ETSU Department of Art & Design

ETSU Art and Design hosted a summer camp for teens as a part of the ETSU Renaissance Child summer program from July 15 to 19. Students aged from 12 to 16 created charcoal drawings, riso-print zines, linocut and screen prints, vinyl-cut stickers, and laser-cut pins.

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Yi Liu, who is joining the Department of Art & Design as Assistant Professor of Art History!

Yi is a specialist in East Asian art history and a photographic historian. Her research primarily explores the intersections of photography, politics, and identity within 20th and 21st-century Chinese visual culture. She is particularly interested in how photography, rooted in Western technological and aesthetic paradigms, has been adapted and reinterpreted within China’s unique modern trajectory, focusing on its role in shaping epistemology, nationalism, and propaganda.

Her dissertation, "Making Modern China in Photobooks: Contested National Narratives in the Photographic Archives of China, 1900s-1950s," investigates encyclopedic photobooks produced in mainland China that rely on photographs, rather than text, to present a comprehensive understanding of China as a modern nation-state. This research offers the first systematic academic examination of these invaluable yet understudied pictorial records by situating the creation of photobooks within the broader contexts of intellectual history, printing technology, and publishing culture in modern East Asia. Yi has presented her research at institutions such as the College Art Association Annual Conference (CAA), Heidelberg University, and Tate Liverpool. Her most recent presentation at CAA 2024 explores the triangulation between illustrated magazines, Sino-US relations, and photography during the Cold War, highlighting the interplay of ideologies, media, and informational technologies in shaping both historical and contemporary narratives.

Dedicated to student-centered learning and pedagogical innovation, Yi was honored by the UC Humanities Research Institute in 2020 for her group project, “Ways of Seeing Asia: Pedagogical Inquiries in Asian Art Histories,” which aimed to make undergraduate-level Asian art history courses more accessible and engaging. In 2023, she developed a new course, “Photography and Asia,” and a workshop, “Imagery and Imagination: Rethinking Asian Identity Through Photography” at UCSD, leading her students to explore the complexities of identity through stereotypes and the lens of photography.
Yi has lectured at the University of California, San Diego, Occidental College, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Tianjin Normal University in China. As a former exhibition and media editor of The Art Newspaper (China), her writings on contemporary art have been featured in Christie’s Magazine, Ran Dian, and other publications.

When not working or writing, Yi enjoys hiking, eating ice cream, and spending time with her cat Zeus.

Please join us in extending a warm Buccaneer welcome to Dr. Yi Liu!

Image: Yi with a tenth-century sculpture of her favorite Hindu deity Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles, who is one of India’s most popular gods and also has a sweet tooth.

Meet Kassi Van Roosendaal, one of the graduating Graphic Design BFA students this semester! The ETSU Department of Art and Design is doing Q&A’s with some of our graduating BFAs.
Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.

My name is Kassi Van Roosendaal. I’ve lived in many places, but I think of Grand Junction, Colorado, as where I’m from.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?

I’m a graphic design major and do mostly illustrative digital, print work, and metalsmithing. There is a lot of research that goes into graphic design, whether it’s defining and understanding your problem or understanding the client’s needs. Sketching and lots of thumbnails, then iterations till I find a composition that will work. I would say that most of my work is playful, but with metalsmithing, the whole process is playful. I start with an idea, then a thumbnail, till I like a general composition.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?

If I had to choose an artist, it would be Alphonse Mucha, for his delicate and playful style of art nouveau.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?

Jonathan Strube has been a great professor that shows you how work will be in the field. He holds you to a high standard while being compassionate for shortcomings. David Dixon gives so much room for personal interpretation that you can turn any assignment into one you are passionate about while learning to apply that to real-world situations. Mindy Herrin has a love for what she is doing that becomes contagious. You come to class wanting to be there, the class has a nice flow, and you feel productive and capable of things you didn’t realize were possible.

Do you have advice for incoming art students?

Be engaged. I have learned so much from participating in class and out of class. The more involved you are in the department, the more you will get out of the experience.

Do you have any plans after graduation?

I plan on doing some design work for a company in Arizona from my home. I am taking a class with Penland this summer, and I would like to work for a print shop. Never a dull moment.

Facility Highlight of the Painting Studio! The Painting studio is located on the 2nd Floor of Ball Hall. The area is managed and run by Professor Mira Gerard. Shown above are their Old Master Techniques students working in the studio space, along with a demonstration. Check out the ETSU catalog to discover classes offered in Painting.

Kevin Reaves’s 3D Printing Class created 3D designed silver and bronze cast jewelry this semester. The students have been experimenting with Z brush and casting, creating a variety of items. Check out the images above for a look into the course!

Once again, ETSU's Department of Art and Design and the Office of Professional
Development are collaborating to offer one week of summer camps for teenagers 9th grade and up.
Limited space! Go to the link below to find out more information and register: https://www.etsu.edu/graduate-continue-education/renaissancechild/teencamp.php

Meet Ashley Johnson, one of the graduating BFA students this semester! The ETSU Department of Art and Design is doing Q&A's with some of our graduating BFAs. Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.
My name is Ashley Johnson, and I am a BFA studio art student at ETSU working in printmaking. I live in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and have lived in Northeast Tennessee my whole life. I have worked for a local hospital here in Johnson City and help serve the needs of our patients and the community for fifteen years.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?
I am mostly a lithographic and relief printmaker. Lithography is one of the most interesting processes of old-school printmaking. It involves printing a picture on a stone or metal block on which an image has been drawn with a thick substance that attracts ink. With lithography, I can achieve a wide range of markmaking that is closest to hand drawing. For relief printing, I carve out negative and positive areas in linoleum or wood blocks for the image to appear on paper.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?
I look to Edvard Munch, Michale Reeder, Andrew Schultz, Salvador Dali, R.T. Wallen, and Alphonse Mucha for inspiration.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?
I have had so many wonderful professors here at ETSU. John Hilton, Sage Perrott, David Dixon, and Ralph Slatton have pushed me to better myself and taught me so much.

Do you have advice for incoming art students?
Yes, be ready to be your own worst critic but do not give up! Use that energy to put towards more artwork.

Do you have any plans after graduation?
I plan to pursue a master's in fine arts with a concentration in printmaking and teaching. I am particularly interested in universities with lithography programs and internships with printmakers!

Can we find you on social media?
Yes, I am on Instagram as ashleygraybeal91, there you will find a link to my artwork and to my webpage!
Check out Ashley Johnson's BFA Exhibition in the Reece Museum March 16-April 26!

Meet Hunter Strutton, one of the graduating BFA students this semester! The ETSU Art and Design Department is doing Q&A’s with some of our graduating BFAs.

Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.
My name is Hunter Strutton and I am from the small town of Wartburg in Tennessee.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?
I started my undergraduate degree working with oil paint. In the past two years, I found a love for working with metals also. When painting, I create scenes of fantastical landscapes with figures that soothe past disturbances by using tints of pinks and blues that I am drawn to. I often stand close to the canvas and move around the piece to understand space on a small scale, but also to intimately interact with my work and feel enveloped in it. This same up-close interaction occurs when working with metal on a small scale.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?
Remedios Varo and Will Cotton are my biggest inspirations when it comes to painting. For metals, I have been looking at Keith Lewis.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?
Mira Gerard, Mindy Lewis-Herrin, Sage Perrott, and John Hilton have been my biggest supporters and inspirations during my time at ETSU.

Do you have advice for incoming art students?
Spend as much time as you can in the studio! Make connections with other art students and be open to criticism and your art with thrive.

Do you have any plans after graduation?
I am going to take a year break and search for jobs using my biology degree. I plan to apply to schools for my MFA degree. My goal is to be an art professor or a full-time studio artist.

Can we find you on social media?
Yes! My Instagram handle is .
Check out Hunter Strutton’s BFA exhibition in the Reece Museum March 16-April 26!

Congratulations to MFA student Delaney Rogers on her thesis exhibition, “ENDO/EXO.” The reception was held at Tipton Gallery on April 5th. The exhibition is viewable and open to the public from March 25th to April 12th. Of the work, Delaney writes, “The title of my thesis exhibition, Endo/Exo, uses Latin prefixes: Endo for the internal world, issues within the self, and Exo for the external world, social issues in the outer world. The slash in between represents the area where these issues meet. We have all experienced significant loss and grief while the health of our society crumbled in a global pandemic. Most are still experiencing it. In August of 2021, on my orientation day of graduate school, I lost my father. I use semiotic strategies to create my own symbol system to communicate emotions and life events. In my pen plotter drawings and screen prints, I use these symbols to illustrate narratives, exploring my internal world and how I have been affected by grief, the external world, and the pressures that exist there. The installation, Blue Lake, brings the work off the walls to confront the viewer on a more visceral level.”

Meet Elizabeth House, one of the graduating BFA students this semester! The ETSU Department of Art and Design is doing Q&A’s with some of our graduating BFAs.

Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.
My name is Elizabeth House, and I am from a small, rural town in Middle Tennessee called Woodbury.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?
I mainly create functional ceramics on the wheel, although I do some interdisciplinary work, as well. I start by throwing and trimming the pieces, then add coils of clay and smooth them out to form the “weld” marks, inlay balls to form the faux screw heads and then attach handles. These pieces are then bisqued, slipped, glazed, and wadded, and finally put into an atmospheric firing with soda ash sprayed into the kiln.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?
My biggest artist inspirations are ceramicists Ted Neal, Mitchell Spain, and Tim Kowalczyk, who I had the honor of bringing to ETSU for the Student Ceramic Association’s Spring 2024 Visiting Artist.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?
Everyone in the Art Department has been beyond inspirational and supportive during my time here, especially during my transferring period, and I am very grateful. John Hilton has been my biggest supporter while pursing art at ETSU and has been like a father-away-from-home and a best friend to me since 2019. Lindsay Rogers and Mat Wheeler have also been big inspirations, as they are utilitarian potters, like me.

Do you have advice for incoming art students?
Things will not always go according to plan, and that is okay. Let loose and experiment with everything! Do not be afraid of “messing up.”

Do you have any plans after graduation?
I am currently applying to ceramic residencies across the US, but I plan on moving back home to spend time with my family for now.

Can we find you on social media?
My art Instagram is .art.

Check out Elizabeth House’s BFA Exhibition in the Reece Museum March 16-April 26!

Meet Elise Gaffney, one of the graduating BFA students this semester! The ETSU Art and Design Department is doing Q&A’s with some of our graduating BFAs.
Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.
My name is Elise Gaffney, and I am from The Rubber City—Akron, Ohio.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?
I am a photographer first, but I have enjoyed opening up to multidisciplinary artwork—from video to installation. I’ve expanded my practice significantly as an art student at ETSU. I make photographs and videos every single day, which often show up in my work much later. If something catches my attention, I will stop what I’m doing to capture that moment.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?
I am inspired by Hanif Abdurraqib, a poet and essayist, I am inspired by Bruce Springsteen, Diane Nguyen, and Anthony Bourdain, Fiona Apple, Donald Glover; and by film and TV, friends and family, by travel and conversation, healing and sun and grass and laughter and time and change and activists and my ol’ boy Hank.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?
I think the opportunity that I’ve had to work with Brooke Day and Vanessa Mayoraz has transformed my understanding of art and what it can be. The freedom to try anything, to include music or poetry, or recordings of a gut and living plants and fake moss has opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

Do you have advice for incoming art students?
Be open to something new—to everything new. So much can be revealed to you in the process. Try to stay present and aware of these moments, they matter.
They’re actually sort of everything.

Do you have any plans after graduation?
To continue working in artistic and creative spaces with open-minded and open-hearted people.

Can we find you on social media?
Yes! On Instagram: and my online portfolio: www.elisebgaffney.com

Check out Elise Gaffney’s BFA exhibition in the Slocumb Galleries April 1-12!

Congratulations to MFA student Ursula Gullow on her thesis exhibition, “Groundswell.” The reception was held at Tipton Gallery on March 22. The exhibition was viewable and open to the public from March 9th to 22nd. Of the work, Ursula writes, “Groundswell is born out of a desire to deconstruct the traditional format of painting and expand its presentation into installation and sculptures that re-frame historical art tropes. Aesthetic choices are informed by 18th Century motifs such as flowers, birds, and fête galante paintings of the French Rococo. Meaning, “courtship parties,” fêtes galantes depict groups of people reveling in pastoral landscapes and gardens. I deconstruct paintings and rebuild them into new arrangements to confront traditional frameworks within the art world.”

On March 7, 2024, the ETSU Department of Art and Design and Slocumb Galleries held the reception for the Positive/Negative 39 National Juried Art Exhibition. The Juror, Michelle Fisher, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was in attendance and gave a lecture on her process of jurying the exhibition along with her work. Valerie George was the Best in Show (slide 3), and Eloise Philpot, Monika Malewska, and Elizabeth Weber received honorable mentions.

Congratulations to MFA student Benjamin Conley on his thesis exhibition, "In a State of Becoming." The reception was held at Tipton Gallery on March 1. The exhibition was viewable and open to the public from Feburary 26-March 8. Of the work, Benjamin writes, "The natural landscape, and my personalized immersion within these spaces has shaped my artistic practice. When I enter the animal domain, I am engrossed within the transformative nature of my surroundings. Because I have entered this domain and intimately exist within these spaces, I symbolically ‘become’ the animal.... My work seeks to transform the viewer and myself into a state of becoming. We are confronted with our own physical existence in a shared natural world with beings that are not considered human, but still possess qualities that we find within ourselves."

Facility Highlight of the Jewelry & Metals studio! The Jewelry & Metals studio is located in the basement of Ball Hall. The area is managed and run by Professor Mindy Herrin. Shown above are Professor Mindy Herrin's Intermediate/Advanced Jewelry and Metalsmithing students working in the studio spaces. The space hosts a plethora of specialized equipment for a variety of processes. Check out the ETSU catalog to discover classes offered in Jewelry & Metals.

Congratulations to MFA student Bradley Owens on his thesis exhibition, "Reclamation." The reception was held at Tipton Gallery on February 16th. The exhibition is viewable and open to the public from Feb.12-23. Of the work, Bradley writes, "Reclamation: The Towns of the Virginia Coalfields is a story of dichotomous forces that crashed into each other in the rural communities that carved an existence from the mountains surrounding them. It is a story of powerful external forces and long misunderstood internal forces. It is a story of isolation, failure, success, and unfulfilled promise. It is my story of the coalfields.
This project is my attempt to honestly come to terms with the towns of my youth now that I am no longer there. I have spent the last three years attempting to construct a working definition of the place where I was born, apart from the imposition of external forces that have successfully, and insufficiently, defined the region for generations. I came to discover that the coalfields, while seemingly locked in time, are changing. I see glimmers of hope in the region, even in the places where I didn’t expect it, which is why this project often seems like a story in two parts.
There are blue skies in several of the images. Sometimes the blue is grey, sometimes the blue is completely hidden by fog, but it is there. The blue represents my hope for the future in the coalfields. I have images that highlight the natural beauty of the region, even if that beauty is a bit marred by the presence of the coal industry, and these images are full of light and color. There are also images that mute the colors in order to truly express the current reality of the towns, at least how I view the current reality. It is bleak. It is gray. It is dark, but there is always a glimmer of something more."

On February 8th, the ETSU Department of Art and Design and Slocumb Galleries held the reception for Graphic Design Professor Johnathon Strube’s exhibition, “What Does It All Mean?”. The exhibition included typographic phrases and lessons that resonated with Professor Strube and panels that presented a visual and conceptual contrast. About this work, Strube writes, “These works use the graphic designer as inspiration, content, vulnerability, and expression-an attempt to impose order and structure on a messy internal dialogue. An activation of systems that reflect, record, and empower the human condition-intentionally exposing an internal dialogue-an attempt to define meaning in our.” Congratulations Johnathon Strube!

Congratulations to MFA student Akintayo Akintobi on his thesis exhibition "Ìlànà Orí-òkè Àtiyanrìn [T(h)reading Sands and Mountains]". The reception was held at Tipton Gallery on February 2nd. The exhibition is viewable and open to the public from Feb.1-9. Of the work, Akintayo writes, "Ìlànà Orí-òkè atiyanrin: T(h)reading Sands and Mountains explores the fusion of my experiences in American and Nigerian culture. These works are a meditation on my life growing up in Nigeria alongside my experiences during my graduate program over the last three years in the United States. I delve into cultural perspectives within and outside of my narrative, tracing identity and creativity within the dynamic context of both countries. This body of work is centered on my observations regarding the differences of my former life in Nigeria and my current life in the United States. I work with a range of materials and imagery including sand, spiral forms, repurposed blue denim jeans, Yoruba Indigo batik patterns, barn quilt patterns and other geometric forms. I traverse through themes of history, identity, personal struggles, family, traditions, and culture shock. Working with mixed media has led to a more personal way to describe cross-cultural narratives, raising questions about the strangeness of existing in both worlds."

Super Saturdays is back!
Our program is designed to inspire young minds and nurture their artistic talents through a variety of engaging activities. From painting and drawing to sculpture and multimedia projects, children will explore diverse art forms while developing their fine motor skills, imaginative thinking, and self-expression. This Spring, we will make gifts for Valentine’s Day, draw life objects, and create imaginative houses and cities. Join us as we paint, sculpt, and imagine together in this inspiring artistic adventure!

Days: Feb. 10, 17, and 24th
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Location: Ball Hall
Age range: 6 to 13 years old.
Please bag your own lunch. Snacks and water will be provided.
Exhibition of the students’ work will be on Feb 24th, from 3 to 5 PM.
Instructors: Delaney Rogers, Cait Maltbie, Ben Conley, and Monica Dauksch

Register here:
https://etsuaw.etsu.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=241-9005B-5&Publish=ANYWAY

Another important event occurred in December in Ball Hall-- the department hosted the BA Capstone exhibition in the Slocumb Galleries. The show featured the selected works of BA Capstone students Breanna Ramirez, Emma Bailey, Jayln Weston, Hannah Russell, Kaylan Owens, Kenna Rasnake, Victoria Neal, Madison Church, Sarah Bargerstock, Martha Bl**er, Rachel Barrick, Jade Dinger, and Kylie Reid. Congratulations to all of our graduating students, and thanks for a great semester!

The ETSU Department of Art and Design is pleased to announce the thesis exhibition schedule for our Master of Fine Arts Graduate Students. The students include Akintayo Akintobi (February 1-9, Reception Feb. 2nd), Bradley Owens (February 12-23, Reception Feb. 16), Benjamin Conley (February 26-March 8, Reception Mar. 1), Ursula Gullow (March 11-22, Reception Mar.22),and Delaney Rogers (March 25-April 12, Reception Apr. 5). The exhibitions and receptions will be held at the Tipton Gallery, 126 Spring Street, Johnson City, TN 37604.

Meet Emily Garcia, one of the BFA students who graduated this past fall semester! The ETSU Art and Design Department is doing Q&A’s with some of our recently graduated BFAs.
Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.
I’m Emily Garcia, and I am a graduating graphic designer major from San Diego, CA. I moved to Johnson City, TN, in early 2021 and transferred to ETSU the following fall.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?
I create digital designs as well as designs for print (mostly packaging). In my design work, I am always utilizing color to the fullest. The process itself changes from project to project- but what remains the same is researching the issue or overall style I want to achieve, exploring multiple iterations of what could be a final design, and then finally delivering a final design. And finessing, so much finessing...

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?
Artists that inspire me are Eugenia Beizo and Lily Hoang-Zhu. I’m really drawn to those with illustrative styles since I love doing that in my own work.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?
I have three professors that have inspired me the most here at ETSU. Kelly Porter, David Dixon, and Johnathan Strube. They have nurtured my creativity while emphasizing real-world applications of my design.

Do you have advice for incoming art students?
Create what YOU want to create! (While following your project prompts, of course.) Your creative vision is what will drive your work and set you apart!

What type of music do you listen to while you create art?
The type of music I listen to really depends on what stage of the process I’m at! If I’m in the sketching phase, I’ll be listening to a lot of Indie or Alternative music. My favorites from that genre are Mitski and Steve Lacy right now. When I need to pick up the pace, I’ll switch to music from Bad Bunny or anything else with a faster tempo.

Do you have any plans after graduation?
I’m moving! (Again.) I am a Sagittarius. Go figure!

Meet Abigail Bennett, one of the BFA students who graduated this past fall semester! The ETSU Art and Design Department is doing Q&A's with some of our recently graduated BFAs.

Introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.

My name is Abigail Bennett, and I was born in Chicago, IL, but was raised here in Northeast Tennessee.

What type of artwork do you create, and can you explain your process?

I primarily work using various design software on the computer and tablet for print (posters, packages, booklets, etc.) or digital use (graphics for social media, web design, etc.). Generally, I start off by defining the problem that I am trying to solve with visual communication. Then, I will do research and create thumbnail sketches by hand to generate ideas quickly. I will create the design on the appropriate program. Lastly, I will either print the work or format the work for the digital space.

Which artists do you look to for inspiration?

As far as graphic designers go, Saul Bass and Paul Rand, and for illustration, I look to Takashi Murakami and his “Superflat” 2D style as well as Modernist movements such as Bauhaus and De Stijl. I really like trying to convey 3D objects using just 2D shapes and lines.

Which professors inspired you the most during your time here as a student?

My graphic design professors Johnathon Strube, David Dixon, and Kelly Porter have all taught me so much about the design process and contributed greatly to my growth as a designer and a person over the past few years. I also felt greatly encouraged and inspired by Professor Sage Perrott who sparked my interest in a variety of printmaking processes!

Do you have advice for incoming art students?

Keep trying your best and be receptive to critiques, and that will help you grow. Nobody is ever finished growing and learning, no matter where they are in their career/art practice!

Do you have any plans after graduation?

I will continue working as a graphic designer. I really enjoy the package design part of my job currently and would love to continue doing that specifically! I think I might also dabble in doing some relief printing on the side.

This past fall semester, sculpture professor Travis Graves taught the Site-Specific and Installation Art course. As their final project, undergraduate and graduate students in the course were tasked with creating and installing site-specific artworks at their choice of location -- many of which were on view around campus! Please enjoy images of some of the works.