Students and alumni of Missouri State’s Art History program present their research for First Friday Art Talks. The events are a collaboration between the Department of Art + Design and the Springfield-Greene County Library System, with each talk held at Park Central Branch Library from 7–7:30 p.m. on their respective dates.

Museum Studies and Art History professor Dr. Billie Follensbee shares more about the intentions behind First Friday Art Talks:

We hope the students will take away valuable experience in how to present on their research to a public audience and in how to provide an interesting and educational presentation to the public. We hope to provide the attendees with an interesting, educational experience and with positive exposure to the arts of different cultures, places, and time periods. The First Friday Art Talks series is thus a program that altogether supports Missouri State University’s Public Affairs Mission to promote cultural competence, ethical leadership, and community engagement among our students and alumni as well as in the broader community.

More events may be scheduled for 2023, but there are currently three First Friday Art Talks coming up soon:

Hannah Herron, “The Reconstruction of Alexander the Great in the Shahnama Illustrations”

Friday, December 2, 2022

Hannah Herron graduated from Missouri State University in spring 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and minors in Religious Studies and Criminology.  She plans to pursue a Master of Arts degree and a PhD in Art History to become a university professor.

Hanna Henroid, “Across the Mediterranean: Mamluk Textiles in Europe”

Friday, February 3, 2023

Hanna Henroid is a senior at Missouri State University in the Bachelor of Arts: Visual Art and Culture program with a double major in Art History and Museum Studies with a minor in History. She plans to work in archives or collections management.

Jacqueline Batista-Martinez, “Ambition and Homesickness at the Mosque of Cordoba”

Friday, March 3, 2023

Jacqueline Batista-Martinez completed her Bachelor of Science degree at Missouri State University in 2022 with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Art History, and she works as a community health worker for a public health non-profit in Kansas City. Batista-Martinez hopes to become a familiar face at Kansas City art institutions such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Park Central Branch Library is located at 128 Park Central Square, Springfield, MO 65806. For questions about the events, call the Department of Art and Design office, 417-837-2330.

Taylor Ladd is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art + Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University with professional interests in writing about art, culture, and food.