Department of Visual Arts

Rocky Horton, Director of The School of Art and Design, Associate Professor, and Department Chair
Angela Lee, Associate Professor
Georganna Greene, Visiting Studio Faculty

The Department of Visual Arts fosters creative development and sound craftsmanship as it provides strong foundations in historical, theoretical, and critical studies in art as applicable to each major. We currently offer Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in Graphic Design and Studio Art and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Art Education, Art Therapy, Studio Art, and Graphic Design. The department also offers minors in Graphic Design, Studio Art, and Art History.

Distinctive of the Department of Visual Arts

The Department of Visual Arts has access to numerous museums, galleries, local artists’ studios, conferences, and graphic design firms in Nashville. Excellent museums include the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Cheekwood Museum of Art, Tennessee State Museum, and the Parthenon Gallery as well as Nashville’s downtown public library, which has exhibitions and speakers on art, photography, and graphic design.

The department, as well as the city of Nashville, provides students with the opportunity to get involved with a variety of internships. Examples include working with Nashville-based artists in their studios, education-based internships at local art institutions, as well as hands-on experiences at various graphic design firms and agencies. The department also encourages our students to participate in Lipscomb’s Global Learning programs.

The Department of Visual Arts offers a Visiting Artist Program (VAP) that serves to educate and foster a greater understanding and appreciation of contemporary art through critical discourse. This program features prominent artists throughout the academic year and brings them to Nashville to interact with students and the community over two to three days.

Lipscomb is positioned within driving distance of numerous cities with outstanding arts resources including St. Louis, Mo.; Birmingham, Ala.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Chicago, Ill.; Louisville, Ky.; Memphis, Tenn.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Cincinnati, Ohio. Every academic year, art majors go on field trips with professors so that they can experience their area of study in an “out-of-school” context.

Career Opportunities

Industrial, technical, and scientific artists are needed to prepare thousands of visual aids and publications for business, government, and educational institutions. Some of the opportunities available to art graduates include:

• Graphic Designer
• Visual Communications
• Web Designer
• Fine Artist
• Curator
• Gallerist
• Art Director
• Art Conservator
• Art Educator
• Creative Consultant
• Industrial Designer
• Art Handler
• Arts Management
• Photographer
• Videographer

Entrance Portfolios

All students wishing to study in the Department of Visual Arts must submit a portfolio of work for review. These portfolios allow our faculty to evaluate your skill level and ability before you begin the program. A portfolio is also required for departmental scholarships. Entrance portfolio requirements and scholarship applications can be found on our website: www.lipscomb.edu/art

Laptop Policy

The School of Art & Design requires all incoming undergraduate and graduate students to have a laptop computer and a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud for classroom instruction, course assignments, and research during and outside of class hours. It is highly recommended that all students purchase a laptop running the latest operating system. To ensure that Adobe Creative Cloud runs smoothly, we recommend a minimum of 16GB RAM on student laptops. In our labs, the department uses Apple hardware and the most current software offered by Lipscomb IT. The department also recommends (but does not require) that all undergraduate and graduate students purchase an external hard drive for additional portable storage and file backup (1TB or more).

Program of Study Requirements

Major

Minor