About the Department of Art & Art History
Learn about our department faculty and program offerings.
Department of Art & Art History
What We Do
The Department of Art and Art History is committed to developing a foundation for understanding art history and studio art methodologies through focus on hands-on, practical, and theoretical approaches. The department promotes a broad, yet thorough, education that yields life-long learners with effective skills in creative problem-solving, critical thinking, visual and verbal and written communication.
Who We Are
The University of Mississippi is classified by Carnegie as an R1 university, a designation reserved for the top 2.5% of universities in the nation. As part of a research-intensive university, our faculty are at the top of their field.
Why does R1 matter to students? They will have professors who bring exciting new discoveries into the classroom and give students a chance to work alongside them as they break barriers.
The Department of Art and Art History boasts a faculty of educators who are also active as artists and researchers. Students learn from experts with practical experience and expert knowledge.
- Distinguished Professor Nancy L. Wicker has recently received recognition for her excellence as a scholar in the forms of both a Solmsen Fellowship at the Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and in being elected to the Board of Directors of the International Center of Medieval Art (ICMA).
- Kariann Fuqua, Instructional Assistant Professor of Art and Director of Museum Studies, has been awarded a highly competitive MAC Visual and Design Artists Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission. The annual award honors five exceptional Mississippi artists with $5,000 of funding to support making new art.
- Graphic designer, Tyler Barnes, worked with professional design studios and specializes in brand strategy, visual identity systems and logo design, typography, and print collateral. He has earned ten American Advertising Federation Awards, including two district Gold ADDY’s in the category of Sales and Marketing - Packaging for his packaging design for the Rye Whiskey bottle by River Basin Distillery.
Welcome From The Chair
Artists need community and an environment that supports creativity and learning. They need role models of professional visual artists that provide a strong foundation in techniques, processes, and principles of making art. Art historians examine works of art in their historical, social and political contexts, conduct research, and discern the ideas conveyed in art, past and present, in Western and non-Western cultures. This is what the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Mississippi provides.
Our faculty are all working artists and art historians who have achieved success and distinction in their careers. They invest in every member of our community, guiding and challenging them to excel in small classes with individualized attention. Our graduates bring the skill of visual and critical thinking to a variety of careers. No matter what career path they choose, our graduates’ lives are enriched by the study of art and art history in the studio, the classroom, and beyond.
Welcome to our community.
Michael Barnett
Chair and Professor of Theatre and Film and Interim Chair of Art and Art History
Department Leadership and Support
Michael Barnett
- Chair and Professor of Theatre and Film and Interim Chair of Art and Art History
Durant Thompson
- Professor of Art
Meet the Art Faculty
Tyler Barnes
- Associate Professor of Art
Kaleena Stasiak
- Assistant Professor of Art Printmaking
Philip Jackson
- Professor of Art
Matthew Long
- Professor of Art
Durant Thompson
- Professor of Art
Sara Wilkerson
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Imaging Arts
Seth Thibodaux
- Instructor in Art and Sculpture Technician
Stacey Rathert
- Instructional Associate Professor of Art, Sculpture
Lance Yates
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Art Education and Studio Art
Kariann Fuqua
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Art, Foundations & Museum Studies
Hudd Byard
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
Bryce Heesacker
- Assistant Professor of Art, Digital Media
Brooke Alexander
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Art, Drawing and Painting
Sherry Donaldson
- Adjunct Instructor of Art Education
Thomas Coon
- Adjunct Instructor in Art and Art History
Virginia Rougon
- Associate Provost and Professor of Art
Ray Brown
- Instructor and Ceramics Technician
Joshua Brinlee
- Associate Professor of Art
Brett Hanover
- Adjunct Instructor of Art and Art History
Meet the Art History Faculty
Nancy Wicker
- Distinguished Professor of Art History
Kris Belden-Adams
- Associate Professor of Art History
Bokyung Kim
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Art History
Aileen Ajootian
- Professor of Classics & Art
Franny Zawadzki
- Instructional Assistant Professor of Art History
Mission Statement
The Department of Art and Art History is committed to developing a foundation for understanding art history and studio art methodologies through focus on hands-on, practical, and theoretical approaches. The department promotes a broad, yet thorough education in the arts in a Liberal Arts context, that through undergraduate and graduate programs yield highly qualified life-long learners with effective creative problem solving, critical thinking, visual and verbal and written communication skills. It also serves the educational needs of studio art and art history majors and a diverse clientele, while recognizing the value of the individual. It supports a highly qualified faculty and staff while providing an environment that encourages scholarly and creative development. New technology is integrated into an atmosphere that stresses effective technical skills, and creates a community of individuals who provide service to their discipline and the larger community through the application and dissemination of expertise and knowledge.
History
The Department of Art & Art History was established in 1948, one hundred years after the university first offered classes. The department was the result of years of effort by then Chancellor J. D. Williams who was awarded a grant from the General Education Board, a branch of the Rockefeller Foundation, to study the feasibility of an art school in Mississippi. The result was the first public art department in the state.
Under the first chair, Stuart R. Purser, the department offered bachelor’s degrees in two disciplines, art education and studio arts. The degree offerings were expanded with the establishment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in 1952, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1954, and the Bachelor of Arts in Art History in 1974.
In 1981, the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning assigned to the department the mission role to develop art within the state and to become nationally competitive. In 1982, the department received initial accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
A student displaying his paintings & A professor painting a portrait
A group of students figure drawing & A student using a paper press
A group of students working in sculpture
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Meek Hall
Meek Hall was built in 1959–1960 in the Bauhaus style. The building was named for Elma Meek, the student who submitted the name Ole Miss for the name of the annual yearbook; Ole Miss subsequently became synonymous with the University of Mississippi. Meek Hall originally housed the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and later the Department of Music. The Department of Art & Art History moved to Meek Hall starting in 2002 from Old Chemistry (now, Brevard Hall) and Bryant Hall.
Find Meek Hall
Our Community
A Place That Ever Calls
Located 70 miles from Memphis and surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern Mississippi, Oxford boasts thriving music, art, and literary scenes along with great restaurants. UM's athletics provide many opportunities to watch and participate in sports—and one of the world's best tailgating parties.
With everything Oxford has to offer, it's no wonder USA Today named Oxford as one of the Top Six College Towns in the Nation.
Come see why.