are seated in the foreground, facing the presenter.

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    Senior Art & Design students will present their work during the upcoming Senior Symposium, offering insight into their creative processes, research, and artistic development. This presentation-based event provides an opportunity to hear directly from graduating students about the ideas and work that define their practice.

    👉 View the Symposium Schedule Here: SENIOR SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

  • 6. Student Opportunities

  • Studio Workshop:
    Natural Dyes, Inks, and Pigments
    Registration Dates: April 6 - May 18
    Course Dates: May 18 - June 5

    Todd Hall, Room 351 | MTSU

  • Flyer for Summer 2026 course ART 4001-02 titled “Studio Workshop: Natural Dyes, Inks, and Pigments.” The design includes images of dyed textiles, natural pigment powders, and plant-based materials. Text lists course details including CRN 51137, instructor Erin Anfinson, and schedule May 18 through June 5, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional text describes topics such as natural dyeing, ink-making, pigment preparation, and studio safety.

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    A Summer 2026 Studio Workshop course, Natural Dyes, Inks, and Pigments, will be offered for Art & Design students interested in hands-on, material-based processes. Led by Erin Anfinson, this course explores natural dyeing, ink-making, and pigment preparation using eco-friendly methods.

    👉 Class Details: NATURAL DYES, INKS, AND PIGMENTS

    👉 Questions? Reach out to Erin Anfinson at: erin.anfinson@mtsu.edu

  • Studio Workshop:
     Design Camp
    Registration Dates: April 6 - May 18
    Course Dates: May 18 - June 4

    Todd Hall, Room 333 (when not outside) | MTSU

  • Flyer for “Design Camp 2026” at Middle Tennessee State University. The graphic features a badge-style logo reading “Design Camp 2026” and text describing ART 4001: a creative adventure. Course details include dates May 18 through June 4, meeting Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional text notes the course counts as a studio or graphic design elective and highlights activities such as experimental image-making, working with non-traditional materials, outdoor exploration, and field trips. Images on the flyer show students working, printed designs, and group activities.

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    A Summer 2026 Studio Workshop course, Design Camp: A Creative Adventure, invites students to explore typography and image-making through experimental, non-traditional materials. Led by Noel Lorson, the course emphasizes hands-on making, outdoor exploration, and creative problem-solving, with opportunities for field trips and project-based work.

    👉 Class Details: DESIGN CAMP: A CREATIVE ADVENTURE

    👉 Questions? Reach out to Noel Lorson at: noel.lorson@mtsu.edu

  • Studio Workshop:
    Mixed Media Encaustic
    Registration Dates: April 6 - June 8
    Course Dates: June 8 - June 23

    Todd Hall, Room 351 | MTSU

  • Flyer for Summer 2026 course ART 4001-05 titled “Studio Workshop: Mixed Media Encaustic.” The design includes images of encaustic artwork and tools such as brushes, wax, and mixed media materials. Text lists course details including CRN 51859, instructor Erin Anfinson, and schedule June 8 through June 23, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Additional text describes topics such as encaustic painting techniques, monoprinting, collage, and image transfer.

  • Image Courtesy of Department Staff

    A Summer 2026 Studio Workshop course, Mixed Media Encaustic, introduces students to wax-based painting techniques through hands-on experimentation with collage, image transfer, and layered media. Led by Erin Anfinson, the course explores both traditional and contemporary approaches to encaustic processes.

    👉 Class Details: MIXED MEDIA ENCAUSTIC

    👉 Questions? Reach out to Erin Anfinson at: erin.anfinson@mtsu.edu

  • Job Listing: GSFTA Counselor

    Work directly with gifted and talented high school artists while supporting daily student life, supervision, and community building at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

    This position requires strong communication skills, maturity, and a commitment to maintaining a safe and supportive environment.

    👉 Learn More and Apply Here: DETAILS AND APPLICATION 

    👉 Questions? Reach out to Visual Arts Chair Michael Baggarly: GSFTAVisualArts@gmail.com

  • 7. What's Happening in Our Community

  • Connection Point: Picnic N' Paint
    Tuesday, April 7 | 5:00-7:00 P.M.

    STU Commons | MTSU

    Students are invited to the Student Union Commons to enjoy food, music, and a relaxed painting activity with friends. This event offers a fun opportunity to connect, create, and get to know fellow students.

    👉 Learn More Here: CONNECTION POINT: PICNIC N' PAINT

  • 8. From the Walls of Todd

  • Handcrafted wooden sculpture featuring interlocking gears and a chain mechanism mounted on layered wood panels, with a carved handle attached to one of the gears.

  • Sculptural Practices: Wood
    "Laminated Wood Tool"
    (Wood carving and shaping)
    Instructor: J. Houghton

  • Large black-and-white charcoal drawing depicting a building in the background with a walkway, grassy foreground, and a lamppost beside a tree, rendered with soft shading and textured marks.

  • Drawing 1:
    Linear Perspective
    Instructor: J. Lynn

  • 9. Stay Connected with the MTSU Department of Art & Design

  • Select the options below if you would like to receive updates about exhibitions, events, artist visits, workshops, and other Art and Design activities via email or text.

    You may unsubscribe at any time. We do not share your email or text contact information.

  • Format: (000) 000-0000.

  • 10. Todd Bulletin Board 
    Last-minute calls, events, artist visits, fundraisers, and pop-ups are added throughout the week.

  • 👉 Visit the Todd Bulletin Board

  • 11. Contribute

  • We’re always interested in hearing what’s happening in Art and Design, whether across campus or in the community. Aesthetics welcomes short, informal contributions from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners. Submissions may be image-driven and do not need to be fully polished; editorial support is provided.

    To share ideas, images, or short drafts for a future issue, contact ToddArtGallery@mtsu.edu.

  • Newsletter Compilation by Leraas Lane
    Edited by Eric Snyder
    MTSU Department of Art & Design | Todd Art Gallery (TAG)

  • Questions about directions, parking, or other items related to Art and Design | Todd Art Gallery exhibitions, receptions, and events: email ToddArtGallery@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-5532

    Gallery Hours

    Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
    Saturday: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
    Closed Sunday

  • Black and white Department of Art and Design logo reading "www.mtsu.edu/art, Department of Art and Design, Middle Tennessee State University"
  • Should be Empty: